Samsung’s transition from clunky to brilliant
Galaxy Z Fold 6 felt outdated next to the competition. | Image credit — PhoneArena
It’s no secret that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 was a pretty clunky foldable, at least when compared to other devices on the market. In fact, the competition was so strong over in China that Samsung had to release the Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE to compete. The Fold 6 SE would later be slightly improved and re-released as the Fold 7.
Samsung finally seemed to realize that most consumers weren’t going to give its foldables a try if they felt like they were five generations behind the competition. Interest in foldable smartphones was waning, and Samsung had to keep readjusting sales projections while cutting down foldable production.
The company listened to consumer feedback, and released the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which seems like it leaped multiple generations ahead of its predecessor. It is currently the slimmest foldable smartphone in the word: Honor Magic V5 had somewhat dishonest official measurements. The Fold 7 also has a stellar display with a very shallow crease, and powering it all is the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
It’s a great package, and perhaps the best way to jump into foldables today. And, thankfully, Samsung hasn’t considered its job done and put down its thinking cap. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be awesome.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 will build upon this success
Fold 7 loses to competitors in the battery department. | Image credit — PhoneArena
According to new reports coming in, now that Samsung has achieved a slim and sleek form factor, the company is focusing on improving other aspects of its foldable flagship.
Most importantly of all, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is finally going to have a bigger battery. For comparison, the Fold 7 has a 4,400 mAh battery, the same one that we got in the Fold 6. The Fold 8 meanwhile, will apparently have a battery capacity of over 5,000 mAh. That’s more than the Galaxy S25 Ultra!
Furthermore, Samsung is also reportedly bringing back S Pen support, after just one generation of having skipped it. The Fold 7 lost S Pen support to make the device slimmer, but I suppose Samsung has found a way to retain this form while letting users take advantage of the massive main display with a pen. This, in my opinion, will sell the Fold 8 to even more people who might have been hesitating because of the lack of S Pen support.Lastly, but still just as important, Samsung is adopting a new technology to make its crease even less noticeable. If the reports are accurate, this is the same technology that Apple is employing in its pursuit of the perfect foldable iPhone. The crease on the Fold 7 is already invisible during normal use, but Samsung’s not done improving on it just yet, apparently.
Exciting Z series in a time of mediocre S phones?
Leaked render of the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra. | Image credit — Android Headlines
Don’t get me wrong, the Galaxy S25 phones are excellent flagships, but they’re not anything special. And with the redesign of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the upcoming Samsung flagships aren’t really my style. Samsung also seems to be struggling with the Galaxy S26 series, and can’t seem to make up its mind on how to approach its newest phones.
But while the S series phones are flailing around unsure of what to do, the Z series is thriving. Samsung has, for all intents and purposes, cracked the foldable code. It’s going to be making foldable smartphones that will revitalize the industry, especially when the Fold 8 competes directly with the foldable iPhone next year.
And all it took was listening to what consumers really wanted. There’s a lesson in there for all phone manufacturers.
