The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the new hotness, and while sightings in the wild are still rare, Samsung's new foldable has been a .

Mine arrived this week, and I'm preparing to put my out to pasture to go full-time with Samsung's latest.

Even though I've only been without my Pixel for a matter of days, I already miss one major feature that the Z Fold 8 doesn't have, and it's making me want to go back.

The Z Fold 8 has a lot the Pixel 10 Pro doesn't

A truly revolutionary smartphone

It's easy to list what the Z Fold 8 has going for it.

We've seen shorter and wider foldable phones from other brands before.

The was something of a dead ringer for the Z Fold 8's new shape — but it matters when one of the world's biggest smartphone manufacturers is making such a huge change.

Rumors said the Z Fold 8 would use the epithet "Wide" to differentiate itself from Samsung's now-traditional foldable phone shape, and you can easily see why that might have been the case.

The Z Fold 8 is short and wide, more akin to a passport in size and shape than a regular smartphone.

It was always going to be a gamble for Samsung, but it seems to be one that's paid off.

Pre-orders for the new device were enormous, and sales since then seem to have been similarly large. It seems everyone loves the idea of a shorter phone.

I'm only a few days into my Z Fold 8, and I can see why everyone loves it. It's the perfect size for almost everything.

It's exceptional for reading manga and e-books, and while most videos have black bars, not having to turn my device sideways to watch a full-size video is a nice luxury.

I'm impressed with it so far, and enjoying it too.

However, I have one problem, and it's a big one. Despite all the Z Fold 8's strengths, this weakness is enough for me to consider going back to my Pixel.

A recent holiday really showed off my Pixel 10 Pro's strengths

The Pixel excels in one key area

I got the Z Fold 8 later than most people, and that's because I was on a family holiday when it was due to arrive.

Being late to the party isn't a problem, but the holiday was. Because that holiday was my Pixel 10 Pro's final chance to show me how good it really is. And my word, it did that.

The Pixel line has always been known for its camera capabilities, and the Pixel 10 Pro is no exception. While it's now been eclipsed by the , the Pixel 10 Pro still takes exceptional shots.

I'm not Andy Boxall, so I can't tell you how it handles color balance and pick apart the little details in a shot. But I can tell you that the Pixel 10 Pro's camera doesn't only deliver strong results; it does so consistently.

My holiday gave me plenty of chances to use the Pixel's camera, and the telephoto lens shone through as truly exceptional.

The images above were taken using the telephoto lens, and the quality is extraordinary. The detail around the starling's eye is perfect, and each feather is obviously individually fletched.

The boat was coming towards me, at quite a distance, and you can still make out the fine details of its name and the people on board.

The shot of the plane, taken into a bright sky, is so good you can make out the plane's designation.

It struck me, as I looked at these photos, and the hundreds of others I took that week, that I was losing that telephoto lens. And it felt like I was losing something truly special.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8's camera is not good enough

A lot of money for not a lot of camera

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has no telephoto lens. Instead, it has a main lens and an ultrawide lens, both packing 50 megapixels. I'll get a 2x optical zoom from cropping the 50MP main sensor, but nothing on the level of the Pixel 10 Pro's 5x optical zoom.

But it's not only the lack of a telephoto lens that condemns the Z Fold 8's camera. It also lacks the consistency I've come to depend on.

I have two children under the age of five, and if you know any children of this age, you know they rarely stop moving. Which is why it's so impressive the Pixel 10 Pro never missed focus or gave me a blurred shot.

No matter how quickly they ran or how much they refused to stop, the Pixel's camera did an excellent job of capturing the precious snapshots of their energetic little lives.

I haven't had the Z Fold 8 for very long, but I've already snapped shots that disappointed me. Either the camera app failed to focus at the right moment, or the movement was too blurred for it to be a nice shot.

I didn't have these problems with the Pixel 10 Pro. Not once.

Not every phone camera can be Pixel quality. But a $1,900 smartphone should be. The Z Fold 8's biggest weakness is clearly its camera, and so far, it's been a massive disappointment.

The Z Fold 8 is still a great phone

Don't let my disappointment put you off

I'm not alone in this line of thought. In his review, Andy said the phone's cameras were " ", rather than Samsung's flagship range. He's not wrong.

But he also awarded the phone nine out of ten, and he's not wrong there either. It's a fabulous smartphone, and I'm enjoying what it's good at. It just so happens that the camera is not one of those areas.

It might be that I'll have to temper my expectations and get those tiny humans to stand still a little bit, lest I miss more small smiles and precious moments.

The Z Fold 8 is still an excellent phone. It just turns out that the Pixel 10 Pro has a much better camera. And I need to figure out if I can walk away from that.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
  •                 **SoC**
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
  •                 **Display type**
  • Dynamic AMOLED 2x 120Hz
  •                 **Display dimensions**
  • 7.6-inch open / 5.5-inch closed
  •                 **Display resolution**
  • 2448 x 1848 open / 1972 x 1248 closed