The Galaxy Z Fold 8 may hold the answer to the only viable compact phone formula

I've been around long enough to know that some smartphone users may never let go of the idea of wanting a compact phone. I've also witnessed several attempts by various companies to revive the compact phone market, only to fail within a year or two.

In other words, what some people want doesn't seem to have a place in the current mobile market, and until the unusual Galaxy Z Fold 8 came along, I thought the idea of a compact phone was unsalvageable.

I'm not suggesting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 itself is the solution to the compact phone problem. It is impressively light and thin, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. It's considerably pricier than a rigid phone, and some people will probably always prefer those over foldables.

So, what's the answer to the compact phone riddle if it isn't the Galaxy Z Fold 8? Personally, I'm wondering if it's the phone's upper half: the 5.5-inch, 16:10 cover screen.

I've been using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as my main and only driver for the past few weeks, and everyone I know who has tried it has had the same first reaction.

“Wow, it's so compact!” was everyone's first thought, verbalized.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 was instantly exciting to everyone who saw it, even before its best quality, i.e., the foldable form factor, became apparent.

Something tells me that a regular 5.5-inch phone with a tall aspect ratio wouldn't have triggered the same response. It's not just the 5.5-inch display that's unusual and appealing, but the 16:10 aspect ratio. And maybe you can't, or shouldn't, have one without the other.

What could finally make compact phones viable again is a 5.5-inch non-foldable Galaxy phone with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

It's all about usability and the way content is presented. The UI isn't simply scaled down for a smaller screen. The padding between app shortcuts and other UI elements is different on a 16:10 display. One UI 9 on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks great for the most part, as long as you use the appropriate UI zoom setting.

While it isn't perfect (yet?), the Fold 8's smaller yet wider UI feels more comfortable than it would if it were simply miniaturized. Everything is more compact, but there's still plenty of breathing room. UI elements are smaller but don't feel as cramped on the Fold 8's cover screen as you might imagine.

Another perfect example is video content. For the most part, you won't get rid of black bars no matter which smartphone you use. But a 16:10 display fits most video content better than a taller 19.5:9 panel.

More importantly, those black bars feel even more like wasted space on a small screen. Imagine watching a 4:3 video on a 5.5-inch 19.5:9 display. It'd probably feel like watching a stamp. And while 4:3 video doesn't fit the Fold 8's 5.5-inch display perfectly either, the 16:10 aspect ratio makes 4:3 videos a lot more bearable.

Let's imagine that someone releases a conventional, new 19.5:9 phone with a small 5.5-inch display. Even if it catches on, there's always the risk that its sequels will grow larger and larger every year. We've seen it happen before.

This brings us to one other inherent quality 5.5-inch 16:10 phones could have: size consistency over generations.

When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a width of 81.9mm. That's 3.8mm wider than Samsung's widest slab-type phone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

In other words, I don't see 16:10 phones growing in size much further than 5.5 inches. Enlarging this form factor even a fraction would make the phones unreasonably wide.

So, while the form factor doesn't have much room to grow in the most literal sense, that should be a plus for anyone who expects size consistency across different phone generations.

If you'd buy such a 16:10, 5.5-inch non-foldable phone now, none of its sequels should bloat a year or two down the line, and you'd likely have a perfect upgrade path laid out in front of you for years to come.

Samsung chose 5.5 inches for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Apple did the same for the iPhone Duo. It sounds to me like 5.5 inches or thereabouts might be the sweet spot for a 16:10 phone, foldable or otherwise.

Samsung is expected to release not three, but four main Galaxy S27 models next year. That's intriguing in and of itself, but I'd personally be much more excited if the 2027 Galaxy S lineup contained a compact, 5.5-inch, 16:10 Galaxy S27 without a hinge. Who knows?

Maybe that's the compact phone nobody knows they want yet, just like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 became the foldable phone most people didn't know they desired.