Samsung’s new wide foldable might share a hinge design with its Ultra sibling on paper, but a closer look reveals a key feature didn’t make the cut. Samsung’s latest wide foldable may be its most compelling launch yet — but there’s a catch buried in the hinge.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 trades the tall, book-style shape of the Z Fold 8 Ultra for a shorter, wider footprint — giving it a broader internal display that’s ideal for streaming and browsing.
The trade-off? It only holds two positions: fully open or fully closed. That’s a notable step down from what the Ultra offers, and here’s why it matters.
Who let the flex out?
At a glance, the hinges on the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra look identical. Both rely on Samsung’s new ‘Flex Titanium’ build, which boosts durability and noticeably softens the crease.
The Ultra pulls ahead in one key way, though: it can be propped open at nearly any angle, from fully closed to fully flat, much like a laptop. The standard Z Fold 8 doesn’t offer that flexibility — it only locks into fully open or fully closed, so it can’t stand on its own on a flat surface.
That limitation means losing Flex Mode, one of Samsung’s most recognizable foldable features. Without it, you give up hands-free video calls, quick camera previews, and easy group shots. It also cuts off a dedicated control panel for apps like YouTube and Netflix, along with a standalone gamepad layout for select mobile games.
Credit to Basil at tech edit, who first brought this to our attention.
A potential dealbreaker?
Whether losing Flex Mode feels like a dealbreaker really comes down to how you use your phone. If you’re fine with a device that’s either fully phone or fully tablet, with nothing in between, the standard Z Fold 8 won’t let you down.
But if hands-free versatility and mid-angle positioning matter to you, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is the one to get.
Samsung hasn’t explained why Flex Mode was left out of the Z Fold 8. The likeliest reason is cost-cutting — the company had to engineer an entirely new hinge while navigating a global RAM shortage that’s already driving tech prices sharply upward.
Even so, it puts the Z Fold 8’s hinge a step behind not just the Ultra, but every Galaxy Z Fold released since the line debuted in 2019.
Combined with the absence of a telephoto lens, that downgrade likely explains the £200/$200 price gap compared to the Ultra.
Still, the Z Fold 8 won me over during my hands-on time with it — even if the Z Fold 8 Ultra remains, arguably, the most complete foldable Samsung has ever made.
