Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Review: The Compact Foldable Struggles to Gain Momentum

August 30, 2026

Tech

Despite a Galaxy Z Fold 8 stealing all the spotlight with its new, innovative format, Samsung is currently launching an obvious successor to its clamshell smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 8. It’s timely: I literally haven’t picked up a Samsung foldable in years. Are the progressions notable?

I’m not the biggest fan of foldables. I’ll admit I never quite grasped their appeal for my own use. Nevertheless, among the devices on the market, Samsung’s Z Flip has always been my pick. It isn’t too different from a format I already know, while presenting itself as a light and compact smartphone. Two criteria that matter a lot to me. However, this Galaxy Z Flip 8 is priced 100 euros higher than its predecessor. The central question will thus be whether the novelties genuinely justify this price increase.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

7 / 10

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The most

An accomplished format, a crease now almost invisible
Bright, vivid screens
Effective daytime photography
The user interface and Galaxy AI features

The Cons

Battery life remains just adequate
Slow charging
Heats up significantly
Recycled camera sensors from two years ago
Prices have risen

Read the conclusion

Test conducted on a smartphone loaned by the manufacturer.

In the Box of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

USB-C to USB-C cable

Design: a Familiar Foldable with Sparse Innovations

To be direct: the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is an almost perfect clone of last year’s Flip 7. Its screens are exactly the same size, and you’d need a caliper to tell their dimensions apart. The bulk of the progress here lies in a record-thin profile at 6.1 mm when unfolded, and a weight that now hits a floor of 180 grams (-8 g versus last year).

I won’t lie to you, I can’t tell which is 7 and which is 8. ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

Screen: a Display that Stays Put

A 6.9-inch internal screen (17.5 cm diagonal) and a 4.1-inch cover display (10.4 cm) remain unchanged. We still have two excellent OLED panels at 120 Hz, but only the main panel is LTPO, guaranteeing real-time adaptive refresh rate. Nothing perceptible to the naked eye, note well.

Brightness is also unchanged. Both screens offer roughly the same peak around 2500 nits. No readability issues in broad daylight, even with sunglasses on.

As is typical with Samsung, color saturation is a touch exaggerated, though undeniably enticing. It’s better to switch to the “Natural” profile in settings to regain something closer to natural shades.

The screen is bright enough for comfortable use in all circumstances. ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

Performance: An Exynos in Fine Form

Samsung reuses the same chipset found in its latest Galaxy S26 models for its new foldables. No Snapdragon on the horizon here, but the Exynos 2600, built on a 2 nm process, is a very capable chip that delivers silky-smooth navigation and exceptional responsiveness, yet it also gives the impression of feeling squeezed inside the ultra-thin chassis of the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

That’s a common trait of Samsung’s compact formats: heating is rapid, present, and sometimes truly bothersome. Although it concentrates on the upper portion of the phone (near the outer display), it can seriously throttle performance during longer, demanding tasks. Verdict: in a 3DMark stress test, the Flip 8 returns with a mediocre 50% stability.

That said, the foldable stays put under pressure, even on the fattiest games. In Neverness to Everness, the title runs between 40 and 60 frames per second on medium quality, with a somewhat troublesome heat buildup over time. Admittedly, this kind of form factor isn’t ideal for long gaming sessions. Still, the Flip 8 is reasonably capable, though the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra do far better (thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5).

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 (open) and Flip 8 (closed). ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 (open) and the Flip 8 (closed). ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

Display: a Panel That Stays Static

A 6.9-inch inner display (17.5 cm diagonal) and a 4.1-inch external panel (10.4 cm) remain unchanged. We still have two very good OLED panels at 120 Hz, but only the main panel is LTPO, guaranteeing real-time adjustment of the sampling rate. Nothing noticeable to the naked eye, take note.

Brightness remains consistent as well. Both displays perform similarly, with a peak around 2500 nits. No readability problems to report, so you can comfortably read notifications even in bright sun with sunglasses on.

As is Samsung’s habit, color saturation is a tad exaggerated, though undeniably alluring. It’s better to opt for the “Natural” profile in the settings to regain a more natural look.

