Everyone loves the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, or at least its form factor. There's a consensus that this is a very pocketable, media consumption-friendly foldable that ticks many of the right boxes.

But before you rush to pre-order one and slam down nearly two grand of your hard-earned cash, I need you to stop and consider this: What if there was a foldable that did some of the same things, but only cost $600 today? You'd buy that one instead, right?

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is too expensive for its own good

Especially with very limited pre-order bonuses

I want to preface my complaint by saying that Samsung did a lot of things right with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The phone strikes a perfect balance between cute and powerful; it's super light, quite thin, and makes me want to unfold it and use that 4:3 display.

The new Flex Titanium panel looks promising, though I'll have to see how crease-less it remains after being opened and closed thousands of times. And the anti-reflective coating was sorely needed to avoid all the glare.

Add the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, a 4,800mAh battery that charges at 45W, and 12GB of RAM, and you have a very interesting package that should be an easy recommendation.

It isn't, though. Samsung dropped the ball on two crucial aspects in my opinion: cameras and value.

A telephoto lens shouldn't be optional at this price tag.

Such an expensive phone should come with a high-end camera to match, yet the Galaxy Z Fold 8 "only" has a 50MP main sensor and a 50MP ultrawide. No 200MP camera like the Z Fold 8 Ultra, despite being thicker, and no zoom camera either.

Even worse, Samsung has priced this phone at an exorbitant $1,899 despite the camera regression. Parents, pet owners, or anyone who takes more than 10 photos a month knows how crucial a zoom cam is, but it's nowhere to be found here.

On top of this, this year's pre-order bonuses are almost non-existent. You can get $200 back in Samsung Credit if you don't trade in your phone and... well, that's it. No free storage upgrade, no discount, no freebies, nothing.

What's the point of buying this phone now when its price will likely drop by several hundreds of dollars over the next months? Why not wait for those deals? Or better yet, why not go for the best deal out there? Yes, I'm talking about the Google Pixel Fold.

Google's $600 Pixel Fold is a great, cheap wide foldable

Perfect for testing the shorter form factor

Look, I know that the 2023 Google Pixel Fold is getting old, and it's far from perfect, but when it's sold between $400 (refurbished) and $600 (new), it's an absolute steal and the one foldable I'd easily recommend today.

Why? Because it's the perfect amount of money to dip your toes into foldables and see if they work for you or if the appeal is more theoretical than practical. A lot of people think they'd love foldables only to realize the compromises are too many to ignore.

The original Pixel Fold also carries a similar passport-like design to the Z Fold 8 with a shorter, narrower main display. It wasn't the first or only one with this design, but it's one of the few wide foldables you can still buy today that are still getting updates.

Android 15, 16, and 17 have brought a bunch of excellent foldable-centric features to the Pixel Fold, from better multitasking to app pairs and smoother transitions between inner and outer displays. I find this phone a joy to use now.

Better yet, it's slated to get updates until June 2028, so you'll still get two years of new software. And now that Google is focused on making Android work better on larger screens for its Googlebooks, the Pixel Fold should benefit by extension.

The cherry on top of the cake is that its cameras still stand today in comparison to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. A 48MP main sensor, 10MP ultrawide, and wouldn't you look at that?! A 10MP 5x telephoto lens! Not too shabby for a $600 phone.

Why pay $1,899 when you can spare your wallet?

So, ask yourself this before putting $1,899 on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Do you need the latest and almost-greatest, right now, without waiting for better deals or without testing the wide foldable form factor first through a cheap Pixel Fold?

You won't get a buttery-smooth hinge, a high-end display, or the fastest processor, but you'll have a foldable that works, takes very good pics, and runs an ever-improving software. I've used one for several months in 2026 and didn't have many complaints.

I just wish Samsung would stop chasing thinness with its foldables and focus on even better battery life, adding magnets for Qi2, and building a proper flagship camera experience. Alas, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 does none of that.