Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Main differences to expect
It's foldable season for Apple and Samsung, as the iPhone Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will breathe in new life in the wallet-style foldable niche.
iPhone Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be among the hottest foldable commodities this year.
This September, Apple is expected to enter a new form factor category as it is very widely expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, which will possibly carry the exciting iPhone Ultra name.
It will most certainly be a wide foldable that will unfold to a more rectangular aspect ratio in contrast to most foldables out there, like Samsung's Z Fold ones, for example. The latter are about to get a seismic shift in the naming, though.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the proper flagship, whereas the more affordable device is called the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which will employ the same style as the iPhone Ultra and will be its direct competitor.
How will Apple's and Samsung's two new foldables compare? We'll try to find a definitive answer in this comparison, though it's an arduous task that's similar to comparing apples and oranges.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 expected differences:
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
|---|---|
| A wide wallet-style foldable | Also a wide-style foldable |
| A 7.8-inch internal screen | Slightly smaller 7.6-inch inner screen |
| Unknown peak brightness | 3,000-nit peak brightness |
| 12GB RAM in the base model | 12GB RAM in the base model |
| A 5.5-inch outer screen | A similarly sized 5.4-inch cover display |
| Apple A20 Pro chip, built on a 2nm node | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy on board |
| Dual camera system | Dual camera system as well (50 MP wide + 50 MP ultrawide) |
| Touch ID fingerprint sensor | A capacitive fingerprint as well |
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Design and Size
Apple versus Samsung in the foldable space
The iPhone Ultra will be Apple's first foldable phone, and as such, it's starting from a clean slate in terms of design language. We know that the form factor will be a wallet-styled foldable phone, so wider and shorter than regular foldable phones.
3D renders and mockups online paint a design language that's very similar to most iPhones out there, with a flat frame, a glass back, and a sturdy hinge to boot. The latter would reportedly use a hefty amount of titanium parts, and the frame of the iPhone Ultra itself could be made of the same material, too.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks quite similar to Samsung's other foldables, with a design that looks like a squished down Galaxy Z Fold 7, so shorter but wider. The frame utilizes Armor Aluminum and Gorilla Glass at the back and covering the external screen.
As far as size goes, the rumor mill expects the iPhone Ultra to have dimensions of 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.8 mm when unfolded and 120.6 x 83.8 x 9.6 mm when folded.
In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 measures 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5 mm when unfolded and 161.4 x 82.2 x 9.0 mm when folded, so pretty similar but taller and thicker than the iPhone Ultra. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is also exceptionally light at just 201 grams.
|
|
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.8 mm | 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 mm (~8.75 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 201.0 g | |
See the full
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
It's unknown if the iPhone Ultra will be water and dust-tight, so it's unclear if it will have an IP rating; here's to hoping it does. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 boasts IP48 water- and dust-resistance like its predecessors.
The Samsung foldable is available in Lavender, Cream, Graphite, and Pistachio, which is exclusively available online.
Display Differences
The iPhone Ultra will boast a 7.8-inch inner screen, most certainly a Liquid Retina XDR OLED one with ProMotion, though knowing Apple, that one might be worthy of a new name. The outer screen will measure 5.5 inches across.
The notable thing to note here is that the display size will remain consistent between the inner and outer screens, as they both follow the 1:1.41 A4 aspect ratio. This will deliver a consistent experience as there would essentially be just two aspect ratios as opposed to at least four on most other foldables (folded portrait, folded landscape, unfolded portrait, unfolded landscape).
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, on the other hand, comes with a 7.8-inch internal display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 5.4-inch cover screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, both of which are Dynamic AMOLED ones with up to 120 Hz refresh rate. The inner screen boasts 3,000 nits of peak brightness, which is slightly higher than what previous Galaxy Z Fold units achieved.
Samsung has put an ultra-thin titanium alloy inside the display that's more than 30% thinner than the width of a human hair. The reason for that is further making the crease even shallower and less pronounced.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 7.8-inch | 7.6-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
See the full
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
The iPhone Ultra won't come with a Dynamic Island notch, as Apple is returning to its roots with a Touch ID fingerprint scanner embedded right into the power button, like on the company's iPad lineup. The same applies to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 –– it has scored a touch fingerprint sensor in the power button, too.
