Editor Anna Lee Puts Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 to the Ultimate Test
As a magazine editor, I rely heavily on my phone. I expect a lot from it, too. It’s essentially an extension of my desktop, where I’m firing off messages, creating and approving content, taking calls and generally keeping the moving parts of my life on track. In short, it’s my mission control.
Which is why the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 caught my attention. The premise is simple: take everything I already ask of my phone, give me more room to do it — and pack it with the technology to match.
So, rather than putting it through a series of arbitrary tech tests, I decided to give it a more fitting challenge: keeping up with me for a day.
My morning starts where most workdays do: a quick scan of my inbox, messages and calendar. The pocket-friendly powerhouse is compact and easy to use one-handed. Then I open it.
And suddenly, there’s room.
Closed, it’s a passport-sized 5.5-inch phone. Open, its expansive 7.6-inch display essentially becomes my portable office.
At my first team meeting, I move into a split-screen view and switch between documents, emails and images without the usual dance of opening, closing and reopening apps. I can keep a reference image beside a story, check my schedule while reviewing a piece, or follow a document without losing sight of the conversation.
It’s a small shift, but an important one: suddenly, I’m not trying to make my work fit a phone. The phone is making room for the work.
By mid-morning, I’m heading to my next meeting, Fold8 in hand. At just 201g, it’s the lightest model in Samsung’s foldable phone range yet, which means I get the benefits of carrying a tablet without actually feeling like I’m carrying one.
The rest of the day moves at its usual pace: interviews, events, writing and the inevitable juggling act between all three. This is where Galaxy AI really comes into its own. Rather than feeling like another feature I need to learn, it works intuitively around what I’m already doing. Now Nudge, for example, can recognise what’s happening on screen and immediately suggest a logical next action.
When my brain is already running a dozen tabs, anything that removes a step feels like a luxury.
Then there’s the camera, which, admittedly, gets a serious workout. I’m constantly capturing things throughout the day — an outfit, behind-the-scenes content, a quick social asset.
The Fold8’s dual 50MP Wide and Ultra Wide cameras deliver the kind of high-resolution images I need, but the feature I keep coming back to is the cover-screen selfie.
When I unfold the phone, I can use the rear camera for a selfie while the cover screen gives me a live preview of the shot. It means I get the benefit of the higher-resolution main camera without the usual blind faith that comes with taking a selfie.
Once I have the shot, the bigger display is ideal for editing. Photo Assist lets me erase unwanted elements and fine-tune the image without using another app, while My FanCam can automatically reframe video around a chosen person after I’ve filmed it.
By the time evening rolls around, I’m done with work — but not with the phone. Thankfully, the battery keeps up with the pace, which is probably the ultimate test for me. After hours of work and play, I haven’t spent the afternoon hunting for a charger.
There’s time for a margarita with a friend, then home, where the Fold8 opens up once again — this time for something considerably less productive: a little scrolling and an episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
And somewhere between the office and the sofa, the appeal becomes undeniable. It isn’t about simply having a bigger screen. It’s having the right screen for whatever you’re doing.
It’s a phone that changes shape around whatever the day demands. And for a device I ask to do almost everything, that feels like a pretty compelling proposition.
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