Samsung has redesigned the cover screen experience on its new Galaxy Z Flip 8 to function more like a traditional Android phone, a shift that embraces full app access on the small outer display while acknowledging that the form factor’s limitations remain part of its appeal. The company has moved away from its previous approach of restricting the closed phone to widgets and simple notifications, instead opening the door to nearly any application. This marks a notable change in strategy for Samsung, which had long resisted the fuller external app support that rivals like Motorola have offered.
The most significant change is on the 4-inch cover screen, which now features a redesigned homescreen with a notification shade, a quick settings panel, and an app drawer accessible by swiping up. This drawer includes Samsung’s optimized apps, third-party options like Netflix and WhatsApp, and a prominent link to install MultiStar, a Good Lock module previously buried in settings that enables running any app on the outer screen. Users can choose between full-screen, square, or letterboxed aspect ratios, though performance varies by application. Some apps like Todoist and WhatsApp work well for quick interactions, while others, including Google Maps and Withings’ health app, prove cumbersome or nearly unusable on the small screen.
Hardware changes are minimal, with the device being slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor. The phone retains the same visible screen crease, a foldable display that lacks the upgraded titanium stack found in the new Z Fold 8 models, and an IP48 rating that leaves it vulnerable to dust. The internal components include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor for the US market, while the reviewer’s UK model ran Samsung’s Exynos 2600 chip. Battery capacity is unchanged at 4,300mAh, with the same 25W wired and 15W wireless charging speeds, and the cameras are identical to last year’s specs.
Samsung has increased the price of the Z Flip 8 to $1,199.99, a $100 rise over the previous model. The 50-megapixel main camera remains a strong point, though the ultrawide and inner cameras are unremarkable, and a slab phone at this price would likely offer better optics and a telephoto lens. Because the core improvements are software-based, the company may push the same cover-screen updates to last year’s Z Flip 7, which has a nearly identical outer display, reducing the incentive for owners of that model to upgrade.
Several new software features on the Z Flip 8 are not exclusive to the device, including customizable AI cards in the Now Brief, a FanCam tool for cropping video, and an Audio Eraser that can adjust background noise in apps like YouTube and Netflix. These features appear across Samsung’s other new foldables and the Galaxy S26 FE. The modest hardware upgrades suggest Samsung is focusing on software to close the gap between the Flip and the larger Z Fold 8, which remains the more capable phone when closed despite the Flip’s new flexibility. The appeal of the Flip form factor, however, lies in its compact size when shut and its full flagship experience when opened, along with the intentional friction of using apps on a tiny screen that can prevent aimless scrolling.
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