SEOUL, July 22 -- Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 this week at its Galaxy Unpacked event in London, and the phone is the best foldable Samsung has built. The 200-megapixel main camera, 5,000mAh battery, and wider display format represent genuine improvements over the Z Fold 7. The timing of the launch is, however, conspicuous: Apple's foldable iPhone is expected in September. The question is not whether Samsung improved. It is whether it improved enough.

The core specifications of the Z Fold 8 close gaps that Samsung's competitors and critics have flagged for two generations. The main camera jumps from 50MP to 200MP - a number that belongs in a spec sheet for a traditional flagship, not a device that bends in half. The ultrawide len...