Samsung has expanded its foldable lineup this year with the introduction of two book-style foldables instead of one. Joining the new flagship Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the more affordable Galaxy Z Fold8, giving buyers the choice between a premium productivity-focused model and a lighter, more accessible foldable. Both models succeed from last year’s Galaxy Z Fold7.
While both phones share Samsung’s latest foldable technology, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, Galaxy AI features, and Android 17 with One UI 9, there are notable differences in their displays, cameras, batteries, and pricing.
Slimmer Design With New Materials
Samsung continues to refine its foldable hardware with its slimmest designs yet. The Galaxy Z Fold8 weighs just 201g, making it Samsung’s lightest book-style foldable to date, while the larger Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra weighs 215g. The Fold8 measures 4.5mm thick when unfolded compared to 4.1mm for the Ultra.
Both models introduce Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display structure, combining a titanium alloy film with an enhanced titanium plate to improve rigidity while reducing thickness. Samsung says the new construction also helps reduce crease visibility and makes opening and closing the device feel smoother. Protection is provided by Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the cover display, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the rear panel, and an Advanced Armor Aluminum frame. Both devices carry an IP48 water-resistance rating.
Displays Optimized for Productivity and Entertainment
The Galaxy Z Fold8 features a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display paired with a 5.5-inch cover display. Samsung says the redesigned aspect ratios provide a more natural experience whether reading articles, watching videos or gaming. The larger inner display adopts a 4:3 layout designed to better accommodate long-form content.
The Fold8 Ultra increases the main display to 8.0 inches while retaining a 6.5-inch cover display. Both devices support adaptive 120Hz refresh rates, Vision Booster, low-reflection coatings, and brightness reaching up to 3,000 nits for improved outdoor visibility.
Cameras
The standard Galaxy Z Fold8 adopts a dual-camera rear system consisting of a 50MP wide camera and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. Compared to the Ultra model, it lacks the dedicated telephoto lens, allowing Samsung to offer the Fold8 below the $2000 price tag.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra retains Samsung’s flagship triple-camera configuration while introducing several upgrades over last year’s Galaxy Z Fold7. The 200MP primary camera returns, now supporting HDR capture in full 200MP mode, while the 12MP ultra-wide camera found on the Fold7 has been upgraded to a new 50MP sensor for higher-resolution landscape and macro photography. The 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom remains unchanged. Samsung has also improved Nightography performance and added support for 8K video recording using the new APV codec, along with Cine LUT controls for creators who want greater flexibility during color grading.
Both Fold8 models feature 10MP cover cameras and 10MP inner cameras for selfies and video calls. Samsung also includes Dual Recording, allowing users to record both the subject and themselves simultaneously, while the new My FanCam feature automatically tracks a selected subject and reframes footage into different aspect ratios for social media.
Creative Tools and AI
Samsung continues expanding Galaxy AI across the Fold lineup with features designed to take advantage of the large foldable displays. New additions include Now Brief, Now Nudge, deeper Gemini Intelligence integration, and Gemini Notebook, which can organize notes, recordings, documents and images into a single workspace. Users can also drag and drop content in Split View to generate summaries, reports, infographics or audio overviews.
One UI 9 introduces an AI Assistant Activity dashboard, providing a centralized view of AI-generated actions, along with enhanced privacy controls and Samsung Knox security features.
Hardware and Battery
Powering both foldables is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 includes a 4,800mAh battery with 45W wired charging, 20W wireless charging, and Wireless PowerShare.
The Fold8 Ultra increases battery capacity to 5,000mAh and introduces a new dual-path charging architecture alongside an expanded graphite cooling system designed to improve thermal performance during intensive multitasking and AI workloads. It also supports 45W wired charging, 20W wireless charging, and Wireless PowerShare.
Pricing and Availability
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra starts at $2,099.99, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at $1,899.99. Both models are available with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage.
Pre-orders open today, with general availability beginning August 7, 2026. Samsung is offering up to $1,200 in eligible trade-in credits, or up to $200 in Samsung Credit without a trade-in during the pre-order period.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is offered in Graphite, Cream and Lavender, with Pistachio available exclusively through Samsung.com. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra comes in Graphite, Cream and Violet Shadow, with Green Shadow as an online exclusive.
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