Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Goes Thinner, Lighter, and $100 Pricier

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 8 at its July 22 Unpacked event in London, revealing a foldable that's noticeably thinner and lighter than its predecessor—but costs $100 more.

The Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199 for the 256GB model, up from $1,099 for the Z Flip 7. The phone goes on sale August 7, 2026.

Shedding Grams, Not Features

At 180 grams and 6.1mm thick when unfolded, the Z Flip 8 drops 8 grams and 0.4mm compared to the Z Flip 7, which weighed 188 grams and measured 6.5mm thick. Samsung claims this makes it the lightest flip-style foldable phone on the market at launch.

That claim appears plausible against known competitors: Motorola's Razr+ 2026 weighs 189 grams, the Razr Ultra 2026 hits 199 grams, and Honor's Magic V Flip 2 comes in at 204 grams. The superlative rests on Samsung's assertion and could shift as new devices arrive.

Cover Screen, Finally Useful

The bigger story isn't the spec sheet—it's what Samsung finally did with the cover display. For generations, critics have hammered the company for keeping the outer screen too restrictive, forcing users to unfold the phone for basic tasks that rivals handle without opening.

The Z Flip 8 adds a 'Recent apps' shortcut and a simplified 'Add apps' function to the cover display, moving closer to the open-app experience Motorola offers with the Razr line. The changes suggest Samsung is listening to a long-standing complaint: if you're paying flagship prices for a foldable, you shouldn't need to unfold it to check your last three apps or add a widget.

Competitive Pressure

The Z Flip 8 launched alongside the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra as part of Samsung's 2026 foldable push. The company faces intensifying competition not just from Motorola's increasingly polished Razr series, but from a widening field of Chinese manufacturers iterating rapidly on the clamshell form factor.

By trimming weight and thickness while opening up the cover screen, Samsung is addressing two of the most common objections to its flip phones. The tradeoff: that $100 price increase puts the Z Flip 8 further from midrange alternatives and closer to traditional flagship territory—where buyers expect more than just a hinge.

CNET's hands-on assessment captured the tension: "Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 8 Gets the Cover Screen Right — for a Price." The question now is whether the improvements justify the premium for shoppers who've sat out previous generations waiting for exactly these refinements.