The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is at its best when there’s friction

The cover screen feels more like a phone than ever, but the limitations are still what makes it.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

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.

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. Immediately, this feels more like a phone.

Samsung used to bury the option deep in the phone’s settings, only to be found by those who knew to look for it. The bottom of the app drawer isn’t quite front and center, but it’s much more prominent than it used to be.

You can still run apps in three forms: full-screen, with the cameras blocking part of the software; a square display that stops just above the level of the cameras; or a thin portrait-aspect ratio that letterboxes the sides. A small virtual button at the bottom of the screen lets you cycle through them.

Good performance isn’t guaranteed. Some apps, like Withings’ health tracker companion app, are almost impossible to use on the cover screen, with no configuration that leaves enough space for its graphs to fit. Google Maps is only a bit better — I love the idea of quickly checking my walking route without opening the phone, but there are so many floating interface elements that it’s unwieldy at best. Others work smoothly, but feel pointless: I can stream HBO Max on the tiny outer display, but I’d never want to.

As for the hardware, little has changed. The Z Flip 8 is 0.6mm thinner and 8g lighter than its predecessor. This is the thickest of Samsung’s three current foldables, but it’s more compact than Motorola’s Razrs , its only real rivals.

Samsung didn’t upgrade the Z Flip 8 with the thinner, tougher titanium display stack found in the two new Z Fold 8 phones, which also means this has just as visible a crease as ever.