I spent a week with Samsung’s $2,100 Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra to see if it’s worth it
Samsung’s newest phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, folds into a midsize tablet, making it easier for people to travel lighter. However, there was no prior Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra. Rather, this phone sits next to the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and replaces the similarly designed Galaxy Z Fold 7. If that’s unclear, don’t worry; I’ll explain everything.
Samsung most likely gave this Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra the “Ultra” moniker because, similar to the S26 Ultra, it features three cameras (the new Z Fold 8 only has two). Additionally, the Z Fold 8 Ultra offers a better array than the Z Fold 8, even if they are not exactly the same cameras as those on the S26 Ultra.
But does the Z Fold 8 Ultra feel better than the new Fold 8, and does it perform better and have a longer battery life than the competition? I spent a week folding and unfolding Samsung’s most expensive phone to see whether it is among the greatest smartphones and worth its $2,100 price because the company’s foldable series is more complicated than ever.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
Of all Samsung’s two-screen phones, the larger foldable offers the greatest camera array and the longest battery life.
What I liked about it
A less reflective interior display
I’ve been testing folding phones for years, and I’ve always been a little annoyed that a phone could cost this much and yet have the peculiarities of the Z Fold 7’s reflecting internal display. Thankfully, my first week with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra demonstrates that Samsung isn’t content with “good enough.” I’ve seen a decrease in the quantity of light that bounces off the interior screen throughout my usage, partly because of Samsung’s new Flex Titanium interior hardware changes that modified the materials for the inner portion of the phone.
This kind of advancement is exciting as the foldable phone continues to develop (more on that later). After eight years, folding phones need to catch up to their non-folding counterparts rather than merely being innovative. Therefore, if such a phone is released, I hope Samsung can figure out how to include the privacy screen technology found in the Galaxy S26 Ultra—one of my favorite new tech products this year—into the Z Fold 9 Ultra.
Additionally, I realized that this phone’s screens are really fantastic when I watched Tom Holland pout in the “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” teaser. When I wasn’t focusing on his acting skills from “The Odyssey,” I saw how his costume’s reds and blues matched the comics and the other movies in the series.
When it comes to entertainment, this small folding phone has more audio capabilities than you might anticipate. Similar to the Z Fold 7, the Z Fold 8 Ultra produced a startling amount of sound as I played anything from Charli XCX’s “SuperLove” to Nine Inch Nails’ prog rock classic “Closer.” The drums and synths hit appropriately, and the voices sounded clean. I didn’t anticipate a phone with such a subtle bass.
Epic battery life and great performance
If you plan to spend more than $2,000 on a phone, it must have all the other essential features. Fortunately, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra maintained its brightness for almost 23 hours when playing a looping 4K video during our battery life test, earning an outstanding score that was an hour and a half longer than the Z Fold 7’s. You can’t go wrong with battery life with anything in this generation, either, as this is only around an hour longer than the Z Fold 8’s score and less than an hour longer than the Z Flip 8’s time.
Nevertheless, on a single charge, the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra all lasted three to five hours longer. A good reminder that if you don’t require a folding phone, you may get more for less, much like with their cameras.
In a same vein, although the Z Fold 8’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip received good ratings, it isn’t breaking any records either. It received lower results than the S26 Ultra and the Z Fold 8, scoring 2,768 on the single-core test for low-impact app performance and 8,410 on the multicore test for demanding apps. It’s interesting to see that the Z Fold 7 performed somewhat worse on the single-core test and marginally better on the multicore test.
If the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra couldn’t manage the typical Android multitasking with ease, there would be cause for alarm. After finishing the flawless chopping and slashing in the action-adventure game “Genshin Impact,” I enjoyed a stutter-free split screen while browsing the movies they discussed in Letterboxd and watched an episode of The Ringer’s “The Big Picture” show on Netflix.
This camera array is great, but the S26 Ultra is still better
Despite having three cameras—a 200-megapixel primary, a 3x telephoto zoom, and an ultrawide camera—the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s name could lead one to believe that its camera configuration rivals that of the S26 Ultra. However, its images weren’t necessarily the best of the group I took.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra looked fantastic in a summer photo I took of the busy Union Square park in New York City. In the distance, I could see rich magenta blossoms and vibrant greens, the park’s residents appeared clear, and the blue skies in the horizon seemed appropriate. Nevertheless, I had comparable success with the Z Fold 8, Z Fold 7, and S26 Ultra when I took the identical picture. The only image of this similar scene that caught my attention was taken with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which made everything a little brighter. I enjoy the contrast I got with the Samsung phones, but some people might favor the auto-correction.
If you’re upgrading from the Z Fold 6 or before, you should consider the 200-megapixel photo option on the Z Fold 8 Ultra (and Z Fold 7) if you want to crop in for details after taking your wide-angle images. The wide-angle lens of the Fold 6 and Fold 8 has a maximum resolution of 50 megapixels. When I zoomed in on the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s snap, it was easier to see the aging of a green rusted copper roof in my area than the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 6 images.
