I used the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and it does just enough to be called an upgrade

I knew Samsung hadn't changed the design with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but it was still surprising to see just how similar it is to last year's model — I had to double-check the box to confirm I wasn't sent the Z Fold 7 again.

That sums up the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in a nutshell; at the surface-level, it is indistinguishable from the Z Fold 7. It is just as thin and light, weighs the same, and has the same in-hand feel. I was holding out on Samsung moving to a design with rounded edges — similar to what Google does with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold — but that isn't the case.

Thankfully, there are a few upgrades. Samsung finally moved to silicon-carbon battery tech, and was able to slot in a bigger 5,000mAh battery in a chassis that's the same size as last year. There's also 45W charging, a crease that isn't quite as noticeable as last year, a new rear camera, and Android 17 with One UI 9 out of the box. But is that enough to warrant a price hike to an eye-watering $2,099? Let's take a look.

It's the little things that matter

Samsung didn't make any outward changes to the design, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a new hinge that feels better to use, and it allows the foldable to be fully flat. It's another thing that it took Samsung eight years to get to this point while Chinese brands have managed it in less than half that time, but at least there's some progress in this area.

The other side effect of the new hinge is the crease, which is barely noticeable now. It's still evident in daily use, and it isn't quite as creaseless as the Find N6, but there is a difference from the Z Fold 7. Samsung didn't change the panel sizes this year, so you get a 6.5-inch outer and 8.0-inch inner screen, and they're a little brighter this year.

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What I like is that the inner panel has an anti-reflective coating, and it makes a difference when using it outdoors. It also gets a higher resolution (2504 x 2256), and as I prefer reading to watching media on my phone, I like these changes — that's one of the reasons I'm using the Z Fold 8 Ultra instead of the Z Fold 8.

There isn't anything missing when it comes to the internals as well. You get the latest Qualcomm silicon, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. I think a foldable that costs over $2,000 needs to have at least 512GB of storage, but with the RAM shortages, I'm glad Samsung didn't move the base model to 128GB and call the 256GB edition an upgrade.

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While it has the same silicon as the S26 Ultra, the inherent foldable nature means the Z Fold 8 Ultra is thermally constrained, so it throttles sooner, and tends to get hot in extended gaming sessions. This is the case with all foldables and isn't something unique to Samsung. I didn't see any issues with connectivity (thankfully), but the only change in this area is that the foldable has a single SIM slot, with the secondary slot requiring an eSIM.

We need to talk about the wobble

The one thing Samsung should have changed with the design is the placement of the rear camera module. The Z Fold 8 Ultra has an oblong camera housing that sits to the left, and because the modules protrude quite a bit from the body, you get a constant wobble when using the foldable on a table.

It doesn't matter if you're using the phone folded or unfolded, the wobble is ever-present and a routine source of frustration. This is why all other brands have switched to center-mounted cameras; I didn't see this problem with my Find N6, Vivo X Fold 5, Moto Razr Fold, or the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

I just don't understand why Samsung continues to be obstinate about this; clearly, this is a major design flaw, yet the brand chooses to ignore it. On that note, the foldable once again misses out on IP68 dust and water resistance. You get IP48 instead, and while it's decent, it doesn't prevent dust ingress.

Samsung upgraded the wrong camera

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra uses the same 200MP main camera as last year, and it has a 10MP telephoto and a new 50MP wide-angle lens. Okay, great, but just one question: who uses the wide-angle camera? I take plenty of photos, and I predominantly use the 2x or 3x lenses while framing, and I think Samsung should've upgraded the ageing 10MP lens instead — this is the same module that's being used from the Galaxy S21 days.

Also, the tele lens is particularly useful as a portrait shooter, and I use it all the time because of this. To have a distinctly average tele lens on a foldable dubbed an Ultra is egregious to say the least, and the Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't measure up to the Find N6 or the Vivo X Fold 5 in this regard. Shots at 3x don't have much in the way of definition, and anything shot at 10x and beyond is just a blotchy mess without any detail.

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Thankfully, the other cameras are quite good, and you get decent shots with Samsung's traditional oversaturated look. It does a good enough job in low-light situations as well, and while the cameras aren't on the same level as regular phones — or current-gen Chinese foldables — they are pretty good for the most part.

The battery is better

Samsung finally started using silicon-carbon batteries, and the Z Fold 8 Ultra gets a 5,000mAh unit. The foldable manages to last a day as a result, and while I still had to plug in before the end of the day at times, it wasn't anywhere as frequently as previous years.

What I like even more is the 45W charging. It may not seem like a big deal, but the move means the battery gets to a full charge in just an hour, which is 30 minutes less than its predecessor. A 30-minute charge gives you a 40% charge, and it's just refreshing to be able to get decent charging speeds on a Samsung foldable. However, Samsung once again missed out on adding Qi 2 magnets, so if you want to use a Qi 2 or Qi 2.2 power bank or charger, you'll need to buy a case.

Double dose of AI

Just like the physical design, Samsung isn't changing things too much with One UI 9, its Android 17-based interface. The UI should be immediately familiar if you've used a Samsung phone, and while there are a few tweaks, the design as a whole is unchanged.

Galaxy AI (once again) is the key focus, with Samsung shoehorning on-device AI into just about every corner — and there's Gemini Intelligence as well if you wanted even more AI. The agentic model is designed to take actions on your behalf, but it isn't quite useful just yet.

You get good fluidity and an exhaustive feature-set, including intuitive multi-tasking modes to maximize the real estate. Just like previous years, the foldable will get seven years of software updates, similar to what Google offers on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

Should you buy it?

It irks me that Samsung calls this foldable an Ultra — the only thing fitting of that moniker on the Z Fold 8 Ultra is the pricing. At $2,099, this is the costliest phone around (at least until the iPhone Fold shows up), and I'm not sure you're getting anywhere close to a good value.

Of course, this is a moot point in the U.S.; generous trade-in deals and carrier subsidies make getting the foldable a lot easier. That isn't the case in other regions, and I think the Find N6, X Fold 5, and the Moto Razr Fold are a better all-round deal if you're ready to move to a foldable. There's no denying that Samsung has a strong foldable in the Z Fold 8 Ultra, but the pricing makes it hard to recommend, and I'd suggest looking at other choices before making a decision — you'll be surprised to see just how good the competition is these days.