The Galaxy Z Fold 8 could feel more like a true tablet if a magnetic external battery pack were available to extend its runtime without the hassles of a wired power bank.
Despite delivering the most satisfying tablet experience the writer has had — thanks to its size, weight and aspect ratio — the Fold 8 still trails flagship Galaxy tablets on battery life. The device offers better autonomy than a regular phone, but tablets remain a different category, and Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z8 models are the company’s first to use silicon-carbon batteries, leaving little room for immediate internal battery gains.
Why the Galaxy Z Fold 8 falls short on battery life
The Fold 8 is essentially a phone that opens into an ultra-thin tablet, which limits internal space for a considerably larger battery. That physical constraint, combined with the recent switch to silicon-carbon cells in Galaxy Z8 models, suggests Samsung may be close to a practical limit on boosting internal capacity for the next Fold generation.
Testing an external battery while gaming
To see how an external pack might help, the writer spent a Sunday playing League of Legends: Wild Rift and GWENT: The Witcher Card Game — both moderately demanding on battery. Wanting to keep the Fold 8 above 50% battery while staying on the couch, the writer plugged the phone into a 20,000mAh Samsung battery pack via a USB-C cable. The setup worked, but the USB-C cable hanging out of the top of the Fold 8 was occasionally annoying because the phone is rotated upside down while gaming to avoid the camera cutout. The pack’s heft was not a problem while it rested on the couch, but it felt cumbersome to imagine carrying it on a long commute.
Could a MagSafe-style solution work?
One potential alternative is an external magnetic battery that attaches to the Fold like Apple’s MagSafe accessories attach to iPhones. MagSafe uses a ring of magnets built into iPhones to align accessories; Samsung does not currently embed magnets in its phones. Instead, Samsung offers a phone case with an embedded magnetic ring that meets the Qi2 standard, and the company also sells an external battery pack that attaches to that case. However, that battery pack was not designed for the Galaxy Z Fold 8: it is too tall and does not fit the phone properly.
The writer prefers not to use a case and would rather keep the Fold 8 case-free. As an alternative to built-in magnets, the writer suggests Samsung could design and sell a dedicated magnetic wireless battery and matching case for the Fold 8 and future Fold 9 as accessories.
Practical hurdles: proprietary tech, camera layout and weight
Adopting a MagSafe-like approach is not straightforward. MagSafe is proprietary to Apple, so Samsung would need to develop its own magnetic solution or follow Google’s example and embed Qi2-compatible magnets directly into devices. The Fold’s camera housing could also interfere with a rear-mounted magnetic system, and that housing may require redesign to accommodate any new magnetic accessory. Finally, weight is a key consideration: the Fold 8’s lightness is a major selling point, and magnets are dense. Adding magnets, or encouraging users to attach a heavier magnetic battery, risks undermining the device’s light feel — a trade-off Samsung may be reluctant to make.
Still, the writer argues that a small, dedicated magnetic battery pack and case for the Fold 8/9 — providing a few thousand extra mAh rather than an oversized battery — could extend battery life into “true tablet territory” without fundamentally changing the phone’s design. At minimum, the writer hopes Samsung will consider offering such an accessory for users who prefer a magnetic option over a wired power bank.
