Galaxy Z Fold 8 is wiping the floor with the foldable iPhone Ultra, and Apple should get scared

Reserve the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Flip 8 at Samsung

Samsung has just opened its reservation campaign, allowing you to reserve your next Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Flip 8 device. The official store is giving you a $30 reservation credit, plus a chance to win one of 10 $500 gift cards.

Reserve at Samsung

This adds to the already disturbing rumors about the size of Apple’s phone. According to earlier rumors, it will come in at 120.6 x 83.8 x 9.6 mm when folded, and 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.8 mm when unfolded. 



More disturbingly, the iPhone Ultra could continue Apple’s tradition of extremely heavy phones and weigh as much as 255 grams.

Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 is rumored to be a bit taller at 123.9 mm, but narrower at 81.9 mm when closed and 161.4 when unfolded. Its folded thickness is expected to be 9.7 mm, despite being thinner when unfolded at 4.5 mm.

This narrower design would be enough to make the phone slightly more comfortable for one-hand use, but the rumored weight of 201 grams is what would make it stand out. All in all, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is almost certainly going to feel more comfortable and just nicer to use than the iPhone Ultra.

Samsung won’t have an easy win

Offering a slightly more comfortable phone won’t help Samsung snag the win and dominate the foldable market. That would be done through the pricing of its wide foldable.

Samsung’s top-tier foldable this year will be the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which is the true successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and is expected to come with at least a $100 price increase. Taking the secondary position in the lineup, the wide model will be cheaper, with rumors putting its starting price as low as $1,799.

Before cussing me out for considering $1,799 a low price, I need to clarify that’s only when I compare it with what Apple is rumored to ask for the iPhone Ultra. Different rumors put its starting price at anywhere between $2,000 and a whopping $2,500. Even at the lower end of this spectrum, that’s a noticeable difference, and in 2026, this could matter a lot.

Initially, the iPhone Ultra will sell like hotcakes because there are enough hardcore Apple fans who have already proven they’d spend as much as necessary to get the latest from their favorite manufacturer. But when this short-term excitement wears off, Apple will need to face the brutal reality of the niche foldable market.

Add to this the pressure from the memory price crisis and the rising consumer tech prices, and a log may not help too much for the bottom line. This could easily lead the iPhone Ultra on the same path where the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone Air failed.

We’re still talking about Apple, though

Samsung making the better foldable hardware won’t be exactly shocking, considering the company’s experience in the space, nor will it help it too much. Apple has proven that it can dominate the smartphone market with inferior products multiple times before.

As an iPhone user myself, I know it’d take a lot of convincing before any Apple user commits to a different ecosystem. Still, if the Z Fold 8 really wipes the floor with the iPhone Ultra in any meaningful metric, Samsung may have this one chance to beat its archenemy, and I’ll be there to root for it.