What do you want from a flip phone when it’s closed? A simple interface, perhaps notifications and a widget or two, for handling the basics? Or a fully fledged Android experience shrunk down for the Flip form factor? For years, Samsung has insisted on the former, even as some fans – and Razr rival Motorola – have pushed for the latter. With the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung has given in.
Although the Z Flip 8’s hardware is almost unchanged year-on-year, Samsung has fundamentally rethought how this phone is meant to be used when shut. The cover screen feels more like a regular Android phone, with easier access to the full versions of every single app, letting you browse social media, watch movies, and play games without ever opening the phone. Not every app works well on a tiny square screen with two cameras in the middle of it, but even when they don’t, that friction between me and the distractions of my phone still feels as much a feature as a bug.
8
Verge Score
The Good
- Runs any app on the cover screen
- Thinner and lighter
- Reliable battery
The Bad
- Mostly a rehash of last year’s phone
- Still vulnerable to dust
- $100 more expensive than the Z Flip 7
Everything exciting about the Z Flip 8 lies in its 4-inch cover screen, which is now more versatile than ever thanks to a homescreen redesign. Swiping down from the top left now brings up your notifications, while swiping from the top right instead shows a cover-screen-optimized version of the Quick Settings panel.
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