For the first time in its Z Fold history, Samsung has unveiled a foldable Ultra handset, but what does that really mean?
Is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra a needed upgrade over last year’s Z Fold 7? Or does the Z Fold 7 remain a solid foldable?
Ahead of our Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review, we’ve compared its specs to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 below. Read on to see what’s new with the Ultra and how it separates itself from the Z Fold 7.
We’ve also compared the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to the Z Fold 8 Ultra, so you can see the differences between the two new foldables. Otherwise, visit our best foldable phone and best smartphone line-up to find your next purchase.
Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is available in choice between two colours (Violet Shadow and Violet Green) and has a starting price of £1849.
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Although the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has an official starting price of £1799, it has been possible to find a deal for the foldable – especially as it’s nearly a year old. Not only that, but as it’s now been succeeded by the Z Fold 8 series, we expect the Z Fold 7 to drop in price within the next few weeks.
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Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy vs Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
You’ll find one of the biggest differences between the Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 7 under their respective hoods. Although both are powered by custom “for Galaxy” Qualcomm chips, they differ with their exact offerings.
Unsurprisingly, the newer Z Fold 8 Ultra runs on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which is the custom version of Qualcomm’s current flagship processor, whereas the Z Fold 7 runs on last year’s flagship, Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.
As we’re yet to review the Z Fold 8 Ultra, we can’t confirm how well it actually performs. However, we have reviewed the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which houses the same chip, and found the handset was able to do everything from scrolling and streaming to gaming without any lag. In terms of numbers, the handset achieved impressive multi-core scores of 10713 in the Geekbench 6 CPU test and 24611 for GPU too. With that in mind, we can reasonably expect the Z Fold 8 Ultra to achieve similar results.
That’s not to say the Z Fold 7 is a slouch. During our time with the foldable, we never experienced any kind of lag – even when high-end gaming on the large internal display. It may not see quite as high scores as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, but it undoubtedly performs well enough that most users won’t even notice.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a 50MP ultrawide camera
While it retains the same 200MP main and 10MP 3x zoom lenses as the Z Fold 7, the Z Fold 8 Ultra benefits from a few upgrades over its predecessor. Not only does its ultrawide lens now sport a 50MP resolution, up from 12MP, but it and the main camera support 8K video too.
In addition, the cameras offer Cinematic LUT APV codec support which retains image quality in post-production editing. That could make the Ultra a more tempting choice for content creators.
Overall, we found the Z Fold 7’s camera to be solid and able to capture sharp, in-focus shots with plenty of detail – even in low-lighting conditions. While colours have a tendency to look over-saturated, and the zoom lens can struggle past the 10x mark, overall it’s a camera set-up that’ll likely please most.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a larger, silicon-carbon battery
We’ve learned not to expect mammoth batteries akin to the Honor Magic V6 or Oppo Find N6 within Samsung handsets. Instead, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is fitted with a silicon-carbon 5000mAh battery while the Z Fold 7’s is smaller at 4400mAh.
Despite the smaller capacity, we found the Z Fold 7 can just about offer an all-day battery life, although heavier users might struggle. However, Samsung promises that the Z Fold 8 Ultra should be able to provide up to a whopping 27 hours of use.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will introduce new Galaxy AI features
To be expected, the Z Fold 8 series will introduce new Galaxy AI features. Alongside Samsung’s photo editing tools, access to Gemini, Live Translation and others, the Z Fold 8 Ultra will introduce a handful of new AI-powered features.
Among these features is Now Nudge which automatically suggests side-by-side app layouts based on what you’re doing. For example, you can add a new calendar event based on a conversation in messages. There’s also Advanced Automation, although this isn’t a Samsung exclusive and will come to Pixels too, which enables Gemini to perform actions in apps based on what you’re doing.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the slimmest Fold ever
Although it has an eight-inch inner panel and a 6.5-inch cover screen, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is the slimmest Fold ever and measures just 4.1mm when unfolded. You might worry that this means the phone might feel flimsy or easy to break, but fortunately thanks to the easy-to-open hinge mechanism, the phone needs less pressure to open and is assisted by magnets too. This, according to Samsung, means the Z Fold 8 Ultra is easier to hold too.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
Galaxy Z Fold 7
In comparison, the Z Fold 7 measures in at a slightly thicker 4.2mm which still feels incredibly light in hand.
Early Verdict
With the latest Qualcomm chip under the hood, upgraded cameras and a new silicon-carbon battery, the Z Fold 8 Ultra promises to offer a decent upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Having said that, the Z Fold 7 is only a year old and it remains a brilliant choice for those who want a foldable but aren’t necessarily fussed about having the latest specs. In addition, as it’s been succeeded by the Z Fold 8 series, you’re now more likely than ever to nab the Z Fold 7 with a decent price drop too.
We’ll hold off from giving a conclusive verdict until we do review the Z Fold 8 Ultra. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Z Fold 7 remains a recommendable phone that will get a bit cheaper.
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