What you need to know
- A massive rendering leak for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 claims the device won’t see any wild design changes this year.
- Internally, the Fold 8 is rumored to grab a bigger 5,000mAh battery with improved 45W wired charging, as well as the possibility for an S Pen.
- The Fold 7 was incredibly popular for Samsung, beating out the Flip 7 in pre-orders, and there were also talks from an executive that it might look to bring back the S Pen.
We’re rolling on past Samsung’s first Unpacked this year with rumors about what its next foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, might look like.
A collaboration between social media tipster, OnLeaks, and Android Headlines brings us a selection of alleged Galaxy Z Fold 8 renders. On the surface, the Fold 8 looks pretty similar to what we currently have. Much like the Fold 7, the Fold 8’s supposed design features a raised, vertical triple camera array with protruding lenses on a clean back panel. The selfie camera is still positioned in the center of its cover display, while the inner display’s camera sits off to the right.
As such, the device is expected to retain its 6.5-inch cover and 8-inch inner display. Speculation states the main camera should sit at 200MP, just like before. The changes begin rolling in when we look elsewhere, as the Fold 8’s battery could take a much-welcome leap forward. Unlike the Fold 7’s 4,400mAh battery, the Fold 8 could launch with a 5,000mAh cell.
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A battery boost is nothing without a charging increase, which is where the rumors go next. There’s a chance Samsung could upgrade the Fold 8’s wired charging to 45W from 25W. The tipster’s details appear hazy regarding its wireless capabilities. The running theory is that it could rise to 25W from 15W. What’s more, early alleged measurements for the Fold 8 point toward a slightly thicker phone.
This seems strange; however, rumors add that this could happen if Samsung wants to bring the S Pen to the Fold 8. It’s hard to tell if we are running up on the S Pen for the Fold 8. Whether it’ll be housed in the device or otherwise remains to be seen.
The Fold 7 was wildly popular
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The publication touched on the phone’s alleged price. There are expectations that Samsung could keep the Fold 8 priced around $2,000, similar to how it priced the Fold 7, with up to 1TB of internal storage available.
Anywhere you look, there’s no hiding it: the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was incredibly popular for Samsung. It was so popular that the company had to scramble to make more, pushing its number of units beyond what it originally intended. Other reports said the Fold 7 beat the Flip in pre-orders, snagging roughly 60% of the pie. There were some considerable upgrades for the Fold 7, such as its thinness, display durability, and more. So, it makes sense that it grabbed so many consumers.
The S Pen was discussed when the Fold 7 launched, since it didn’t have it. Samsung’s executive director of the MX business division, Kang Min-seok, said the company would “consider” bringing it back. Samsung was supposedly looking to invest its R&D into bringing the S Pen back with “innovative tech” to make it worthwhile on its thinner Fold. That’s where things get strange, as these early rumors suggest the Fold 8 is thicker, likely because of the tech involved to make the S Pen operate on the display.
Android Central’s Take
I didn’t really expect the Fold 8 to look any different. I surely would’ve been surprised if it did look any different, since Samsung really leveled up its Fold series last year. I think the major win here is with the battery. The Fold 7 already captivated consumers. Its battery, on the other hand, could’ve been better. It was still stuck in no man’s land (4,000mAh range) and desperately needed some help. I hope this 5,000mAh cell is what we’re looking at—and that charging upgrade, too!
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