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Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra foldable smartphone, the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the new flagship of the company’s expanded foldable lineup. The model brings overall improvements over its predecessor, with a high-resolution screen, sharper ultra-wide camera, bigger battery and faster processor. It should not be confused with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a brand new (slightly cheaper) model with a smaller but much wider screen.
Before diving into the specs, it’s worth taking a look at the dimensions and screens of the two new Z Fold 8 phones to understand the difference. The new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has almost identical dimensions to the Z Fold 7 but is 0.1mm thinner at 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1mm unfolded. However, the Z Fold 8 is actually wider than the Z Fold 8 Ultra is tall, at 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5mm unfolded.
This is also reflected in the resolution of the unfolded screen: 2504 x 2256 for the Z Fold 8 Ultra and 1848 x 2448 for the Z Fold 8. The cover screens, meanwhile, are 1080 x 2520 for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and 1248 x 1972 for the Z Fold 8. All screens on both devices use the one from Samsung. AMOLED 2X technology with adaptive 120Hz refresh rates and Vision Booster.
Weight is always a concern with foldable phones, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is among the lightest on the market at 215 grams (7.58 oz), which is more than 40 grams lighter than the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the same as the Z Fold 7. Samsung hasn’t touted any major changes to the hinge design, which shouldn’t be a problem since the previous model “opens and closes like a dream,” we wrote in our review Woozad, while offering IP48 protection against dust and water resistance.
Although the design is largely unchanged, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra benefits from a number of technical improvements. The 200-megapixel main camera has the same resolution as before but has been enhanced with high dynamic range (HDR) for richer, brighter images. It now offers a new 50 MP ultra-wide camera, instead of 12 MP, offering more detail in wide and close-up shots, although the 10 MP telephoto lens remains unchanged. Another key update is the addition of an APV codec and Cine LUT which enable higher quality and more flexible 8K video.
Naturally, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features the latest (but now slightly old) Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip for Galaxy, promising smoother app switching and better big screen support. It also comes with a larger 5,000 mAh battery, up from 4,400 mAh. Samsung also introduced a new dual-lane charging architecture with 45-watt fast charging, which it says helps distribute power more efficiently across the battery system for more stable and reliable charging.
Other key specifications are unchanged, and as mentioned, the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is largely unchanged from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with the same dimensions and weight. It is now up for pre-order from major carriers and retailers, including Amazon, AT&T, and Best Buy. Pricing starts at $2,100, which is $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with shipping scheduled for August 8. To learn more, check out our hands-on overview.
