A Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra or Flip8 sold as an unlocked model works with any compatible carrier. One bought from a carrier is locked until it meets that carrier’s rules, which for phones this expensive usually means paying them off. Check yours under Settings → Connections → More connection settings → Network lock status, and check the IMEI of any secondhand foldable before you pay.
Samsung’s 2026 foldables
Samsung unveiled three foldables on July 22, 2026: the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold8 and the Galaxy Z Flip8. They went on sale from August 7 through carriers, retailers, Samsung.com and Samsung’s own stores. Samsung writes the names without a space, while many people search for “Fold 8” and “Flip 8”; they’re the same phones.
As with Samsung’s other flagships, the same model can be sold as an unlocked phone or as a carrier version; on Samsung’s US store, the S26 Ultra, for example, comes as an Unlocked version or for AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. The box and receipt usually tell you which you have, but the phone itself is the surer answer.
Check whether your foldable is locked
- 1Network lock statusOpen Settings → Connections → More connection settings and look for Network lock status. AT&T’s help page sends owners of Galaxy phones released after September 1, 2025 here, and all three 2026 foldables qualify.
- 2The carrier accountIf you bought it from a carrier, the online account usually shows the unlock status. AT&T shows “Device unlocked” in the device details, and T-Mobile shows it in your account.
- 3A second SIMIf the phone has a SIM card in it, try an active SIM from another carrier. A network unlock PIN prompt means it’s still locked.
- 4An IMEI checkA Samsung report on our IMEI check page shows the carrier on record, which is useful when you’re buying one used.
How carriers unlock a Fold8 or Flip8
| Carrier | What the phone needs |
|---|---|
| AT&T | Bought more than 60 days ago, paid in full, bill not past due. Some eligible Samsung phones unlock by themselves; otherwise send a request |
| T-Mobile | 40 days active on the line and paid in full. Unlocked remotely within two business days, or a notification with the next steps |
| Verizon | Unlocked automatically once bought at full price or paid off; 35 days later if a Verizon gift card paid for it |
Those are the carriers’ own postpaid rules as we read them on October 1, 2026. A foldable on a long payment plan won’t qualify until the balance is cleared, and every carrier refuses phones reported lost or stolen. Galaxy phones on other carriers are covered in our Samsung Galaxy unlock guide.
Buying a used Fold8 or Flip8
Foldables cost a lot new, so a used one is worth checking carefully. Before you pay:
- Dial *#06# and make sure the IMEI matches the one in Settings → About phone and on the box.
- Open Network lock status, or ask the seller which carrier the phone came from.
- Make sure the seller has signed out of their Google and Samsung accounts. That account lock is separate from the carrier lock; see iCloud and FRP locks vs carrier locks.
- Run a blacklist check from our IMEI checks to see whether it has been reported lost or stolen.
- Open and close it a few times and look along the fold, as you would with any used foldable.
Our step-by-step guide to checking a used phone’s IMEI before you buy has the rest.
If it’s locked and you can’t wait
An IMEI unlock lifts the carrier lock without the original account. Open the carrier the phone came from, our AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon page, then pick Samsung and your model to see the live price and delivery estimate. If your foldable isn’t listed for that carrier yet, we don’t offer that unlock yet.
