New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- Over seven consecutive generations, Samsung's book-style foldables have chased a fairly predictable goal: Get thinner, get lighter, make the crease a little more subtle, and marry the futuristic phone-meets-tablet idea with something that makes perfect sense in the present.

With the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung has turned an interesting corner, splitting the line into two devices-a taller Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the base Z Fold 8 ( Rs.179,999 onwards). The latter is a wider, squatter device that, in my three weeks of use, feels like the future of foldables. If the Z Fold Ultra is for productivity seekers, the Z Fold 8 is the shape made for the rest of us.

It may not be the first foldable to try out the squat design-after a...