Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Apple iPhone Fold: Main differences to expect
Foldable iPhone, meet the Galaxy Z Fold 8! Here's how the two compare.
Fold 8 on the left vs iPhone Ultra dummy on the right | Image by PhoneArena
Apple has officially confirmed its main iPhone event for 2026 will happen on September 9th, and we expect to see the first foldable iPhone, likely to be called the iPhone Fold.
The foldable iPhone has been rumored for months and unlike most other foldable phones, it will feature a wider, passport sized aspect ratio and it will open into a 3:4 rectangle of mini tablet size. In contrast, most other foldables open into a square.
Well, except for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which launched just a couple of months earlier, as Samsung clearly knew about the upcoming iPhone Fold, and wanted pre-empt it this way.
Both foldables share a common DNA and style, and both are expected to cost a small fortune, with a price hovering around $2,000, but let's see what are the expected differences.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Apple iPhone Fold expected differences:
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | iPhone Fold |
|---|---|
| Book-style foldable phone, Armor Aluminum + Gorilla Glass | Book-style foldable, aluminum/titanium + Ceramic Shield |
| 6.5-inch cover, 8.0-inch internal OLED screen | 5.5-inch cover, 7.8-inch internal OLED screen |
| Exynos 2600 chip, 2nm | Apple A20, 3nm |
| 12GB, 256/512GB | 12GB RAM, 256/512GB |
| Triple camera (200MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP telephoto) | Dual camera (48MP main + 48MP ultrawide) |
| ~4,400 mAh battery | ~4,700 mAh battery |
| 25 W wired charging, Qi2 | ~20 W wired charging, MagSafe |
Table of Contents:
Read more:
Design and Size
Image by PhoneArena
Samsung has a seven year lead over Apple when it comes to foldable phones (yep, the original Galaxy Fold launched way back in 2019).
The design of both devices is quite similar: wider, passport style size with a 16:10 cover display and a 3:4 main screen.
Image by PhoneArena
The Galaxy Fold 8 uses Armor Aluminum for the frame and Gorilla Glass Victus for the rear panel.
Image by PhoneArena
What about the foldable iPhone?
The foldable iPhone is expected to use a combination of aluminum and titanium in its design.
Display Differences
Image by PhoneArena
The Fold 8 comes with an 8-inch main display with 120 Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 2,600 nits.
I tested the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for a few weeks, and I was really impressed with the way Samsung has minimized the crease this year. The new Flex Titanium technology also makes the whole construction feel a lot sturdier.
The foldable iPhone is reportedly coming with a 7.8-inch inner OLED display that is also expected to feature a minimal crease, after all, many rumors cite the crease as the reason Apple withheld the foldable iPhone so long.
Image by PhoneArena
Biometrics-wise, we expect that both phones will use standard fingerprint scanners embedded in the power button.
Performance and Software
Proper power for the foldable bunch
Samsung uses the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip on the Galaxy, and we expect the iPhone Ultra to come with Apple's new A20 pro chipset. These are flagship chips through and through.
We also expect parity on the RAM front as both should get 12GB RAM on the base versions.
The iPhone will naturally run iOS 27, which is coming this year, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is powered by Samsung's One UI 9 on top of Android 17.
Camera
Image by PhoneArena
One compromise with these new wider foldable phones is the limited space for cameras. Both the Galaxy Fold 8 and iPhone Ultra are expected to come with two cameras on the back: a main and an ultra-wide one. That means that a telephoto camera is missing, quite disappointing for such pricey devices.
One benefit of the foldable form factor on both, though, is that you can use the large main screen as a viewfinder, and this makes the photo-taking experience much better here than on a standard phone.
Battery Life and Charging
Image by PhoneArena
The Galaxy Fold 8 comes with a 4,800mAh battery using the new silicon-carbon technology.
We expect a similar sized battery on the iPhone Ultra as well, roughly around 5,000mAh, but because of the better efficiency of iOS, chances are the iPhone will last a bit longer than the Galaxy.
For charging, the iPhone is expected to have the advantage of native MagSafe support, meaning you get the ring of magnets on the back of the phone and you can easily snap it to a compatible wireless charger. Samsung does not include magnets on the phone.
As for wired charging, the Fold 8 supports 45 watts, a welcome upgrade from the 25 watt speeds on the previous model. The iPhone Ultra is expected to support 40W charging.
Specs Comparison
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Apple iPhone Ultra |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 mm (~8.75 mm with camera bump) | 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.8 mm |
| Weight | |
| 201.0 g | |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 7.6-inch | 7.8-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | OLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) | Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/1TB |
12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.1) |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 4800 mAh | 4700 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 20.0W |
Wired: 20.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL GN3 Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
48 MP |
| Second camera | |
| 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 |
12 MP (Ultra-wide) |
| Front | |
| 10 MP (HDR) | 12 MP |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Apple iPhone Ultra specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
Image by PhoneArena
The foldable iPhone (aka iPhone Ultra) has the potential to reinvigorate the foldable market. We are already seeing Samsung enjoy the early success of the Fold 8 and that new wider form factor.
Related Content
Popular stories
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: