If Samsung doesn't implement a protocol regarding Fold Wide's screen resolution even paying pluses to app developers, we'll have to continue using the screen in that way.

So many dollars wasted to see so much "blank space"

Just a heads-up, if you can, you should check out the 8 Wide in person before ordering. This is only my opinion, but it felt very different from the promo images and YouTube videos.

I was ready to upgrade from the 6 to the 8, but after trying it in person, it was an instant no for me for these reasons:

Videos on the inner screen are the same size as the Ultra, just with less black space. So what's the point?

The front screen is cramped and shows very little content.

YouTube Shorts get cut off on the front screen.

There’s no flex mode, which I use a lot.

The one-sided speakers are very noticeable when it’s open.

I ended up getting the Ultra. The 8 Wide may be perfect for someone else, but definitely try it in person first if you can.

I can definitely understand certain talking points people have and the use case scenario in those situations but I'll just be honest I dont care about s pen support I don't care about the crease the only point I can concede to is battery life could be better for sure cameras could be bit better considering the price yes but for the people who complain about s pen support I wouldn't even use a fold for art or drawing purposes especially with that screen protector on the inside screen you would be better off getting a cheap iPad with a apple pencil if you want to focus on drawing just being honest I've even seen people talking about sd cards and a privacy screen on the new fold like why do y'all harp on these outdated/gimmick features we should discuss the features that actually improve your workflow and makes a considerable difference in the quality of the device

The fold 8 is tiny and looks much smaller than in YouTube reviews. I advise you to go and see it in person in store. I also thought oh wow perfect form factor etc but when you go and see it in person you will see the original OG form factor is still the best. The fold might be wider but the text also shrinks so best to check it with your own eyesight and view point. I know you can rotate etc but a like for like view point

I watched a lot of reviews last night. EVERY ONE of them favored the wide. It's a little weird.

Fortunately, Best Buy has them on display so I'll spend the next few days visiting, playing with them.

My first impression after 20 minutes at BB yesterday: the wide is too short. My news and calendar/work widgets would be shorter and show less information and, generally, I'd have to scroll more to access more information on apps and websites.

Unfolded, watching YouTube, which I do every night, would also show virtually the same viewing area as the ultra when I rotate the ultra to landscape.

Ultra also has a slightly bigger battery.

Don't care about cameras (or "the crease").

I'll keep an open mind but as of now, I'm asking: other than the hype that comes with the novelty, why the wide, exactly?

The fold wide is supposed to be a media consumption phone while the ultra is the productivity one. The form factor is brilliant for that, as you get a pocketable phone with a decent aspect ratio when unfolded. Even for older games that are originally 4:3 it would be great.

Because of the form factor, I could forgive a lot of compromises. The camera system is hard to swallow on a 2k phone, the lack of magsafe doesn't botter me too much, the weird placement of the hole punch and the USB port for connecting a controller. But no stereo sound???? Nobody who cares about media consumption or gaming should buy a phone without stereo sound. They're bringing back 2015 problems

I was very critical of the Fold 8 since it was rumored months ago. My argument was that the regular square shape is better than the wide version, mostly due to app compatibility, and I finally had the chance to play with the phone today.

The phone is, as I expected, a mini phone. Yes, it is factually smaller than its big brother. It is exactly the way I expected, small apps on the cover screen. I visited CNN.com, FoxNews.com, and other sports pages, and the difference in screen real estate on these phones clearly shows. The mini displays less content, so you need to scroll more. Yes, scroll more. Whereas I normally open a website once on my Fold 7 and that one glance is enough to see pretty much what's new in the Middle East or whether Shakira will perform at another World Cup, basically, you can see a few titles on the Fold 7/Ultra) the mini phone needs to be scrolled, which is very inconvenient for my usage.

Another thing I noticed is that, yes, my Fold 7 is tall. The screen is quite tall, and it is hard to reach the top, but I have never needed to reach the top because I use Good Lock's gestures. On the Fold 8 mini phone, I noticed that my fingers hardly reach the right side of the screen. So when I am texting, I noticed that I am using two hands instead of one hand like on the Fold 7. I am not lying, it is pretty nice to have a large space to type, but the phone is also quite wide to a point that I didn't like it. I wish the Ultra was just 2mm wider than the Fold 7.

As I expected, social media apps like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and others seem small and weirdly shaped on the front screen. That continues when you unfold the the phone because it is still short, the issue only gets fixed when you rotate it. I opened MKBHD Shorts on the cover screens of both phones, and the difference is quite big. The only way you could fix this issue on the mini phone is to basically unfold AND rotate it.

Now, before you lose your patience and say other people are happy with this type of design, I get it. I fully understand, and I like that people have choices. But for neutral people who genuinely want to know the difference between the two devices, here are my two points that determine which Fold is for you:

If you primarily watch YouTube and TV shows a lot and don't mind small apps on the cover screen, the Fold 8 is your device.

If you mainly consume social media apps, then the Fold 8 Ultra is the clear choice.

The Fold 7/Ultra can do every single thing that the wide Fold 8 can do, except two things: typing on the bigger but weird front screen, and hiding the camera hole when you are watching full screen videos.

In my case, I don't watch YouTube most of the time, and if I somehow do, I rotate my device. I get exactly the same size as the Fold 8, and the camera hole doesn't bother me at all, I don't even notice it. But the most important reason the Fold 8 is a no-go for me is the fact that it has less screen real estate than the Fold 8 Ultra. It is math, ladies and gentlemen, you can spin it the way you want, but 8 is bigger than 5. A larger screen can do more things that a smaller one can't do. YouTube reviews are irrelevant to me because most of them are paid by Samsung, and they are trying to market the new device before Apple's foldable device comes out.

