Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: The perfect phone for cool teens — with generous parents

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 is an interesting phone in a time when most phones are aggressively boring.

Flip it open in front of someone for the first time, and they will inevitably ask questions about it or ask if they can hold it.

When the pink colorway first appeared on the Galaxy Unpacked livestream, the Mashable group chat blew up — and we're a bunch of phone snobs with most of our feet firmly planted in Apple-land.

But the Z Flip 8 is more than a pretty face.

While the new $1,199.99 price tag is definitely a big pain point, it's an easy recommendation unless you need Ultra or Pro-level cameras for creative or professional reasons.

And if you do, you'll be paying a lot more for the iPhone 17 Pro Max , Pixel 11 Pro Fold , Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra , or Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra anyway.

Galaxy Z Flip 8: By the numbers Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group This phone has mostly iterative upgrades over last year's Galaxy Z Flip 7 , and despite rumors to the contrary, it does have a new Snapdragon chipset.

Inner display: 6.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate Outer display: 4.1-inch HD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset Colors: Pink, cream, graphite, mint Unfolded dimensions: 166.9 x 75.4 x 6.1 mm Folded dimensions: 85.7 x 75.4 x 13.1 mm Weight: 180 grams RAM: 12GB Storage: 256GB, 512GB Battery: 4,300mAh Cameras: 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP selfie camera Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: Design Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group The new Samsung flip phone is lighter and thinner than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 .

It still has ultra-thin bezels, and while it's not quite as thin as the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 8 (or the Z Fold 8 Ultra ), Samsung did shave off 0.6mm.

When unfolded, it feels nice and light in your hand, and even when it's folded, it slips right into your pocket like a flip phone should.

I'm one of the few phone reviewers who has hated the trend of bigger and bigger phones, which is why I held onto my iPhone SE as long as I could.

I love the way phones like the Z Flip 8 and the Motorola Razr Ultra feel in my pocket compared with iPhone or the oversized Galaxy S26 Ultra .

For the Galaxy Z 8 series, Samsung also added flex titanium hardware, which results in a more durable hinge and less visible crease.

The phone certainly feels solid, and the crease on the flexible display really does disappear.