Performance and Software
More power for the iPhone
Apple will equip the iPhone Ultra with its 2nm Apple A20 Pro. The next chapter in the Apple Silicon series will surely introduce a new step in performance and efficiency that will make it very challenging for Android rivals to follow.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 relies on Qualcomm power, more specifically the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, the fastest variety of the chip that has a slightly higher clock than the regular Elite Gen 5 chip. It was used on the Galaxy S26 Ultra globally and on Galaxy S26/S26 Plus units in the US. The same chip is used on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, so you get the best of the best on the Android side of things right now.
Which one will come up on top?
Needless to say, the iPhone will surely have an advantage thanks to the denser manufacturing process and Apple's tight integration of the hardware, but let's see how those benchmark tests pan out.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.1) | 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/1TB |
| OS | |
| iOS (27.x) | Android (17), up to 7 OS updates |
See the full
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes with 12 GB of RAM and 256 or 512 GB of storage, while the 1 TB model arrives with 16 GB of RAM. This makes it fairly future-proof. The iPhone Ultra is also expected to arrive with at least 12 GB of RAM for smooth Apple Intelligence processing.
The iPhone Ultra will feature iOS 27, which just scored its second developer beta, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrives with One UI 9, which will be based on the recently released Android 17. The latter has a few intriguing features that will improve the foldable experience, like app bubbles, and Samsung has further tailored the Galaxy AI experience.
Camera
Not serious camera phones
Let's get one thing out of the way: nobody's buying foldables for their cameras, so manufacturers aren't really trying. And because the latter are hardly trying, nobody's buying foldables for their cameras. It's a vicious cycle that leads to foldables with unimpressive camera setups, and both the iPhone Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8 seem like they will continue the trend.
Both of these arrive with dual-camera setups, consisting of a wide and an ultrawide camera. The Z Fold 8 gets a 50 MP main and ultrawide cameras, whereas the iPhone Ultra will likely rely on a 48 MP main snapper and 48 MP ultrawide.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP | 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung GN3 Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 12 MP (Ultra-wide) | 50 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL JN3 Aperture size: F1.9 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.5" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
| Front | |
| 12 MP | 10 MP (HDR) |
See the full
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Battery Life and Charging
Maybe we'll get large batteries, maybe not
The rumor mill says the iPhone Ultra will likely get a 5,500 mAh dual-cell battery, though other rumors point out to a 4,800 mAh dual-cell battery. It's still largely up in the air, and battery capacities are among the last details to leak about a new iPhone.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrives with a 4,800 mAh battery. Samsung promises up to 26 hours of general use, which sounds pretty promising.
The iPhone Ultra will potentially have better battery life due to the more efficient chipset it will carry, and there's also the possibility of a larger battery. This hints at an iPhone with excellent battery backup.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 4700 mAh | 4800 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 20.0W | Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 20.0W |
See the full
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Charging-wise, we expect at least 25 W wired charging for the iPhone Ultra. The iPhone Ultra will reportedly skip MagSafe wireless charging. To connect MagSafe accessories to your iPhone Ultra, you will have to use Apple's MagSafe equipped cases for the device which will certainly be launched alongside it.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes with 45 W wired and 20 W wireless charging, but no magnets. You will have to get a magnet-enabled case if you wish to slap it on a MagSafe or Pixelsnap charger, too.
Specs Comparison
Here's how the iPhone Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs will likely compare. All data below is based on preliminary and unconfirmed specs.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.8 mm | 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 mm (~8.75 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 201.0 g | |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 7.8-inch | 7.6-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.1) | 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/1TB |
| OS | |
| iOS (27.x) | Android (17), up to 7 OS updates |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 4700 mAh | 4800 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 20.0W | Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 20.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP | 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung GN3 Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 12 MP (Ultra-wide) | 50 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL JN3 Aperture size: F1.9 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.5" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
| Front | |
| 12 MP | 10 MP (HDR) |
See the full
Apple iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
This year, it's foldable season for both Samsung and Apple.
The iPhone Ultra will be a first-gen device that will most certainly prove to be a very popular and successful litmus test for Apple that will lead to a whole line of foldable iPhones in the future.
Meanwhile, Samsung has been one of the pioneers in the foldable niche and has more than half a decade of experience in the genre, but in 2026, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that's positioned as a direct rival to the iPhone Ultra wouldn't even be Samsung's best foldable device. This honor belongs to the Z Fold 8 Ultra, and yet, the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually sounds like a pretty decent device that could put a stick in Apple's wheels.
Will that be enough to steal some of the iPhone Ultra's thunder? Remains to be seen.
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