Switching phones is easy. Switching ecosystems is a different story.
If you’ve been on iPhone for years, the questions start piling up. Will my photos and chats move over? Will my earbuds still work? Can I still share files with my friends who use iPhones? And is a foldable actually useful, or just a very expensive party trick?
Samsung has been asking those same questions, and it seems to be working. According to Samsung’s own sales data, the number of people in Southeast Asia and Oceania switching to the Galaxy Z Fold8 series from other brands is up by more than 70% compared to the previous Z Fold generation.
So what’s it actually like to switch? Samsung pointed to three users from Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia who made the jump and shared how it went.
Leaving a decade-long ecosystem behind
The biggest worry for most switchers is losing what they already have. Samsung’s answer is two features:
- Smart Switch: moves your supported content and settings from your old phone
- Quick Share: shares files with compatible devices, including ones outside the Galaxy family
Kaito from Vietnam had been in one ecosystem for almost ten years before moving to the Galaxy Z Fold8. In his video, he explains that he can still share files across his devices, his existing audio accessories still work, and his favourite streaming apps are all still there.
One screen for watching, reading and creating
The main draw of a Fold is the 7.6-inch inner display. That’s tablet territory, in a phone that fits in your pocket.
Christine Tay from Malaysia says it lets her do everything on one device. In her unboxing and first impressions video, she talks about reading manga, watching videos and designing thumbnails for her social media content, all on the Fold8. Her favourite part is needing fewer devices day to day.
That’s the strongest case for a foldable, I think. If you carry a phone and a tablet, the Fold can replace both. If you don’t, the big screen is a luxury rather than a need.
Multitasking that actually makes sense
This is where a foldable earns its keep. With the screen open, you can run two apps side by side, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip keeps everything running smoothly.
Australian tech creator Samuel Nam ran a fun experiment. He gave his wife, Esther, a Galaxy Z Fold8 to use for a week in place of her iPhone, and documented it in this video.
Her favourite feature was split view. She could keep information on one side of the screen while taking notes on the other, without jumping back and forth between apps. It’s a small thing, but once you get used to it, a regular phone screen feels cramped.
Malaysian pricing and the RM500 foldable rebate
Here’s the part that makes most people pause. Foldables are still expensive.
| Model | Storage | RRP | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra | 256GB | RM8,099 | Graphite, Cream, Violet Shadow, Green Shadow (online exclusive) |
| 512GB | RM8,899 | ||
| 1TB | RM10,499 | ||
| Galaxy Z Fold8 | 256GB | RM7,299 | Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Pistachio (online exclusive) |
| 512GB | RM8,099 | ||
| 1TB | RM9,699 | ||
| Galaxy Z Flip8 | 512GB | RM6,199 | Graphite, Cream, Pink, Mint (online exclusive) |
To ease the switch, Samsung is running a “Welcome to Foldables” rebate of up to RM500 on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8 and Z Flip8, from 12 October to 31 December 2026. You also get a free 12-month iQIYI Premium VIP subscription worth RM209.90, redeemable through the Samsung Members app until 30 November.
So, should you switch?
Here’s my take. If you’re curious about foldables but worried about leaving iPhone, the switching tools have come a long way. Moving your data and sharing files with iPhone-using friends is far less painful than it used to be.
The real question is whether you’ll use the big screen. If you read, watch, create or multitask a lot on your phone, the Fold8 makes a strong case for itself. If you mostly scroll and message, a regular flagship will do the job for a lot less money.
Either way, try one in a store before committing. A foldable is one of those things you understand better in your hands than on a spec sheet.
For more details, visit the Galaxy Z Fold8 page on Samsung Malaysia. You can also check out the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip8.
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