Samsung has decided that the Fold lineup needed shaking up, and the Korean tech giant has certainly done that this year. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 “Ultra” and Z Fold 8 are two takes on the genre, but which is better for most people? We’re going to work it out together.
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Wide or wider still
Let’s start with obvious things first, the Z Fold 8 Ultra sticks to the tried and true candybar phone at the front, square inner screen we’ve seen for a good number of years now. Samsung is positioning it as the “productivity” folding phone this time. Whereas the Z Fold 8 is the “entertainment” folding phone.
The passport size at the front takes a little getting used to if you have a big phone already. I liked how refreshing it is to have something you can use one-handed or at least one that isn’t concerned with having such a tall frame.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra feels no different from last year’s Fold 7. I figured it wouldn’t, because that is a great device that needed a redesign. Without the existence of the Z Fold 8, it wouldn’t feel as businesslike or corporate. I know those are strong statements, but the color options likely lean into that aesthetic more than any other release to date.
The only change is the bigger camera bump, which I think hurts the design as it sticks out way more than it ought to. There is an improved 50-megapixel wide-angle, but that is the extent of the upgrades. The Z Fold 8 has a way less capable dual camera. I wouldn’t call either of these a flagship-level camera setup.
Passport is a great way to think of the Z Fold 8; it isn’t much smaller than an actual passport. It feels amazing, it’s super thin, not overly heavy like some of the previous attempts at the form factor by Oppo and Google. All that Samsung has learned making older models so good has been distilled down into this pint-sized package.
The diminished crease on the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra will be something long-time fans will love, and the completely flat screen is yet another great quality-of-life decision. Yes, it doesn’t curve marginally inward like the previous model.
More apps or better movies
Internals are practically identical on Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, latest Snapdragon chip, 12GB RAM as standard, 256GB base model.
The performance is indistinguishable. What is undeniable is how different each reacts due to the different screen sizes and ratios.
For instance, games are better optimized for the 4:3 screen real estate of the Z Fold 8’s inner panel. The Z Fold 8 Ultra still has issues with unoptimized UI layouts, black borders, areas underused and underutilized.
The Z Fold 8 does not have a “common” inner screen ratio, but apps can scale to something akin to a tablet screen size. You will get a heightened experience with lots of games.
For movies and TV shows or video streaming services, the answer is a little bit nuanced. Due to the 1.1:1 aspect ratio of most modern high-end foldables, you still get issues with black borders when watching 16:9, 21:9, or 2:1 content. There is no way to resolve this without cutting off a very large section of the video to fill the screen.
On the Z Fold 8, you still get black borders when watching content in full screen, and the actual video player size is directly comparable to the Z Fold 8 Ultra. However, owing to the wider shape, you don’t have such obvious black borders or unused screen real estate. Visually, it just computes better and means fewer distractions or things that feel like compromises.
Where it falters a little is in how apps work side-by-side. The Z Fold 8 Ultra is better for multitasking because you can run apps in their native size next to each other. The reduced scaling of the Z Fold 8 means apps can be wider, and some will look a little weirder than you’re used to. I do find that something like YouTube and another app at 60/30 splits looks better on the Fold 8 – you might disagree.
Even the way it handles websites by allowing you to turn and get a longer paper-esque layout is something that blows the experience with the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s square layout out of the water. Sites and pages scale correctly; it’s superb for reading books.
Objectively, Samsung has nailed the design again for both models. If the Z Fold 8 is preempting Apple, this is an incredible opening gambit. The colors, the size, the shape, it’s a masterstroke that I wonder why it took so long to even come to fruition.
What makes a foldable “Ultra”
The biggest argument one could make in favor of the Z Fold 8 Ultra over the Z Fold 8 is that it’s the “better” model on paper.
It makes sense. Samsung has kept a few things for this phone in particular. It has a telephoto camera lens, albeit not the best and certainly not worthy of the “Ultra” tag. It has an IP48 rating, faster wired charging, a marginally larger 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, an improved anti-reflective inner display coating, and the familiar form factor used for almost a decade in foldables.
For a lot of people, the familiar shape and size of the outer display is enough of a selling point. You won’t always use a foldable phone fully opened. So, having a standard outer display size and shape is very important, as it’s merely a modern phone with a bigger inner display with fewer compromises.
As mentioned, when using the inner screen, apps run side by side with zero scaling issues, and that is another key consideration for many people. Foldable phones have been popular for this form factor, despite how attractive a mini tablet shape has been.
Annoyingly, there is no S Pen support. This could have been an easy way to help separate these phones even further.
Unlike the Galaxy S lineup, the Ultra model retains lots of powerful functions, but it’s less pronounced on the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Which is the better buy?
I am really surprised that anyone would be looking to spend over $1,000 on any piece of tech right now, mostly due to the fact that you’re arguably getting less for every dollar you spend due to RAM and storage costs.
However, the Z Fold 8 is such a breath of fresh air despite the fact that it is absurdly priced. It’s fun, hand-friendly, and doesn’t feel like something designed for the “modern businessman.”
There’s a strong appeal for just using this as a device that demands you find entertainment rather than yet more ways to be “productive.” It’s one that I think people will resonate with more than the Z Fold 8 Ultra.
We’ll delve into the key strengths and weaknesses of each device in dedicated reviews coming soon, so stay tuned.
Pre-orders are open for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra right now, with discounts and offers available at Samsung.com and Amazon. Amazon is offering a free $350 gift card with purchase, while Samsung has boosted trade-in deals for a limited time.
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