Samsung unveiled its new foldable lineup on July 22, and it’s the Galaxy Z Fold 8—shorter and wider, resembling a passport when closed—that dominated the conversation. Shown alongside a larger, “book”-format Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Fold 8 exemplifies Samsung’s strategy: experiment with multiple form factors to see which ones stick in the market.
A “passport” format already present elsewhere
The “passport” form factor is not new. Oppo introduced it in 2021 with the Find N, Google adopted it with its first Pixel Fold in 2023, and Huawei recently applied the same idea to the Pura X and Pura X Max. Samsung is therefore joining an existing trend among manufacturers, rather than launching a completely novel concept.
Galaxy Z Fold 8: a logical choice in an expanded lineup
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 provides a more compact alternative to the traditional Fold. By launching several foldables in a single event, Samsung makes it clear it isn’t searching for just “the” right format—it’s offering multiple options to cover a wide range of use cases. This approach echoes earlier experiments, such as the Galaxy Z TriFold revealed last December.
Criticism and reactions: copying Apple or responding to the market?
Shortly after the announcement, some Apple users accused Samsung of “copying” the foldable iPhone even before its release. Those reactions are partly explained by the perception that Apple is often the last major player to enter a category—so when rivals adopt similar designs, comparisons and accusations of imitation frequently follow.
