You’ll have to excuse me for dragging you back into the Apple vs. Samsung ring, but this rivalry shows no signs of slowing down. Apple’s surprise entry into the foldable market with the iPhone Duo has shaken up a segment Samsung has dominated for seven years.
But as exciting as the iPhone Duo is, it’s actually made me appreciate the Galaxy Z Fold 8 even more — especially its ergonomics and physical design.
Apple nailed several things right out of the gate, including a genuinely crease-free display and full IP68 water and dust resistance. But Samsung’s seven years of foldable experience still shows: the Z Fold 8 is the more refined device overall.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a triumph of efficient design
Even though I already knew the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s weight on paper, actually holding it for the first time still reset my expectations of what a modern foldable phone should feel like.
At just 201 grams (7.09 oz), it’s the lightest foldable I’ve ever used — a stark contrast to the iPhone Duo’s noticeably heavier 254 grams (8.96 oz).
It feels unnatural at first, but in a good way — after years of hauling around heavier candybar phones, having something this practical yet featherlight in my pocket was genuinely eye-opening.
Unfolded in portrait mode — great for short-form video — the weight distribution feels close to perfect. Nothing about it feels top-heavy, which makes it a joy to hold in this orientation. The same holds true in landscape mode, which comes in handy when I’m catching up on TV shows or reading e-books.
Samsung is actively curing my curved screen fatigue
Then there’s Samsung’s deliberate use of right angles throughout the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and I can only applaud from the sidelines. I genuinely can’t stress enough how tired I am of the curved screen corners Apple popularized years ago.
That design language has since been copied by nearly every other phone manufacturer, and it’s only absent from a small handful of devices — most of them Samsung’s own. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, thankfully, is part of that exclusive club, and it’s a breath of fresh air.
Right-angled display corners suit this form factor well, giving the Galaxy Z Fold 8 a professional, sophisticated look that sets it apart from every rival in the space — the iPhone Duo included. As an elder millennial who grew up with early PDAs and pocket PCs and their old-school monochrome screens, right angles just look more natural to me. This wallet-style Samsung foldable bridges that nostalgic gap, marrying the best of the old world with the new.
Skipping curved corners has also let Samsung keep the front design perfectly symmetric — something Apple’s foldable can’t claim. The Duo’s cover screen has a right-angled corner on one side and a curved one on the other, and it looks off. Symmetry wins.
It’s not all great, though
There’s just one design caveat to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — not a dealbreaker for me, but one that might give some buyers pause. It carries an IP48 rating, meaning it’s well sealed against freshwater and dust particles larger than a millimeter, but not against finer dust.
Samsung’s biggest US rivals, Google and Apple, have both protected their foldables against all elements with more impressive IP68 ratings.
I tend to pamper my devices, especially my foldables, but an IP48 rating makes me extra cautious about where I take the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Stronger protection and a higher IP rating would have given me much greater peace of mind.
Maybe next year, Samsung?