©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

In line with its elder, the Flip 8 is IP68 certified, meaning it remains water-resistant for 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters in fresh water, but it isn’t fond of dust and other fine particles smaller than 1 mm. In other words, not really a beach enthusiast.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 (open) and the Flip 8 (closed). ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

Camera: Too Much Laziness

Turning old into new with a twist, Samsung recycles the same camera setup as the Flip 7, which itself was recycled from the Flip 6. Bored yet?

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Camera Configuration:

Wide angle: 50 MP, 1/1.57″, f/1.8, OIS ;
Ultra-wide: 12 MP, 1/3.2″, f/2.2, 123° ;
Selfie: 10 MP, 1/3.0″, f/2.2

Encore et toujours les mêmes capteurs photo. ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

Wide Angle

Classic shooting continues to be the name of the game. The 50-megapixel wide-angle on the Flip 8 does a solid job of capturing nice everyday memories. Sharpness is satisfying, colors are vibrant without being garish, and contrast is tuned to give your shots a slightly enhanced, more flattering look.

Most apps can display on the cover screen… ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

The AI also finds its use in photography and video, notably with the voice-editing feature (you describe what you want to do and the software executes it), or targeted framing of an element in your videos. In my view, Samsung remains a leader in this area today. As an iPhone user, I admit I envy the efficacy of One UI’s Magic Eraser!

Video

Video remains one of Samsung’s strengths, even on the Flip 8. Whether wide or main angle, and even at 4K60, there is virtually nothing to fault. Footage is rich, dynamic is ample, colors are vivid, and stabilization remains impeccable, even without enabling super-stabilization!

Autonomy: Still Charging at 25 Watts

Continuing the cycle, with a slimmer 4,300 mAh battery that will typically last through a day of light-to-moderate use—music and social scrolling included. Not helped by a processor that gets very hot, the Flip 8 isn’t built for endurance, but it isn’t disgraceful either.

There is no improvement on charging; the Galaxy Z Flip 8 sticks with a wired recharge capped at 25W and 15W wireless. It takes about 1h30 to recharge fully.

Appreciate the thinness of the device. ©Pierre Crochart for Clubic

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Price, Availability and Competition

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 is now available in Rose, Graphite, White, and Aquas (exclusive to Samsung.com), at the following prices:

12+256 Go: 1,299 €;
12+512 Go: 1,399 €.

As mentioned above, that’s a 100 € price hike across the lineup versus last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7. At the same price point, you’ll only find the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra with a clamshell format. Otherwise you’ll have to turn to more conventional smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S26+, the iPhone 17 Pro, or the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL which will be announced next week.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Clubic’s Take

Conclusion

General Note

7 / 10

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 is undeniably a very good foldable smartphone. Its problem is that it isn’t very interesting, and even the manufacturer doesn’t seem highly motivated to market it as needed. Nearly invisible on the official site; eclipsed by Fold 8 and its eye-catching new format, the Flip 8 feels like a rather cautious upgrade of a concept that, if it works well, doesn’t truly know where it’s headed.
Powerful, but plagued by heating issues, it irritates with its inability to renew itself. Samsung keeps rolling out the same camera sensors as two years ago, with only modest improvements to battery life and even less on fast charging.
The truth is that this Galaxy Z Flip 8 appears less compelling than its bigger brother the Flip 7 released last summer, largely explained by its price. Launched starting at 1399€, the new model does not offer enough incentive to prefer it over last year’s model, which can be found around 800€.

Pros and Cons of the Z Flip 8

The Flip 8 is undoubtedly a very good folding device. Its issue is that it isn’t particularly exciting, and even its maker doesn’t seem keen to push marketing it as aggressively as it could. Relatively invisible on the official site, overshadowed by the Fold 8 with its bold new format, the Flip 8 remains a modest upgrade of a concept that, while functional, doesn’t clearly define its future.

Daniel Brooks

I cover everyday products with a practical eye, from kitchen tools and home essentials to smart gadgets and consumer trends. My goal is to help readers understand what is genuinely useful, what is worth the price, and what deserves a second look before buying.