Samsung finally got the Fold right — after 9 years

Samsung's folding phones have been in development for nearly a decade. The original was a mess. The crease was visible, the battery was thin, and the hinge felt loose. Now the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra have arrived, and the review says they've finally settled into their shape.

The Fold8 is the standard model. The Ultra adds a bigger screen, a larger battery, and a more expensive price tag. Both phones fold in half, giving you a phone that opens to a tablet-sized canvas. The hinge is tighter. The crease is less noticeable. The battery lasts longer than previous generations.

The key difference between the two is what you're willing to pay for. The standard Fold8 does most of the work. The Ultra is the one with the bigger screen and the larger battery, and it costs more. Both are thin when folded — thin enough to slip into a jacket pocket. When open, they're wide enough to split a screen between two apps side by side.

This matters because folding phones are the closest thing we have to a real tablet that fits in your pocket. For the gente who carry their phones all day — checking bank apps, messaging, reading — a Fold means you don't need a second device. It's the one phone that does the job of two. And the crease is finally small enough that you won't notice it when you're scrolling through your feed.

Why this matters for us: one device that folds open to a tablet is the closest thing we have to ditching a second device, and for the gente who carry their phones all day, that means a real tablet without the bulk.