It’s hard to believe that 2026 will see the eighth generation of Samsung’s foldable phones. Somehow, the best foldables still feel a little bit magical compared to regular flat handsets.
But with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung may need more “wow” factor than ever. That’s because reports claim that Apple will finally release its own iPhone Fold later this fall to rival what Samsung and other device makers already offer on the foldable front.
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So how does Samsung meet that challenge? Here’s everything we know so far about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 based on early rumors.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Expected release date and price
(Image credit: Future)
Unless Samsung decides to mix things up, we can likely narrow the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s release window to just two months: July or August, 2026.
Other than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Special Edition, you have to go back to 2020’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 to find a Fold model that didn’t come out during the summer. If you were to put money on it, July would seem sensible as the last three Galaxy Z Fold handsets have launched then.
As for price, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 debuted with a $1,999 price tag that was $100 more than what Samsung charged for the Galaxy Z Fold 6. And that 2024 release also saw a $100 increase from its predecessor. Clearly, the pricing trend for the Fold is heading in the wrong direction.
Whether the Galaxy Z Fold 8 reverses that trend is unclear, but the signs aren’t promising. The AI boom is driving up RAM costs, which could translate to more expensive phones, foldables or otherwise. The upcoming Galaxy S26 release, which will take place months before the Galaxy Z Fold 8 sees the light of day, could tell us a lot about Samsung’s pricing strategy for 2026.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: A second model?
(Image credit: Future)
When Samsung holds its summer event, we’re used to seeing two devices — a Galaxy Z Flip alongside the book-style Galaxy Z Fold. Last year, Samsung introduced a cheaper variant of the Flip in the form of the Galaxy Z Flip FE. And one rumor has Samsung expanding its lineup this year with another version of the Galaxy Z Fold.
Specifically, a Korean publication claims that Samsung is developing a ‘Wide Fold’ model to deal directly with Apple’s iPhone Fold. The rumored Apple device is said to have a different aspect ratio than the standard Galaxy Z Fold (as we’ll discuss in the section below), and this rumored Samsung Wide Fold would offer this more square layout as an alternative.
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The Wide Fold would offer a 5.4-inch outer screen and a 7.6-inch main display — smaller than what you get on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 on both counts. The design would be better for viewing video content as you wouldn’t see prominent black bars on the top and bottom of the video like you do with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
The Wide Fold rumor points to a possible fall release. For now, we’ll concentrate on the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s prospects, though we’ll post any updates about another Fold model as we hear them.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design and display
(Image credit: Future)
The basic design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is unlikely to deviate from its predecessors. When closed, the Fold will still look like a regular handset with an exterior cover screen, only to open up to reveal a larger internal display.
We don’t have figures on how large these screens would be yet yet, but it would be surprising if it were too far removed from the 6.5-inch and 8-inch screen sizes we saw on the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
That could prove to be a contrast to the iPhone Fold, which is said to be featuring a 4:3 aspect ratio for its main display; as a result, the panel itself could be smaller.
Samsung has had some success in reducing the sizable footprint of its flagship foldable in recent years, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was just 8.9mm when folded or 4.2mm unfolded. It seems like Samsung may have something even more svelte up its sleeve, as a report from South Korea says the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be 200 grams — 15 grams lighter than its predecessor.
That might spell worries for S Pen fans, however. Support for Samsung’s clever stylus was dropped for last year’s model in a bid to make the device smaller, and if the new version is somehow lighter still, this doesn’t bode well for its return, despite earlier rumors to the contrary.
Still, there are two encouraging rumors about the internal panel on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The first comes from the leaker @kro_roe, who claims that the tablet screen will be “larger” and “with [an] adjusted aspect ratio”.
And it looks like Samsung may have made further progress on removing the visible crease where the internal screen folds in half, too. Laser drilling technology will reportedly greatly decrease the visible crease, though given Apple is said to have eliminated it completely, this may not be enough for perfectionists.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Camera
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 enjoyed a big improvement on the photography front, with Samsung increasing the megapixel count on the main camera from 50MP to 200MP.
Samsung is likely to keep that camera for another year, but the two supporting lenses could be getting upgrades of their own, at least according to Galaxy Club.
The 12MP ultrawide camera will reportedly jump to a 50MP sensor, allowing for higher resolution shots with more options for cropping. The telephoto lens, meanwhile, would go from 10MP to 12MP based on this rumor; it would still offer a 3x optical zoom. This should allow for slightly sharper long-distance snaps.
The front-facing cameras will likely remain the same, the report says. That means dual 10MP punch-hole cameras — one on the cover screen, and one in the inner display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
As an annual update, we’d expect the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 to get the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset. That’s the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which impressed in benchmarks before it started appearing in phones like the OnePlus 15 (and potentially, some of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 models.)
In short, this is expected to be a very fast phone indeed, but so was the Galaxy Z Fold 7 thanks to its earlier Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon. While the upgraded Qualcomm chipset has proven to be speedier, there’s a question of whether users will notice the improvement in everyday tasks.
There’s also a question of whether Samsung would turn to its own Exynos chips for the Galaxy Z Fold 8. After all, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 flip phone uses an Exynos 2500 rather than one of Qualcomm’s chipsets. And there’s talk that the Exynos 2600 could power some Galaxy S26 models, depending on where the phones are release. It’s worth watching to see if the Fold follows that same pattern.
Whatever chipset Samsung does use could offer a boost to battery life. According to @kro_roe, Samsung will be increase the capacity of the battery from 4,400 mAh on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to 5,000 mAh on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That’s not only very welcome in its own right, but hugely impressive, if the purported 15 gram drop in weight is also confirmed.
In a later post on X, @kro_roe added that Samsung will also be increasing the charging speed from 25W to 45W. That’s a big boost to power users who rely on keeping their phone topped up, too.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Outlook
It figures to be a big year for foldables, and the iPhone Fold’s September launch would be a big reason why. Samsung knows just how hard it is to make a reliable first foldable, and will hope that years of experience will make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 the superior product when both foldables are available to buy.
From what we’ve heard so far, it sounds like Samsung will continue to advance the Fold, with a lighter design, a larger internal screen and a 14% larger battery. There are still plenty of blanks to fill in, but if what we’ve heard so far is correct, Samsung could be well positioned to stave off any challenge from Apple.
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