The Galaxy Z Fold 8 quickly became my favorite phone, but its camera housing is the biggest letdown — it creates an unusually wobbly feel and causes handling problems that make the device feel like a first‑generation product in some areas.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 camera placement and handling
The camera housing on the Fold 8 feels like an afterthought: it seems as if Samsung pulled the module from the Galaxy S25 Edge and stuck it to the back of the Fold 8, rather than designing the rear layout from the ground up. Because the Fold 8 is shorter than the average phone, that prominent, vertical camera assembly sits closer to the lower edge and the user’s palm. The result is an increased risk of accidentally covering a lens with your thumb when you’re rushing to take a photo. Retraining your grip can reduce those incidents, but the inconvenience is unnecessary.
Wobble, causes and short-term fixes
The same prominent housing contributes to what I consider the wobbliest phone I have used. When the Fold 8 rests on a flat surface it contacts the table at only two opposing points, spread farther apart than on most phones. A line between the camera housing and the opposite corner becomes the device’s central pivot, so tapping the cover screen while the phone is lying flat makes it rock like a seesaw. While camera bumps affect modern phones to some degree, the Fold 8 feels like the worst offender in my experience. There’s little owners can do beyond finding a thick enough case to even out the contact points; caseless users have no meaningful fix, and you may still need to change your grip to avoid covering the lenses.
Longer-term solution: wider, horizontal housing
There is some hope for future models. The Fold 9 next year could address these first‑generation issues, and recent leaks about the Galaxy S27 Ultra/Pro suggest a completely redesigned, wide rectangular camera housing that covers much of the upper phone. If Samsung adopted a similarly wide or horizontal housing on a future Fold, it could reduce the seesaw effect and move the cameras farther from the center and from users’ hands. That said, we’ll have to wait until next year to see whether Samsung changes the formula. Apple’s entry into the foldable market with a passport‑style iPhone Duo and its creative solutions also increases the pressure on manufacturers to refine foldable designs.
All that said, the wobble feels like a small price to pay for an otherwise excellent Galaxy Z Fold 8 experience. It remains one of the most fun phones I have owned, and I don’t often need to use the device while it’s resting on a desk — but I still wish the design had been better when the fix seems obvious.