I get it. You don’t like the new passport-style aspect ratio. It’s not for you. But there is absolutely no need to hate on the people who actually love it, or act like Samsung ruined the lineup.

The standard wide form factor actually solves huge pain points for a lot of us:

The Outer Screen is Actually Usable: No more cramped typo-ridden typing on a tiny narrow cover display.

Better Ergonomics: The shorter body makes it way easier to reach the top of the screen with one hand.

Unfolded Content: The aspect ratio feels great for multitasking and media without constantly rotating the device.

If you absolutely hate the wide footprint and want that traditional, premium slab feeling, Samsung literally gave you an option. You can buy the Fold 8 Ultra. The choice is there.

Different form factors exist because people have different preferences. If the standard Fold 8 isn't your vibe, that’s fine! But let the people who have been waiting for a wider outer screen enjoy their device in peace.

So I quite often use my fold half open, or even just a bit open.

Half open, to have it stand up on it's own..

Bit open... the same, to have it stand on its own like an upside down V. Or an A without the -

Can the Fold 8 do this?

But now... I'm tempted. The fold 8 seems like the ideal phone for me. I've loved my zfold 7 and the zfold 8 improves on everything I want... Which now that I think about it is just the aspect ratio and displays but like.... That's what I'm always looking at on my phone lol

I don't really use my camera much... Ever... So that down grade honestly doesn't matter to me, but no crease, better peak brightness, and a doom scroll friendly aspect ratio is exactly what I want from my 7

Anyone else considering eating the cost of an early upgrade?

In pics. Ultra on the left.

This thing is so thin and light, especially versus my old Fold 5.

After some meneuvering with the security cable, I was able to try put in my back and front pocket lol. It's so small and thin that I hardly notice it.

Camera and video were similar at 12 or 50, I've never used 200. The front facing was a bit overexposed and softer on it though versus the Ultra.

Rotating made the videos show just fine and bigger overall versus my S25U.

Not sure about that anti reflection though...

As much as I would rather have the high end version just because, the wider one felt like it made sense.

Fold 6 user here.

I don't want to give up my S-pen, but I don't use it much. I will literally never touch the privacy screen feature.

I'm entertaining the Fold 8 (wide) over the Ultra because it addresses my only real complaint with the Fold 3, 4, and 6 that I've owned - it's too narrow to type accurately when it's closed and I'm using the cover screen.

All the shots I find, reviews, etc seem to skip over the obvious glaring issue with what otherwise appears to be a nice, comfy form factor - the squatty, short shape of the Fold 8 (wide) is gonna leave me with a screen full of keyboard and not much room to read. And I'm sure this is deliberate because this is a pretty big weak point...even if you almost exclusively consume content on your phone instead of messaging, logging in to websites, searching, typing URLs, etc - you're still gonna need a keyboard at some point and I bet this is gonna drive a lot of people mad.

Since the 8 Ultra is 0.5cm wider than my Fold 6, it might be worth it as it's still a quality-of-life upgrade from my perspective. But I AM intrigued by the wide model...

Interested in seeing what everybody pre-ordered let’s have fun with this.

As the title says.

It shows pre order greyed out but graphite does not

I am primarily a samsung windows guy and my main phone is the s25 ultra. I use the iphone for work and z fold for udc uninterrupted viewing, movies Manga, anime, 3ds emulation with the s pen etc.

But since I have a macbook that pairs with the iphone im not sure if I should still trade it for the z fold 8 wide. But the iphone and macbook dont really talk to eachother as i rarely get texts or calls to make use of the integration features. Shoukd I trade it or keep it to diversify the phone os line up?

Add $149 Samsung VIP and 2 year Care+ to your cart and the 2 year Care+ is $0.

You MUST get the 2 year Care+ when purchasing the phone. You cannot get the deal after. If you've already ordered you need to cancel and re-order if you want the deal.

You can CANCEL the Samsung VIP before the 1 year renewal (wait at least 30 days or they will refund everything) and KEEP the 2 year Care+.

What's the advantage here? VIP gives the $0 2 year Care+ deal on up to 4 phones per year. If you buy any more phones you get insurance on those too. 2 year Care+ is also $269 so you are saving money.

Source: I did this last year. I just cancelled VIP a week ago. My 2 year Care+ is still active on Servify. It's also explicitly stated in the VIP terms you keep the 2 year contract.

edit: This is a USA deal, I'm not sure if other countries have the VIP Care+ offer.

edit2: There is a slight bug right now. If you want the deal add VIP to cart (hit Enroll on the VIP link below). Then go buy the phone and add 2 year Care+. It will show $269 in the cart. Delete the Care+. Then click the button below the phone to add Care+ and select the 2 year and hit okay. Now it will show free.

I did this using the Shop Samsung App.

https://i.imgur.com/qmubNHx.png

https://www.samsung.com/us/rewards/vip-advantage/

I don't really see a point in buying the z fold 8 ultra. Sure the battery is nice - silicon carbon always good to see and finally on the Samsung side but other than that... I would have preferred an upgrade of the telephoto but no. Inner screen with antireflective coating - sure but this is just like the iPhone X vs the iPhone XS. Minot upgrades and not worth the insane price even with deals, discounts etc. For any new fold users like me the z fold 7 is the way to go in my opinion when you are not ready to spent the same amount of money for a computer on your phone... What do I guys think? Should I regret my purchase?