Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 ‘passport’ design is the next big smartphone trend

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Or sign-in if you have an account.Even if the newest crop of foldables sell well, though, they aren’t likely to displace other Galaxy and iPhone models anytime soon. Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty ImagesSamsung Electronics Co.’s newest foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, offers a taste of the next big trend in smartphone design: It has a shorter, wider build, similar to a passport, with screen dimensions that are better suited for watching video. That shape will be seen yet again in less than two months when Apple Inc. unveils its first folding iPhone.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountNeither company is the first to pursue this style. Alphabet Inc.’s Google briefly went with a similar approach for its original Pixel Fold before pivoting to a taller, narrower design. Oppo and Huawei Technologies Co. have also released wide foldables in China and other regions.But between the foldable iPhone and the US$1,900 Z Fold 8, which starts shipping Aug. 7, United States consumers are about to see much more of this style. I’ve been testing Samsung’s new hardware for a couple of days, and I have some thoughts on the new look. A shorter screen means seeing fewer emails at a time. Photographer: Chris Welch/BloombergGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againA Fun First ImpressionI’m rarely ever tempted to describe a piece of technology as “charming,” but that’s the word I keep coming back to when handling the Z Fold 8. Between its feathery weight of 0.44 pounds (201 grams) and its out-of-the-ordinary shape, this is a fun device to use.The 5.5-inch outer screen is also easy to navigate one-handed without straining my thumb. I still tend to rest the bottom of the phone on my pinky like any other device, but since it’s so short at about 4.9 inches, there’s little chance I’ll lose my grip. I can’t say the same for larger handsets like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max.But I do have my gripes. The placement of the Z Fold 8’s rear camera array leads to a noticeable wobble whenever it’s set down on a table. This usually isn’t the sort of thing that bothers me, but it’s hard to miss here. Using a case has helped me flatten out other phones, but I didn’t have access to one designed for this device.After offering the Z Fold 7 in a saturated blue last year, Samsung has played it safer with more muted tones on the 2026 lineup. Regardless of your preferences — I’m partial to bolder colours — the hardware feels well made, and the device is easy to unfold. Its hinge springs open as you switch to the tablet-style inner display, which means you can’t use the Z Fold 8 as a mini “laptop” like its predecessors. The cover display has a squat 10:16 aspect ratio that gives apps a unique look and feel. Photographer: Chris Welch/BloombergThe Novelty Wears OffIf there’s one obvious sacrifice that comes with this squat form factor, it’s information density. Most apps scale to the cover screen’s 10:16 aspect ratio, but you’re losing serious vertical headroom. This screen is substantially shorter than your standard candy-bar-style device, which means, for example, you’ll see fewer emails in Gmail until you start scrolling. On my iPhone 17 Pro Max, I can see 10 email subject lines. On the Z Fold 8, that drops to just five.What’s more, window previews can look tiny when you’re swiping through apps in the multitasking switcher, a problem for those of us with weak vision.Productivity warriors might not love seeing less information on the display they’ll be glancing at throughout the day. That’s true of the home screen too: Whereas other Samsung phones let you place up to five columns of apps, the Z Fold 8’s grid has a limit of four.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Instagram posts often take up the whole outer screen — sometimes more than the whole screen, requiring a tiny swipe just to see a full image or video — and you won’t see as much conversation history when opening Slack. Some of this can be resolved by adjusting text size preferences in the Z Fold 8’s settings menu, but some people will never bother.The better option is to open the device and switch to its 7.6-inch inner screen. If you do this and rotate the phone into a vertical orientation, your TikTok videos and Instagram feed will go from cramped to supersized. Using that inside display in tall mode really helps make up for the limited height in landscape mode, even if it feels awkward at first.In its normal orientation, this style makes for a top-notch reading experience that feels more natural and book-like than narrower devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. And unlike past iterations, this model is light enough to go cover to cover without any hand cramps. I wish Samsung would ditch the unsightly camera on this display; there’s already a selfie camera on the cover screen, where you’d most likely be taking video calls. The US$1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 8, left, has a shorter, wider shape than conventional phones like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, at right.This Was Built for Photo and Video PlaybackAnother standout use for the inner screen is browsing photos. Smartphone cameras capture 4:3 images, so they’ll automatically fill the entire display, making this a great gadget for showing friends your recent vacation photos. And when snapping pics, the outside cover screen makes for an immersive viewfinder regardless of how you’re holding the phone.The Z Fold 8 includes a primary camera alongside an ultrawide lens, but there’s no telephoto lens that can offer close-up optical zoom. That’s a shame, since Samsung’s portrait mode often bests Apple and Google at subject separation and blurring the background in a shot.As for the upcoming folding iPhone, it’s also likely to go the dual-camera route — making for an easy hardware upgrade next year for those who love the extra reach of a zoom lens.So far, watching videos on the Z Fold 8 hasn’t been the huge differentiator that Samsung would have you believe. Sure, you can pinch to zoom in on content, and then it’s far bigger than any non-folding phone can muster. But if you’re watching a modern movie, the image on the inner display isn’t dramatically larger than on a 17 Pro Max or S26 Ultra. It’s nice, at least, that the black bars above and below what you’re watching are smaller here. Reading on a passport-style phone feels more natural than on taller, narrower foldables. Photographer: Chris Welch/BloombergFor this phone style to truly meet its potential at entertainment, we’re going to need a larger version — something in the ballpark of Samsung’s discontinued Galaxy Z TriFold. But such a device would be more cumbersome to handle and less pocketable. Might the South Korean company eventually move away from the tall, narrow “Ultra” and just produce two sizes of this style instead? That would make a lot of sense to me: Some people will just want a versatile and compact device like the Z Fold 8, while others will crave a true do-everything product.The company already has high expectations for the new shape, believing it will make up about a third of its foldable sales in the U.S., according to Samsung.For Apple, the foldable iPhone is step two of a three-year plan to reinvent the look and feel of its flagship device. Last year, the company introduced overhauled Pro and Pro Max models and a thinner version called the iPhone Air. It’s also working on a separate iPhone revamp in 2027 to mark the product’s two-decade anniversary.Even if the newest crop of foldables sell well, though, they aren’t likely to displace other Galaxy and iPhone models anytime soon — especially the large ones. There are concessions that come with going shorter and wider. If you’re an email junkie or live in your TikTok feed, the bigger screens (and much lower prices) of a Galaxy S26 Ultra, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone Air make more sense.Still, there’s something to this design that has me excited every time I pick up the Z Fold 8. Smartphones have matured to a point where new hardware often feels stale, with some consumers unmoved by marginally better cameras or a barrage of artificial intelligence features. Even foldable updates have felt overly incremental at times. But the Z Fold 8 is a device that feels meaningfully new, at least in the U.S. Consumers will ultimately decide whether the passport shape is really what the category has been missing all along. Even just a couple days in, I suspect it will be a hit with people who have grown bored with predictable phone releases year after year.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.