TV presenter and content creator Chanley Wong stars on Glamour’s latest digital cover, captured entirely on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
What happens when one of South Africa’s premier fashion and lifestyle publications puts a professional magazine cover in the hands of a foldable smartphone? You get a Glamour digital cover that proves the line between traditional studio cameras and mobile innovation has officially vanished.
For its latest digital cover, Glamour South Africa[AJP/OCE1] teamed up with TV presenter and content creator Chanley Wong, placing Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra firmly behind the lens.
For years, Samsung Galaxy technology has consistently been one of the leaders in high-fashion editorial imagery, repeatedly proving that mobile devices can meet the stringent demands of top-tier publication covers. From pioneering mobile-shot covers to cinematic short films, Samsung continues to set its benchmark for what is possible when world-class camera innovation meets creative ambition, solidifying its place as a powerhouse in mobile-driven editorial storytelling.
This latest shoot marked the first professional cover assignment for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, a unique opportunity to put the device through its paces in an environment where image fidelity, skin tone accuracy, dynamic range and detail are uncompromising essentials.
Ordinarily, professional fashion shoots require an extensive production rig: heavy camera bodies, multiple lenses, external monitors, and tethering cables. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra streamlines that entire workflow into a single, hand-held powerhouse. Equipped with an advanced 200MP Wide camera, a 50MP Ultra-Wide lens, and a 10MP Telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom (plus 2x optical-quality zoom), the device gave the photographer total flexibility to switch perspectives instantly. Powered by Samsung’s ProVisual Engine, the system intelligently optimizes detail, lighting and natural skin tones in real time.
Beyond raw camera specs, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra’s foldable form factor completely transforms the on-set rhythm. Traditional DSLR setups force photographers to review shots on a tiny display or tether to an external monitor. Opening the Z Fold8 Ultra unfolds an expansive 8-inch main display1, giving the creative team an immediate, large-format canvas to inspect composition, focus and detail right on set. Capture and high-definition review merge seamlessly into one device.
This milestone is part of a deliberate, multi-year legacy of Samsung pushing boundaries in South African media. In 2021 GQ South Africa made media history by using the Galaxy S21 Ultra to shoot its May/June dual covers, fashion spreads and behind-the-scenes content. The next year in 2022 would see GQ return to Galaxy with the S22 Ultra challenging an outdoor cover shoot, while Glamour South Africa utilised the same device for its flagship Disruptors issue. For the first artificial intelligence (AI) mobile device in the world in 2024, Samsung expanded into mobile filmmaking with Ekhaya, an acclaimed South African short film shot entirely on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The Glamour digital cover starring Chanley Wong represents the next evolution of this story. It reaffirms that professional creativity no longer requires bulky legacy equipment, just vision, talent, and standard-setting technology.
“Partnering with Samsung on this digital cover allowed us to rethink what’s possible in fashion journalism,” says Thobeka Phanyeko Features Editor at Glamour South Africa. “The clarity, colour accuracy and speed of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, combined with the ability to review high-res images on its massive folded screen, made the shoot seamless. It truly delivered a cover worthy of our highest editorial standards.”
For Chanley Wong, the result is a striking visual spotlight. For Glamour, it represents modern editorial storytelling at its finest. And for Samsung, it is another bold demonstration of how Samsung Galaxy continues to lead, innovate and own the future of mobile photography.
- Measured diagonally, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra’s Main Screen size is 8.0-inch in the full rectangle and 8.0-inch accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners. ↩︎
