Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Fold 8: Main differences to expect
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is direct successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. | Image by PhoneArena
We are just a month away from Samsung revealing its new foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8. Of these three, the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be the direct rival to Apple's upcoming iPhone Ultra, which will most likely be announced in September.
So, as one company is gearing to show its first foldable, the other has released more than a dozen different foldables over the years,.
But how will the Galaxy Z Fold 8 compare against the Z Fold 8 Ultra? First up, let's clear up some confusion.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the successor to the standard book-style foldables that Samsung has been releasing for years, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Fold 6, and so on. The phone that will be known as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, on the other hand, will be the new style wide foldable phone that's debuting for the first time in Samsung's roster.
With that out of the way, let's compare these two foldables and clarify how they'd differ.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 expected differences:
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
|---|---|
| Narrower book-style foldable, similar to Samsung's previous models | A wide-style foldable |
| An 8-inch inner screen | Slightly smaller 7.6-inch inner screen |
| A 6.5-inch outer screen | A smaller 5.4-inch cover display |
| Triple camera with proper telephoto | Dual camera (wide + ultrawide) |
| New 50 MP ultrawide camera | Likely a 12 MP ultrawide |
| Larger 5,000 mAh battery | Likely smaller battery than 5,000 mAh |
| 45 W wired charging | 45 or 25 W wired charging |
Table of Contents:
Read more:
- Link 1
- Link 2
- Link 3
Design and Size
A different yet familiar design language
If we've come to learn one thing about Samsung in the past couple of years is that it's quite averse to change these days. It took years for Samsung to fix all the wrongs with the Galaxy Z Fold lineup last year with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, so it's quite logical to expect that few changes will befall the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra design lanaguage.
The next flagship foldable will be a thin and tall device, extremely similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looked, with a tiny display crease, a thin no-wedge design, and reiterating the same glass and Armor Aluminum build. It will most certainly come in new colors, though.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will usher in a new era for Samsung foldables by introducing us to a wide-style Samsung foldable for the first time. Well, technically we got a taste of that with the Galaxy Z TriFold, but that one was more of a one-off stunt that didn't prove too successful.
The Z Fold 8 will be wider and shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra or any other of Samsung's previousl foldables, making it more wallet-shaped. This means its inner screen would be more rectangular and suitable for multimedia as opposed to the more square Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.5 mm | 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.9 mm |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
We'd expect that both of these foldables will be at least IP48-rated for water and dust protection, seeing how the Galaxy Z Fold 7 had that same certification. Other foldables, like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, have already started getting tigher IP ratings, so Samsung has some catching up to do in the protection category.
Display Differences
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will be the device with the larger screens in terms of diagonal size thanks to an 8.0-inch internal screen and a 6.5-cover display, closely following through with the Galaxy Z Fold 7's dimensions.
The wide Fold 8 will be getting a slightly smaller 7.6-inch inner screen and a 5.4-inch cover display, but these will have dramatically different aspect ratios that will make a very different device.
No detailshave surfaced yet, but it's pretty logical to expect that both phones will share very similar screen specs. Either device will use Dynamic AMOLED screens with hopefully high brightness output, up to 120 Hz refresh rate on either screen, and all software goodies you've come to expect from a Samsung phone... without the Privacy Display feature. That's not coming on board.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 8.0-inch | 7.6-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Both devices will most probably share the same capacitive fingerprint scanner in the power button on the side. No reason to change that, it's a fast and reliable solution. However, it should be noted that some more exotic foldable phones coming from China have employed optical or even ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in either their inner and outer displays, so Samsung is definitely not dwelling on the verge of a technological breakthrough here.
Performance and Software
Snapdragon power
Samsung will most certainly rely on Qualcomm power for its two upcoming foldables.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 8 will likely both come with 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 most other Android flagships use. The same one was also featured on the Galaxy S26 Ultra globally and on S26/S26 Plus units in the US.
From an efficiency and performance perspective, that one is a definite winner. It's among the fastest chipsets around right now and particularly impresses in terms of graphics performance.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB | 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB |
| OS | |
| Android (16) | Android (16) |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
The situation with the memory will probably be similar, too. The base versions of these two phones will boast 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and will have 256 GB of native storage. The higher-tier version with 512 GB RAM might get 16 GB of RAM, which used to be the case with previous Folds.
Given the timing, Samsung will probably ship Android 17 with One UI 9 to both phones. Google officially released Android 17 last week, so it's now up to manufacturers to bring the latest Android flavor to their phones.
Camera
A matter of zoom
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will retain the Galaxy Z Fold 7's camera setup for the most part, meaning a 200 MP main camera, a 10 MP telephoto, but the ultrawide will be different. Samsung is planning to upgrade the 12 MP ultrawide to a 50 MP ISOCELL JN3 sensor, like on the flagship S26 series.
An upgrade, finally! This means that for the most part, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will deliver very similar image quality to the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm | 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 50 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Pixel size: 1.4 μm | 12 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
|
| Front | |
| 10 MP (HDR) | 10 MP (HDR) |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
What about the Galaxy Z Fold 8? That one is getting just two cameras, 200 MP wide and 12 MP ultrawide ones. Not a particularly impressive setup, but Samsung is certainly betting on the novel form factor and not the cameras themselves to make the Z Fold 8 an intriguing device.
Battery Life and Charging
Upgrades, hopefully
The rumor mill has been churning out rumors about potential battery increases with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8. There was a 4,400 mAh battery in the Z Fold 7, and we've been hearing chatter about a battery in the 5,000 mAh ballpark for the Z Fold 8 Ultra and a 4,800 mAh one for the Z Fold 8.
Samsung can achieve that by employing a silicon-carbon battery, but such a switch over from lithium-ion is a bit unlikely as we know how touchy the company is with any sudden moves in the battery department.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 15.0W | Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
The rumor mill is also convinced that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will be scoring 45 W wired charging, whereas the new Z Fold 8 will probably only support 25 W charging. This leaves the upgrades for the Ultra, fitting of its name.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick overview of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra versus the Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.5 mm | 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.9 mm |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 8.0-inch | 7.6-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB | 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB |
| OS | |
| Android (16) | Android (16) |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 15.0W | Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm | 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 50 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Pixel size: 1.4 μm | 12 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
|
| Front | |
| 10 MP (HDR) | 10 MP (HDR) |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
Samsung is changing its foldables in a big way. Aside from a name upgrade, it's also scoring a new ultrawide, a faster chipset, and possibly better battery life.
Meanwhile, the new kid on the block will aim to take right to the iPhone Ultra and function as its most direct Android rival.
With a similar form factor and features that will definitely be positioned in such a way to sway potential buyers away from the iPhone Ultra, the Fold 8 will hopefully not be a one-off for Samsung.
Popular stories
Related Content
Latest News
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: