Updated

Updated · WIRED · Aug 16

Samsung Redesigns Galaxy Z Fold8 With Wider Shape, Challenging Its Decade-Old Tall Foldable Formula

Updated

Updated · WIRED · Aug 16

Samsung Redesigns Galaxy Z Fold8 With Wider Shape, Challenging Its Decade-Old Tall Foldable Formula

Q: What secret design change finally convinced Japan's die-hard Apple loyalists to abandon their iPhones for a Samsung foldable?

It wasn’t a hidden feature so much as a clear design pivot: Samsung made the Galaxy Z Fold 8 wider, shorter and lighter, with a “passport-style” or book-like shape that feels more practical than earlier Fold models. Reports and product descriptions point to that wider aspect ratio as the key change. The Fold 8’s 5.5-inch outer screen and 7.6-inch inner display are designed for everyday content use—scrolling social apps, reading, maps, messaging and video—rather than the narrower, more productivity-first shape of past Folds. Several reports say that this “cute,” compact, passport-like form resonated with younger buyers and some iPhone users in Japan. The hardware refinements reinforced that appeal. The Fold 8 is described as thinner and lighter than prior generations at about 201 grams, with reduced crease visibility, improved hinge durability, brighter anti-glare displays and stronger multitasking software. In other words, Samsung didn’t win over buyers with one secret trick; it made the foldable feel less experimental and more like a polished premium device. That matters in Japan, where design, portability and premium build quality carry outsized weight. Broader carrier availability across all four major Japanese networks also helped turn curiosity into sales. So the design change that appears to have moved Apple loyalists was the Fold 8’s wider, passport-style form factor—paired with a thinner, lighter and more usable overall package.

3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Aug 16

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 shifts to a shorter, wider design that makes the phone easier to handle closed while feeling more tablet-like when opened.
That redesign also improves day-to-day usability: the Fold8’s wider cover display is easier to reach, and its hinge is easier to open than the taller Z Fold8 Ultra’s.
The contrast is notable because the Ultra keeps Samsung’s familiar slim, elongated book-style foldable shape, even though it offers the stronger camera setup.
The new proportions build on momentum from launch week, when the Fold8 posted sharply higher preorders and sold out online in Japan, an Apple-led market.