Samsung has launched the Galaxy Z Fold 8, taking its foldable range in a new direction with a shorter, wider shape rather than the tall, narrow design used previously. Unlike the true successor to last year's Z Fold 7 — the newly named Z Fold 8 Ultra, which keeps the familiar squarish inner screen and triple camera setup — the standard Z Fold 8 adopts a passport-like 4:3 form factor, positioning it as a lighter, more consumption-focused device rather than a multitasking powerhouse.

The Z Fold 8 costs $1,899.99, $100 less than last year's model, weighs 201g and drops the telephoto camera found on pricier siblings, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099.99. Samsung frames the two phones as serving different needs, with the Ultra built for split-screen multitasking and the Z Fold 8 suited to watching video or reading, and its wider shape echoes earlier attempts at this form factor, including Huawei's China-only Pura X Max and Google's original Pixel Fold, with Apple expected to follow suit with a similarly shaped foldable iPhone in September.