Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Launches With New Wide Design, Starts at $1,900

Samsung unveiled three new foldable phones on July 22 at Galaxy Unpacked in London, headlined by the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a redesigned wide-body form factor. The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,900 USD, while the flagship Z Fold 8 Ultra costs $2,100 USD. The new shape marks Samsung’s boldest pivot yet as it braces for Apple’s rumoured entry into the foldable market.

The Z Fold 8’s new passport-style design

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 breaks from Samsung’s traditional tall, narrow candy-bar shape. Instead, it adopts a shorter, wider 4:3 aspect ratio that resembles a pocket journal when folded. The inner display measures 7.6 inches, optimised for video streaming and reading. Samsung designed this form factor specifically for content consumption and to broaden foldable adoption beyond early adopters. The wider body gives users more palm support and reduces the top-heavy feel of previous models.

Z Fold 8 Ultra keeps the familiar design but adds power

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the true successor to last year’s Z Fold 7. It retains the traditional tall design but unfolds to an 8-inch main display. The Ultra features a 200MP triple camera system and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. It costs $100 more than the Z Fold 7 at $2,100 USD for the base 256GB model, with 512GB and 1TB options reaching $2,700 USD. Both devices carry IP48 water and dust resistance and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

Australian pricing and pre-order incentives

In Australia, pre-orders open July 23 through Telstra and run until August 13, with devices launching August 14. Telstra offers up to $1,100 in savings: $800 off the Z Fold 8 Ultra, $700 off the Z Fold 8, and $500 off the Z Flip 8 on device payment contracts, plus a $300 trade-in bonus. The Z Fold 8 comes in four colours: lavender, cream, graphite, and pistachio.

Samsung’s foldable momentum ahead of Apple competition

Samsung’s Z Fold 7 achieved record sales last year, growing 48% compared to the Fold 6. The user base has tripled since 2021, and 62% of Fold 7 buyers were new to the series. Remarkably, 17% of Samsung’s Z series sales came from iPhone users, signalling genuine crossover appeal. Samsung head of product Nathan Rigger stated the company welcomes competition as it enters its eighth generation of folds. The timing is deliberate: Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone, rumoured to have a similar wide form factor, as soon as September 2026.

Final Thoughts

Samsung’s new Z Fold 8 marks a strategic shift toward mainstream foldable adoption with its wider, more practical design. With aggressive Australian pre-order discounts and a proven track record of 48% year-on-year growth, the lineup is positioned to capture market share before Apple enters the segment.

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