The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip clamshell series has enjoyed a lot of early attention. It has fueled the desire for flip phones while delivering a powerful, modern smartphone experience at a reasonable price.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
However, the larger Galaxy Z Fold phones have eclipsed the clamshell in recent years. After all, nostalgia can only get you so far. Samsung isn’t making any significant improvements to the clamshell, at least not on the same scale as the Fold.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Surprisingly, the more expensive Fold now outsells the Flip. And the gap can only widen with this year’s new offering, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a passport-style folding device with a 4:3 aspect ratio. So while Samsung refreshed the clamshell this year, the latest Galaxy Z Flip 8 does little to redeem the list’s value proposition.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A high price with few reasonable upgrades<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nEveryone expected a price hike and it came. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 costs at least $100 more than its predecessor, but this is the second price increase in two years, because the Galaxy Z Flip 6 was also $100 more expensive than the model it replaced.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nSo two years and $200 later, where is the Galaxy Z Flip 8? It has the same 6.9-inch foldable and 4.1-inch cover displays as the previous model. It missed out on the new Flex Titanium display technology that Samsung introduced with the new Fold models. The folding panel’s maximum brightness of 2,600 nits also remains unchanged.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nIt also has a 50-megapixel main selfie camera setup, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera like the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Aside from some software upgrades, the camera sensors are nothing to write home about. How long will Samsung make customers wait for a zoom sensor on the Flip?\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhile Samsung has used a silicon-carbon battery in the phone, the 4,300mAh battery capacity is unchanged from last year. Fast charging speeds are the same at 25W wired and 15W wireless, another wasted opportunity to add more value to the device.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nSo what does the extra $100 pay for? The device is 0.4mm thinner than its predecessor when unveiled and at 180g, weighs less than 8g. Unless you have finger vernier calipers, these changes will not be noticed. \n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nYou get the latest chipset \u2013 Exynos 2600 globally and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in the United States and Canada. But that’s probably not enough of a reason to upgrade, especially if you have a Galaxy Z Flip 7. These may be faster chips but the performance gains aren’t significant enough to make any real difference to most users.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Everyone expected a price hike and it came. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 costs at least $100 more than its predecessor, but this is the second price increase in two years, because the Galaxy Z Flip 6 was also $100 more expensive than the model it replaced.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So two years and $200 later, where is the Galaxy Z Flip 8? It has the same 6.9-inch foldable and 4.1-inch cover displays as the previous model. It missed out on the new Flex Titanium display technology that Samsung introduced with the new Fold models. The folding panel’s maximum brightness of 2,600 nits also remains unchanged.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It also has a 50-megapixel main selfie camera setup, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera like the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Aside from some software upgrades, the camera sensors are nothing to write home about. How long will Samsung make customers wait for a zoom sensor on the Flip?\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
While Samsung has used a silicon-carbon battery in the phone, the 4,300mAh battery capacity is unchanged from last year. Fast charging speeds are the same at 25W wired and 15W wireless, another wasted opportunity to add more value to the device.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So what does the extra $100 pay for? The device is 0.4mm thinner than its predecessor when unveiled and at 180g, weighs less than 8g. Unless you have finger vernier calipers, these changes will not be noticed. \n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
You get the latest chipset \u2013 Exynos 2600 globally and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in the United States and Canada. But that’s probably not enough of a reason to upgrade, especially if you have a Galaxy Z Flip 7. These may be faster chips but the performance gains aren’t significant enough to make any real difference to most users.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n