With the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung delivered an impressively thinner, lighter design than its predecessor, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series builds upon that design with plenty of important new upgrades.
This year, Samsung introduced a brand new type of folding glass that's thinner and reinforced with titanium instead of plastic, finally upgraded the battery with silicon-carbon material, added a ton of fantastic new AI features, and even debuted a new shorter, wider shape to choose from.
Which one is right for you? Here's everything you need to know to make the right decision.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Price, availability, and specs
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the direct successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with the same thin-and-tall design and elevated specs. The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099 and ships on August 7. The new shorter, wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 drops the price to $1,899 and will be available on the same day.
Looking to preorder? You can find all the best Galaxy Z Fold 8 deals here, including tons of freebies and great discounts ahead of the launch.
Category |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
Operating System |
One UI 9 (Android 17), seven years of OS upgrades |
One UI 9 (Android 17), seven years of OS upgrades |
Display |
Inner: 7.6-inch LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz, crease-less, 1,848x2448 pixels Outer: 5.5-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, 1248x1972 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 |
Inner: 8-inch LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz, crease-less, 2,504x2,256 pixels Outer: 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, 1080x2520 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 |
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
RAM |
12GB/16GB |
12GB/16GB |
Storage |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Rear Cameras |
50MP main; 50MP ultra-wide |
200MP wide; |
Front Camera |
10MP (internal), 10MP (external) |
10MP (internal), 10MP (external) |
Battery |
4,800mAh (dual 2,400mAh cells) |
5,000mAh (dual 2,500mAh cells) |
Charging |
45W wired, 20W wireless |
45W wired, 20W wireless |
IP Rating |
IP48 |
IP48 |
Weight |
201g |
215g |
Dimensions |
(Unfolded) 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 mm ; (Folded) 123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7 mm |
(Unfolded) 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 mm ; (Folded) 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm |
Colors |
Lavender, Graphite, Cream, Pistachio |
Violet Shadow, Graphite, Cream |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design and battery
This year, Samsung debuted three different foldable shapes: the vertically-folding Z Flip 8, the horizontally-folding Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the new shorter, wider horizontally-folding Z Fold 8.
Both Z Fold 8 models ship with denser batteries featuring 5% silicon-carbon content. Silicon-carbon not only lets the batteries hold more juice, but it also makes them thinner and lighter. Because of it, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the thinnest foldable on the market (at just 4.1mm thin), and the Z Fold 8 is the lightest on the market (201g).
Samsung also improved the charging rate of these phones, packing in a dual battery structure similar to OnePlus phones. This allows the phone to charge both batteries simultaneously, significantly improving charging speed. Plus, the Z Fold 8's new shorter, wider aspect ratio is a huge boon for video fans, as you can see in the images below:
The downside here is that there's less room for cameras and battery, so the Z Fold 8 lacks a telephoto camera on the back and settles with a 200mAh smaller battery compared to the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Neither model improves the IP48 water and dust protection rating of its predecessor.
Both models feature the new Flex Titanium inner display, which brings thinner, lighter, and stronger foldable glass. Not only that, but it virtually erases the crease, and while these aren't truly "crease-free," it's the closest we've seen to that description from Samsung.
Neither model improves Samsung's lower-end PWM dimming rate, but the Z Fold 8 Ultra at least sports the highest-resolution screen ever on a Z Fold series phone. Both models also feature a low-reflectivity layer on the displays, matching the Honor Magic V6 and Galaxy S Ultra series.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Software and performance
Both models sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, the same one you'll find in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This brings the usual 20-30% annual performance improvements over the Z Fold 7's processor, and Samsung says its AI-powered software ensures you'll get better sustained performance than ever out of this configuration.
Samsung is debuting One UI 9 alongside the Z Flip 8 and Fold 8 series, delivering several new great features. Alongside app optimizations for the new Z Fold 8's aspect ratio (like the Instagram screenshot below), Fold 8 and 8 Ultra users will love the new Now Nudge feature, which proactively surfaces information and actions so you don't have to switch between apps as often.
One of our favorite Motorola Razr Fold features, 2-and-3-app multitasking, is now in Samsung's One UI 9, and subtle UI changes make performing these actions simpler than ever.
Samsung also upgraded these phones' privacy with new privacy alerts, malicious website protection, and more.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Cameras
If you're looking for the best cameras between these two models, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a no-brainer choice. Both models feature the same upgraded 50MP ultra-wide camera and 10MP selfie cameras, but the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a 200MP main camera and an additional 10MP 3x zoom telephoto camera on the back.
The Z Fold 8's main camera is just 50MP. The ultrawide sensor on the Z Fold 7 was pretty bad, so it's great to see an upgrade there for both models.
The coolest new camera feature is My FanCam, which automatically generates vertical video content from landscape videos by using autotracking to frame it. Just open My FanCam and tap the subject you want to track, and you'll get a wider video recording with the entire scene plus one vertical video focused on your subject.
Photo Assist has also been upgraded, with new AI editing tools and voice commands that make editing as easy as asking Galaxy AI to do it for you. This is similar to what Google already employs in Google Photos AI tools.
No matter which Z Fold 8 model you choose, there's tons of exciting new features and specs that'll make your day and make this one of the best Z Fold upgrades in recent memory.
