Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Flip 8 at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, 2026. Preorders are open now, and the phone ships August 7 starting at $1,199 for 256GB. The headline change is the FlexWindow cover screen, which gains new gestures, wider app support, and deeper Galaxy AI features rather than a larger panel.
The rest of the update is more measured. The body is slightly thinner and lighter, at 6.1mm unfolded and 180 grams, while the 6.9-inch main display and its 120Hz refresh rate carry forward. The cameras and battery match the Flip 7, so the redesigned outer screen is where most of the changes land. Here are the 7 things to know before you preorder.
1. It launched at Unpacked and ships August 7
⚡ Price: From $1,199.00
Where to Buy: Amazon
Preorders are open now, and the phone lands August 7. Samsung kept its usual midsummer foldable timing for the launch.
The launch colors are Pink, Cream, and Graphite, with Mint as a Samsung.com exclusive.
2. The price climbed to $1,199
256GB now runs $1,199, a $100 jump over where the Flip 7 started. Want 512GB? That’s $1,399. Samsung points to rising memory costs across its 2026 lineup. That still places the Flip in the same price range as other flagship phones.
No budget tier hides below 256GB, so $1,199 is the real floor. Preorder trade-in credit and storage promotions are where buyers can find savings.
3. The cover screen gets more app support
The 4.1-inch FlexWindow now supports more apps, and Samsung says access to non-whitelisted apps is easier to configure. The interface leans on gestures: a swipe down from the upper left opens notifications, the upper right opens quick settings, a swipe up reaches a home view with Now Brief and an app row, and another swipe opens the full app tray.
Gemini Intelligence can start supported tasks straight from the FlexWindow, and Now Brief pushes more personalized cards onto the outer glass, including custom cards you can create with natural-language prompts.
The panel is the same size as the Flip 7’s, so the changes are mostly software. Samsung’s focus this year is making the existing cover screen more useful rather than larger.
4. The body and screen got a little sleeker
Open it up and you get a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel running at 120Hz and up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness. The phone measures 6.1mm thick unfolded and weighs 180 grams, so it slips into a pocket more easily than last year. The frame is aluminum, the back wears Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the whole thing carries an IP48 rating for dust and water.
Samsung says a redesigned hinge keeps the crease shallow and the halves flush when shut.
5. The cameras carry over from the Flip 7
50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP selfie: the same trio the Flip 7 carried. Samsung is leaning on processing and Galaxy AI rather than new camera hardware this year.
The cover screen doubles as a viewfinder, so you can frame selfies with the rear sensors instead of the front camera. It’s the same hardware as the Flip 7, used differently. Samsung also adds Horizontal Lock, part of Super Steady, which it says keeps video level through a full rotation.
6. Battery and charging stood still
4,300mAh, 25W wired, 15W wireless: none of it changed from the Flip 7. Samsung leans on chip and software efficiency and rates the phone for up to 31 hours of video playback, though the 120Hz main screen and the second display both draw power.
7. The chip choice depends on your region
One UI 9 rides on Android 17 out of the box, and Samsung promises up to seven generations of OS upgrades. The chipset splits by region: US models run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, while South Korea and Europe get Samsung’s 2nm Exynos 2600.
Whichever chip ships, Samsung is emphasizing Galaxy AI, with more features running on the device itself.
Where to buy
The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is up for preorder now and ships August 7. Check current pricing and configurations here: Galaxy Z Flip 8 on Amazon.
What it means
The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is a refinement year. Samsung spent the budget on the outer display and a slimmer body rather than the camera or battery, and the result is the most usable FlexWindow the company has built. The main tradeoff is the $1,199 starting price, $100 above the Flip 7. For buyers already in Samsung’s ecosystem, including those weighing the Samsung’s First Credit Card Pays 5% Back on Direct Purchases for trade-in math, the Flip 8 fits the existing lineup.
FAQs
When does the Galaxy Z Flip 8 come out? It ships August 7, 2026, and preorders are open now.
How much does the Galaxy Z Flip 8 cost? It starts at $1,199 for 256GB and climbs to $1,399 for 512GB.
What’s new versus the Flip 7? A more usable cover screen, a slightly thinner and lighter body, and a higher price. The cameras and battery carry over.
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