Samsung just dropped the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at Galaxy Unpacked. The internet is buzzing. Naturally. All eyes are shifting to Cupertino now. Apple’s rumored iPhone 18 Ultra (or whatever they call it) is expected to hit in September. It will likely look similar. A foldable iPhone. The thing everyone has been waiting for. But here is the cold, hard reality: Samsung has been doing this for years. Apple is playing catch-up. We held the Z Fold 8. It feels really good. And honestly? It’s going to be hard for Apple to top these specific features when they finally launch.
AI Tools That Actually Work for Creators
Let’s talk software first. Specifically, the stuff creators care about. Samsung isn’t just slapping AI labels on things anymore. They are building actual workflows. The Z Fold 8 has this feature called “My Fan Cam.” It sounds niche, right? Wrong.
It uses AI to track a subject in horizontal video and auto-crops it into a vertical clip. Think TikTok. Think Instagram Reels. It happens automatically. No editing app required. Just point, shoot, and you have social-ready content. Combine that with the foldable form factor—where you can preview the crop on one half while filming on the other—and it’s a cheat code.
Samsung is betting on AI as the great equalizer for camera hardware.
The cameras on the Z Fold 8 aren’t the absolute best in the world. Physics is tough when you squeeze three lenses into a hinge. So, they need software help. Enter Gemini. It’s pre-installed. It works out of the box. It integrates with Google’s creative tools and the Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM). You get six months of Google AI Pro free. That’s serious cloud storage and premium tooling.
Apple has been late to the AI party. Siri AI is coming in September, sure. But will it match Gemini’s integration right away? Doubtful. Apple is still figuring out how to balance privacy with powerful generative models. Samsung just… shipped it.
The Thinnest Foldable You Can Buy
Hold it. It feels weirdly light. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 measures 9.7mm when folded. 4.5mm when open. That is paper-thin. It weighs just 201 grams.
Compare that to previous foldables, which felt like brick phones made of expensive plastic. This one slides into a pocket without announcing itself. Apple wants to make the iPhone 18 Ultra sleek? Good luck. Titanium helps, but physics is physics. Samsung has mastered the art of the slim hinge. If the iPhone 18 Ultra is even 2mm thicker, users will notice. They will complain. Weight and bulk are the biggest friction points for foldable adoption. Samsung solved that.
No Crease. Seriously.
Here is the deal-breaker for most people: the crease. You know the one. The ugly line down the middle of the screen that makes the phone look used day one. Samsung calls their new display tech “Flex Titanium.” They used actual titanium in the hinge structure. The result? The crease is virtually invisible. At least when the phone is new.
Is it magic? No. It’s engineering. And Samsung has a track record here. They’ve spent years iterating. Apple is starting from zero. Sure, Samsung Display makes the screens for the iPhone too. But designing the device around that screen? That’s different. The Z Fold 8 looks like a premium slab. The iPhone Fold might have a hint of that early-adoption ugliness. Or maybe not. We’ll see. But the risk is on Apple’s shoulders.
Raw Power and Multitasking Muscle
Specs don’t lie. The Z Fold 8 packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. It’s the beefed-up version of the chip. Paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM. That is serious horsepower.
Why does RAM matter? Because of multitasking. This is a tablet that fits in your pocket. You run three apps side-by-side. You watch video while emailing and browsing. The Z Fold 8 handles it. It’s built for power users.
Apple’s A-series chips are beasts. Always have been. The iPhone 18 Ultra won’t be slow. But hardware isn’t everything. It’s about how the OS uses that hardware. iOS on a foldable is a big question mark. Android has adapted its windowing, its multitasking gestures, its keyboard behavior. Samsung has optimized this for years. Apple has to teach iOS how to bend. Metaphorically and literally.
The Experience Gap
Here is the part tech bloggers skip. Experience. Samsung has had seven generations of Folds. They fixed the dust issue. They fixed the hinge durability. They fixed the screen protectors. They know what users want. They know where the phone flexes too much. They know how the software breaks when you rotate the hinge 45 degrees.
Apple could nail it. They have the resources. But look at Motorola. They struggled for years to get the Razr right. Even Samsung had rough patches. Apple entering the foldable market isn’t a guarantee of instant perfection. It’s a hurdle. A steep one.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 isn’t perfect. Nothing is. But it’s refined. It’s thin. It’s smart. And it’s here now. If you are wondering whether to wait for the iPhone 18 Ultra or just buy the Samsung…
Well. The wait is long. And the Z Fold 8 is pretty damn good today.
