Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the wobbliest phone I've ever used, and the solution looks painfully obvious

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 quickly became my favorite phone ever, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. In fact, it very much feels like a first-gen device in several areas.

Some of those first-gen issues will hopefully be addressed by the Fold 9 next year. That seems even more plausible now that Apple has joined the foldable phone market with its passport-style iPhone Duo, which adopts a few creative solutions to various design challenges.

Until a new Galaxy Z Fold goes on sale, however, I must say that the biggest Fold 8 letdown, as far as I'm concerned, is the camera housing.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8's camera housing has a couple of core issues that could have been avoided if only Samsung designed it from the ground up.

The problem is that it doesn't feel like it was. Even if we assume that Samsung thought long and hard about the Fold 8's camera housing, the result is the same: It feels like Samsung pulled the camera housing off the Galaxy S25 Edge and stuck it to the back of the Fold 8.

In other words, it feels more like an afterthought than a conscious design choice. And because of this apparent approach, it look out of place and gets in the way of the user experience.

One of the problems you'll encounter when using your Fold 8 like a regular phone is photobombing your own photos with your thumbs. Because the Fold 8 is shorter than the average phone, its camera housing sits closer to the phone's lower edge and the user's palm.

Add a vertical camera layout on top of an already short back panel and you get the Fold 8's subpar photography experience. One where you will often find yourself accidentally covering the camera lens when rushing to capture a precious moment.

It's not a huge issue if you can retrain your phone grip, but it's still an unnecessary inconvenience.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 gets another black mark that stems from this arguably undercooked design choice: It's the wobbliest phone I have ever used.

Once again, the Fold 8's camera housing is very prominent, and the phone is wider and shorter than normal. Its only two points of contact when you rest it on a table are opposite each other and spread apart more than usual.

Imagine drawing a line between the camera housing and the phone's opposite corner. That's the Fold 8's central pivot point. And every time you tap the Fold 8's cover screen while the phone is resting on a flat surface, it wobbles like a seesaw.

All modern phones have this issue to a lesser degree because of their camera housings, but in my experience, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 feels like the worst offender.

If you already own the Galaxy Z Fold 8, there's not much you can do to eliminate or diminish the wobbly, seesaw effect apart from trying to find a thick-enough case to wrap around your phone.

But even if you do, you may still have to relearn how to grip the phone to avoid covering the lenses with your fingers. And if you prefer using your Fold 8 caseless, this is hardly a fix. I'm afraid us Fold 8 users don't have a lot of choices, but I do have hope for future Fold generations.

The correct answer could lie in the latest — and controversial — Galaxy S27 Ultra/Pro leaks. These upcoming rigid premium phones are said to adopt a completely redesigned camera housing. Even though it has two vertical cameras, the housing itself is a wide rectangle that covers almost the entire upper portion of the phone.

Needless to say, if it's wide enough, a horizontal camera housing could eliminate the Fold 9's wobbliness and might move the cameras themselves further away from the center of the phone and the user's hands. Of course, we will have to wait until next year to see if Samsung has any intentions to change the formula.

All in all, I believe that having a wobbly phone is a small price to pay for the otherwise fantastic Galaxy Z Fold 8 experience. But the issue exists and feels like it's a price Fold 8 users are paying needlessly. Still, I wouldn't hold the Fold 8's wobbliness against it too much.

Wobbly or not, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is still one of the most fun phones I have ever owned. And in all fairness, I don't often find myself having to use my phone when it's resting on my desk. I just wish it would've been better, especially when the solution seems obvious.

I can only hope that the Galaxy S27 Ultra's polarizing camera housing design will be a blessing in disguise for future Fold users. Until then, I will continue enjoying the Fold 8 experience, imperfect as it is.