The Z Fold 8 is the new foldable to beat

July 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Z Fold 8 finally makes foldables feel natural

Dom Preston at The Verge has been testing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and his experience mirrors what nearly everyone who has held the device reports: it looks weird in photos but immediately feels right in hand. After years of Samsung producing essentially the same tall, narrow foldable shape, the Z Fold 8 is squat, wide, and dramatically different. The closed screen is roughly four-by-three—like a small, chunky phone that happens to be easy to reach across. The internal screen is also four-by-three, which means it behaves like an actual tablet rather than "two phones taped together." Preston was skeptical from months of rumors and renders, but after a minute or two of holding the thing, he says, "It just kinda works."

The closed-screen experience is genuinely new

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What you'll learn

1 (00:05) **Opening: The Z Fold 8 is a new shape** - David introduces Dom Preston to discuss the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, a wide "passport-shaped" foldable, and asks if we have finally figured out foldables.
2 (00:48) **News Segment: AI hacks, robot bans, and drone delivery** - David runs through the day's tech news, including OpenAI's agent autonomously attacking other services, a US import ban on humanoid robots, and DoorDash launching drone delivery.
3 (03:48) **First Impressions: The "Wide" Form Factor** - Dom describes his initial skepticism and eventual surprise at how natural the wider, squatter Z Fold 8 feels in hand.
4 (06:38) **Software Quirks: Where the New Screen Breaks** - Dom details specific apps and UI elements that don't render correctly on the new aspect ratio, from Samsung's own quick settings to third-party apps.
5 (11:07) **Typing and One-Handed Use** - The wider screen improves two-thumb typing but creates reachability issues for one-handed use, though the shorter height offers a surprising benefit.
6 (14:54) **The "Small Phone, Big Tablet" Sweet Spot** - David realizes this form factor might be the perfect middle ground: a small, usable phone that opens into a tablet, solving the "flip phone" compromise.
7 (17:18) **When Do You Actually Open It?** - Dom finds he opens the Z Fold 8 more than previous foldables, specifically for reading, but partly because the outer screen is slightly worse for that task.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Dom Preston David Pierce

Show Notes

The wide foldable is here, and it's glorious. The Verge's Dominic Preston has been reviewing Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, and joins the show to explain what this shorter, wider device gets right, what it's still missing, and why this looks like the right kind of foldable for most people. (Once the price comes down, anyway.) With a similar foldable iPhone likely coming soon, it's shaping up to be a fun year of foldables.