Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Motorola Razr Fold: A choice between ergonomics over specs

Samsung still reportedly leads the pack when it comes to global foldable smartphone market share, and it seems to be making big plans to hold on to it in 2026. After the launch of its uber-premium Galaxy Z TriFold phone earlier this year, we now have a new addition to the Fold lineup with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. This isn't the successor to the Fold 7, though, as that would be the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is actually the 'Wide Edition' Galaxy foldable we were expecting. You have every right to blame Samsung for this naming chaos, and it's going to take a while to get used to.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a bit cheaper than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, this puts it straight in the crosshairs of the Motorola Razr Fold. This is Motorola's debut book-style foldable, and it's already blown us away with its performance. Deciding between the two can be tricky, so let's break it down and see if we have a clear winner.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Motorola Razr Fold: Pricing and availability

The Motorola Razr Fold launched in the U.S. on April 29, 2026, and is priced at $1,900. This is for the sole variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. It comes in two colors, Pantone Blackened Blue and Pantone Lily White.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a bit cheaper than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, starting at the same price as the Razr Fold at $1,899.99. There are three variants on offer: the 256GB and 512GB models have 12GB of RAM, and the 1TB variant has 16GB. The phone comes in Lavender, Graphite, and Cream, along with an online exclusive shade of Pistachio. The Fold 8 also comes with a complimentary six months of Google's AI Pro plan.

Although both phones cost the same, the Razr Fold gets you twice the storage as the Z Fold 8's base variant.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Motorola Razr Fold: Design and display

The biggest difference between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Motorola Razr Fold is the aspect ratio. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is shorter, wider, and lighter than the Razr Fold, which is a big win for it. It's also slimmer when folded and unfolded. One of the big drawbacks to these book-style foldables is that they can be unwieldy, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 solves this.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the same weather resistance as the Z Fold 8 Ultra, which is IP48. This is what we had on the Z Fold 7 as well, so no real improvement here.

The display specs on the Z Fold 8 are interesting. You get a 5.5-inch display on the outside and a 7.6-inch folding screen. The shorter and wider dimensions mean reaching every corner of the outer display should be a lot easier with one hand. The inner screen is still plenty large for productivity and is actually wider than the Razr Fold. S Pen support is still missing, though.

In comparison, the Motorola Razr Fold has similar dimensions to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but it's thicker and heavier. When unfolded, the Razr Fold is 4.7mm thick and is quite chunky when folded at 10.1mm. It's also a lot heavier at 243 grams, so ergonomics-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 easily wins this round.

Motorola has given the Razr Fold an impressive water resistance rating of IP48/IP49. This still doesn't beat the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's IP68 rating, but it is better than the Z Fold 8.

The Razr Fold packs impressive displays with a 6.6-inch outer screen and an 8.1-inch folding screen. Display specs are top-notch too. The outer display is protected by Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, has a 165Hz refresh rate, and can reach up to 6,000 nits of peak brightness. The inner display has a 120Hz refresh rate and can hit up to 6,200 nits of peak brightness.

The Razr Fold has the added advantage of supporting an active stylus, which has to be purchased separately.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Motorola Razr Fold: Hardware and specs

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the same chip used in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This is a tier above the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which is present in the Motorola Razr Fold. Raw performance should be better on the Razr, but don't expect a massive difference with daily usage.

As the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is smaller than the Razr Fold, it does have a smaller battery. However, a 4,800mAh capacity is still very good as it's bigger than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Charging speed has been upgraded to 45W for wired and 20W for wireless. Native Qi2 charging is not supported, but you can use it with the right case.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs the latest One UI 9 software, which is based on Android 17.

The Motorola Razr Fold features an almost flagship chip, which should be good enough for even the most demanding tasks. It won't match the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in benchmark numbers, but that really doesn't matter.

Battery specs are pretty impressive too. The Razr Fold has a massive 6,000mAh capacity with 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Both these charging speeds will require specific Motorola chargers, though.

Software is one area where the Razr Fold is not able to compete well enough. Even though it runs Android 16 with the Hello UX skin and is promised to get seven years of OS upgrades, we found the AI features to be just about okay.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Motorola Razr Fold: Cameras

The Moto Razr Fold features a 50MP primary sensor, 50MP ultra-wide, and a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. On the front, the outer display has a 32MP camera, while the inner display uses a 20MP sensor. The Razr Fold is capable of recording videos up to 8K at 30fps.

Due to the smaller size, Samsung has managed to fit just two rear cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The two 50MP sensors for the wide and ultra-wide lenses look good on paper, but a telephoto camera is missing. These two sensors should be more than serviceable for casual shooting, but if you do a lot of zoom photography, this could be a deal-breaker.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Motorola Razr Fold: Which one should you buy?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 seems like yet another experiment, like the Galaxy S25 Edge, to test the waters and see if there's enough demand for yet another flagship foldable. Unlike the fate of the S25 Edge, though, I have a strong feeling that this shorter and more ergonomic foldable will fare a lot better in the market.

The Motorola Razr Fold is currently one of the best foldable phones in the market, and even though it's not as slim or powerful as the Galaxy, it matches or beats it in pretty much all other areas. The pricing is great, there's support for a stylus if you need it, you get Samsung's level of long-term OS updates, and a set of incredible displays.

Both are excellent foldables in their own right. The Galaxy Fold 8 is for users who want an almost Z Flip-like form factor but with a proper tablet-like folding screen. The Razr Fold is better suited for workaholics who wish to go multiple days before charging and want the biggest and brightest displays.