I’ve spent a month with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and this video-friendly phone has turned me into a foldable believer

Just when foldable phones seemed to be losing popularity, Samsung surprised everyone with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. This passport-shaped foldable could bring dual-screen devices into the mainstream, even with a bit of Apple’s assistance. For the first time, a passport-style foldable is available in Western markets. But is it as revolutionary as Samsung claims? I've been using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for a month and I can confidently say that it's an incredibly versatile device for watching content, with some quirks to consider.

The Z Fold 8's design has been revamped to better suit video consumption, ditching the productivity-focused dimensions of previous book-style foldables. When closed, the phone features a squatter, passport shape, and when opened, a more practical rectangular shape. The 5.5-inch, 10:16 cover display is perfect for one-handed use, and the wider display makes typing a nostalgic experience.

When turned on its side, the cover screen becomes a 16:10 canvas ideal for video content, with the aspect ratio staying the same as other phones. Although my hand sometimes covered the bottom-firing speaker, unfolding the Z Fold 8 and letting it stand independently has become one of my favorite ways to watch videos.

When opened, the Z Fold 8 offers a 7.6-inch, 4:3 display that shines when displaying native 4:3 content like older anime shows. The phone is also great for reading, as 3:4 isn't too far off the dimensions of traditional physical books, making it a great size for work-focused apps like Google Docs. However, social media apps aren't well-optimized for this unfolded screen, so most of my time has been spent scrolling through socials on the cover display.

The crease on the Z Fold 8 is less visible than it is on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and a Flex Titanium layer enhances the hinge's sturdiness and makes the phone unfold completely flat.

Under the hood, the Z Fold 8 is powered by a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 12GB of RAM, ensuring smooth performance for games like Asphalt Legends. Samsung has also updated its Multi-Window feature, allowing up to three apps to be used side-by-side, either vertically, horizontally, or via the older splitting method.

While I haven't needed to use three apps simultaneously, having two apps open side-by-side is definitely useful for cross-referencing information. The Nudge feature has also been updated, opening suggested apps in split-screen, encouraging maximum use of the foldable phone's potential.

However, choosing the Z Fold 8 over other foldables means sacrificing some camera capabilities. The main and ultra-wide snappers are decent enough, but there is no telephoto lens.