Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Is it worth to upgrade?
Major improvements might be coming to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra!
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Samsung's foldables are getting better and better. | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung has just announced the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, a device that will serve as the crown jewel in the company's foldable arsenal against the anticipated foldable iPhone in the autumn. Surely, Samsung added the "Ultra" suffix to the phone, but aside from it, i'ts essentially a follow-up to the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
This one's an absolutely crucial device launch for Samsung, which has to get everything just right to even the playing field against its potential big-name rival.
How does it compare against the Galaxy Z Fold 7?
To be fair, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was a massive step forward. It finally scored an updated super-thin design language, and its inner screen scored a minimal display crease. This mostly brought the Galaxy Z Fold 8 up to par with most other high-end foldables out there hailing from China, like the Oppo Find N5, Honor Magic V5, and Huawei's Mate X6.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold 7 differences:
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
|---|---|
| Even flatter crease on the inner display | Inner display with a minimal crease |
| 3,000 nits of peak brightness | 2,600 nits of brightness |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) |
| 5,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery | Featured a 4,400 mAh battery |
| 45 W wired, 20 W wireless charging | 25 W wired, 15 W wireless charging |
| A new 50 MP ultrawide camera | 200 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP cameras in the rear |
| One UI 9, Proactive Galaxy AI features | Standard Galaxy AI features, One UI 9 to arrive later |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Key improvements
Image by PhoneArena
While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra keeps the same general design aesthetic and build materials as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it scores some key changes. The phone scores an improved, TriFold-inspired hinge that now features magnets that aid the closing and opening of the inner screen.
Additionally, 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.
That's building upon the Galaxy Z Fold 7's already nearly flat crease, which was a long-time coming amid increased competition from China's finest foldables.
Both devices are Armor Aluminum/Gorilla Glass Victus 2 sandwiches with mostly flat design language and very thin frame, making them exceptionally modern and contemporary as far as foldables go.
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 mm | 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm (~8.6 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 215.0 g | 215.0 g |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
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In terms of colors, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will be available in Violet Shadow, Cream, Graphite, and Violet Green (exclusively online). The Galaxy Z Fold 7 was launched in Jetblack, Silver Shadow, Blue Shadow, and Mint colors.
Display Differences
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 share the same screen measurements. Both phones have 8-inch inner and 6.5-inch outer OLED screens with up to 120 Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra inner screen maxes out at 3,000 nits of brightness, an upgrade over the 2,600 nits of the Z Fold 7.
One major improvement to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the new Flex Titanium technology inside, which pairs an extremely thin titanium alloy film inside the display and a new titanium plate immediately beneath the display. This is made to further improve the shallowness of the display crease, which is now even flatter than the already pretty much perfect one on the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Additionally, the phone also scores an anti-reflective coating as well as Vision Booster. No software Privacy Screen here, though.
Additionally, the phone also scores an anti-reflective coating as well as Vision Booster. No software Privacy Screen here, though.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 8.0-inch | 8.0-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
In terms of biometrics, we get the same side-positioned capacitive fingerprint scanner. No issue with that, but it's worth mentioning that competing foldables (Vivo's and Oppo's latest ones) have featured in-display fingerprint scanners, which is definitely a more intriguing proposition.
Performance and Software
The regular upgrades
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra arrives with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, the fastest one around right now. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, on the other hand, is equipped with the older but still flagship-grade Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for Galaxy.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SM8750-AB (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/1TB |
12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB |
| OS | |
| Android (17), up to 7 OS updates | Android (16) |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
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The Galaxy Z Fold 7 arrived with 12 GB of RAM and three storage options: 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB. The same is true of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as well, though it adds 4 extra GB of RAM in the top-tier 1 TB version.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra users will enjoy seven years of software support, similarly to the Z Fold 7. The newer phone comes with One UI 9 based on Android 17, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will have to wait a little before Samsung brings that software update to their devices.
Among the new Galaxy AI software features that Samsung will bring to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are a more proactive Now Nudge feature, which will now intelligently suggest maps, calendar invites, and auto-split your current apps when relevant. Android 17 also brings a new feature called App Bubbles that lets you run any app in a bubble, which aids the overall multi-tasking capabilities by a lot.
Camera
Major improvements
Image by PhoneArena
Samsung has brought a new 50 MP ultrawide to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, up from 12 MP, while the other two cameras remain 200 MP and 10 MP, respectively, just like on the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Samsung is bringing a host of mostly software improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, like an enhanced ProVisual engine that delivers a more advanced low-light video processing. There's also more flexible 8K video recording and editing, support for Samsung's efficient APV codec, as well as four new cinematic LUTs for on-device color grading of your log video.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm | 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 50 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Samsung JN3 Aperture size: F1.9 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.5" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
12 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Sony IMX564 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung S5K3K1 Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Sensor size: 1/3.94" Pixel size: 1.0 μm | 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung S5K3K1 Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Sensor size: 1/3.94" 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 7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Battery Life and Charging
Notable upgrades
Image by PhoneArena
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes along with a large 5,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery. This is a major change of pace for Samsung, which has historically stayed loyal to lithium-ion batteries. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 had a 4,400 mAh battery, for the record.
With the faster and more efficient chipset and the larger battery, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra should give us even better battery life than its predecessor.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5000 mAh | 4400 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 20.0W |
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Specs Comparison
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 mm | 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm (~8.6 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 215.0 g | 215.0 g |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 8.0-inch | 8.0-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 for Galaxy SM8850-1-AD (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SM8750-AB (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/1TB |
12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5000 mAh | 4400 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 20.0W |
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm | 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 50 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Samsung JN3 Aperture size: F1.9 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.5" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
12 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Sony IMX564 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung S5K3K1 Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Sensor size: 1/3.94" Pixel size: 1.0 μm | 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung S5K3K1 Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Sensor size: 1/3.94" 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 7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will have the arduous task of being the most high-profile rival to the foldable iPhone.
We have been treated to major improvements in important key areas like camera, display, performance, and battery, the holy quadfecta of upgrades that could make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 the best Samsung foldable so far.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is still one of the more competent foldables you can buy in the US, with the best software and hardware around. It's likely 95% similar, with just a few missing features here and there.
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