After seven years and eight generations, the Galaxy Z Fold is all grown up.
What began as a clunky, heavily compromised device has gradually morphed into a sleek and highly accomplished 2-in-1.
The latest Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra feels like a crowning glory. The culmination of almost a decade of hard work. A device which has pretty much perfected the book-style foldable form factor and basically eliminated compromise.
But after spending almost a week with it, I can’t help feeling that Samsung had the wrong vision all along.
Simply stunning hardware
Let’s start with the good stuff. And believe me, there’s a lot of it!
Samsung has absolutely nailed the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s build quality. After using the Z Fold 7 for several weeks, I thought it couldn’t get much better. How wrong I was.
Luke Baker
By ditching the Z Fold 7’s aluminium hinge for titanium, the Ultra gains a feeling of robustness that I didn’t think possible for a foldable. I’ve deliberately not been careful with it over the last week, aiming to simulate much longer-term usage, yet it’s shown no sign of weakness whatsoever.
Combined with a new layout of magnets and sloped edges, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is far easier to open and close than its predecessor. It also folds completely flat, making the crease even less noticeable. It can also be adjusted to basically any angle (unlike the Z Fold 8) in FlexMode.
I continue to marvel at just how thin and light this thing is
It allows the gorgeous 8-inch internal panel to really shine. A resolution boost to 2256 x 2504 makes text, images and videos look even more crisp, while the 3000-nit peak brightness means it’s basically sun-proof in terms of visibility. Forget foldables – this is one of the highest-quality displays on any mobile device, period.
Luke Baker
Elsewhere, I continue to marvel at just how thin and light this thing is. This has barely changed compared to last year, but a 215g chassis is basically identical to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while its 8.9mm thickness when closed is only slightly chunkier than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. I still can’t quite work out how Samsung has managed to achieve this, but I’m certainly not complaining!
I also have to talk about that Violet Shadow colourway. I fell in love with it during a brief hands-on session, and believe me, the novelty definitely hasn’t worn off. I’d hate to cover it up with a case, and with the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s top-tier durability, I’m very happy to go case-free.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
One small blot is the continued IP48 rating, meaning it’s still not fully dust-proof. If that’s important to you, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (and likely upcoming 11 Pro Fold) are your only options right now.
The software is better than ever
The Z Fold 8 Ultra is among the first devices to ship running One UI 9, Samsung’s Android 17-based skin. There are no groundbreaking new foldable features here, but it’s still the best software I’ve ever used on a foldable.
The 8-inch internal screen is roughly equivalent to two 6.5-inch bar phones side by side, and it makes the 8 Ultra a stellar multitasking device. You can comfortably use three apps on the display at the same time, plus another in a pop-up.
Luke Baker
At the other end of the scale, more apps than ever are optimised to make full use of the larger display. Almost all stock Samsung and Google apps are included, but a growing number of third-party ones are much more enjoyable to use. Instagram, Todoist and Spotify are my personal highlights, but there are nice surprises all the time.
No-compromise cameras… finally!
Ever since foldables emerged, camera performance has always felt like an afterthought.
With the Z Fold 8 Ultra, Samsung is finally giving them the respect they deserve. While the 200Mp main lens is the same as last year’s Z Fold 7, the ultrawide has been bumped from 12Mp to 50Mp, making for a much more consistent experience across all lenses.
Luke Baker
Initial testing has been really encouraging, with excellent images in a variety of scenarios. It handles some tricky lighting conditions really well and continues to produce detailed shots in low-light environments.
While switching to the ultrawide does mean some small compromises, it’s now even closer to the main lens in terms of image quality.
Meanwhile, the 10Mp 3x telephoto lens makes zoom photos and professional-looking portraits a real joy. Taking a portrait selfie using it is a bit of a pain, but well worth it for the excellent results.
You do still miss out on the S26 Ultra’s dedicated 5x telephoto, but that only really becomes an issue when the subject is in the far distance, such as wildlife or an arena concert. In every other scenario, it matches one of the best camera phones in the world, which is impressive.
A flawed form factor
So far, so very good, then. But the Z Fold 8 Ultra has one fundamental flaw: its shape.
To achieve the bar phone-esque tall and narrow cover screen, Samsung has persisted with the near-square internal display.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
While that’s great for productivity, it falls well short for any kind of content consumption, including social media videos, YouTube and gaming. Simply put, most content is still designed for traditional 16:9 widescreens, meaning you’ll have to put up with big black bars above and below the content, or crop in and risk missing something crucial.
I’ve spent nearly two months trying to ignore it on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and now Z Fold 8 Ultra to no avail. By contrast, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a much more familiar 4 : 3 aspect ratio, making it feel like an iPad Mini. And it’s not exactly bad for getting work done, either.
there are some underrated upgrades on the Fold 8 Ultra, but nothing to justify this sort of expenditure
For all but the most dedicated mobile productivity enthusiasts, the Z Fold 8 offers a better all-round package. And that’s before we even get to the price…
Pricing makes it unattainable
If you thought the Z Fold 7’s price was an issue, the Fold 8 Ultra only makes things worse.
A starting price of £1,899/$2,099.99 is £100/$100 more expensive than its predecessor – almost certainly due to the ongoing global RAM shortage.
Sure, there are some underrated upgrades on the Fold 8 Ultra, but nothing to justify this sort of expenditure. Unless you can find a bargain contract deal, it’s simply not worth the outlay for the vast majority of people.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
The proposition is soured further by the Z Fold 8, which undercuts its sibling at £1,649/$1,899.99. Not cheap by any means, but a much more attractive proposition.
Ultimately, it looks like Samsung has spent years honing the book-style form factor, only for it to be cannibalised by a much superior form factor. As impressive as the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s hardware is, it’s looking almost impossible to recommend.
Of course, plenty could change between now and my full Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review. Look out for that soon.
from Tech Advisor
via Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra 1 week later: Samsung perfected the wrong foldable