Since this phone starts at $2,100, I also tested its 3x, 5x, and 10x zoom capabilities by concentrating on a park corner with a variety of greens. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold produced images with green tones in flowers and large fronds that appeared slightly more realistic, but both were equally prone to whiter areas that looked washed out. In contrast, I took brilliant, vibrant photos with the Z Fold 8. Due to its excellent spectrum of green tones, lack of overexposure, and increased detail in the 10x photo, the S26 Ultra was my pick in this situation. I wish the Z Fold 8 Ultra had the 5x optical zoom seen in the S26 Ultra.
Additionally, when I began cutting in on the pictures I took using 3x, 5x, and 10x zooms, the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s photographs appeared to be very equal to those of the Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 ultra. I was able to see a lot more of those leaves’ veins because the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, whereas the Z Fold 8 does not. Additionally, the smaller petals appeared clearer in the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s images than they did in the Z Fold 8’s. Therefore, this is the ideal phone for you if you require a folding phone and prefer to zoom in close and crop.
The macro images I took with the ultrawide cameras on these didn’t look significantly different, but the S26 Ultra’s did look more strikingly bold and clear, so those who shoot up close won’t need to be as choosy. Additionally, the non-foldables have a higher maximum zoom of up to 100x (albeit that takes a very steady hand or a mount to achieve results that don’t look like mush), while the Z Fold 8 Ultra gives up to 30x digital zoom.
Selfies and photographs taken outside The photos I took of myself and my coworker Mike Andronico with the Z Fold 8 Ultra were almost exactly the same as those taken with the Z Fold 8, Z Fold 7, Z Fold 6, and S26 Ultra. We give Samsung the accuracy advantage because both of our faces were somewhat pinker or redder in the selfies taken with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The Z Fold 8 Ultra, like the Z Fold 7, has a 10MP camera in its interior screen, which produces crisper photographs than the fuzzy selfies taken by the Z Fold 6’s 4MP interior camera. This is the bigger story concerning selfies if you’ve been holding off on upgrading from an older Z Fold phone.
During my testing, low-light photography proved to be effective, particularly when I was taking the time to record my table and countertop filled with books, periodicals, and memorabilia. For the first time in the whole gauntlet, the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s performance was on par with the field; the S26 Ultra’s photo didn’t appear to be significantly better.
Furthermore, anyone capturing pictures or videos with the opened Z Fold 8 Ultra should be aware that a tap of the Second Screen button in the camera app activates the front screen and displays what is visible, much like with the Galaxy Z Flip 8 I reviewed. This is helpful since it gives your person a clear picture of how they appear. The Z Fold 8 Ultra’s rear cameras allow you to take the best selfies by using the Second Screen button. Other foldables like the Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, Z Fold 7, and Z Fold 6 also have this feature.
Improved ergonomics solve one of the Fold 7’s biggest flaws
The Galaxy Z Fold 7’s slightly wider gap between its sides when closed is the best illustration of how “a little goes a long way.” I can feel it when I try to open both the Z Fold 7 and Z Fold 8 Ultra with one hand, even tho it’s nearly impossible to notice at first. I can now more easily peel the sides apart with a single finger thanks to this modification, which was more difficult on the Fold 7 and even more difficult on the Fold 8.
The aluminum frame of the Z Fold 8 comes in four colors: Cream (white), Graphite (black), and Violet Shadow (dark purple). Green Shadow is only offered by Samsung. Although all of the hues are wonderful, my favorite is the Violet Shadow that I tried.
What I didn’t like about it
This doesn’t look or feel like the right foldable anymore
It “would be easier to type on were it a bit wider when folded,” I noted in my review of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last year. When I tried to write portions of this review on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, I discovered that it had the same issue—a too-narrow cover screen that made the keyboard seem cramped.
Luckily, the Samsung team successfully implemented the precise modification I requested with the new Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s front screen is 3.2 inches wide (compared to the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s 2.8-inch wide screen), so sending an email on the folded device just doesn’t feel as pleasant as writing on any phone I genuinely love.
Additionally, I appreciate that the Z Fold 8 is shorter than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, which results in a 5.5-inch typing-friendly cover screen and a 7.6-inch interior screen that takes up less room when I’m watching content online thanks to letterboxing black bars. However, multitaskers who want a bigger screen for scrolling or documents will still favor the dimensions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
It’s $100 more than before
I wasn’t shocked to hear that Samsung increased the price of the Z Fold 7 by $100 because it’s 2026 and this is an extremely high-end phone. However, given that this price hike is linked to memory shortages caused by the AI business, which haven’t really given us anything I am eager to share with you, I am not happy about it.
Instead, I’ll point out that during my testing, the Now Nudge feature—which is meant to proactively help you throughout the day—didn’t function as it should have. Based on the information on your phone and in your accounts, it is meant to recommend texts for you to send throughout the day. Regretfully, no matter how my pals begged, Now Nudge was unable to let them know the time of our movie plans.
If you’re wondering what else AI might be able to do for you, check out my colleague Mike Andronico’s review of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to find out about MyFanCam, which tracked a moving subject while converting horizontal footage he had captured into vertical video that would be suitable for social media. Although it’s a clever party trick, I don’t think I’ll need it.
Bottom line
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is designed for people who value having a foldable phone over capturing quality pictures. With excellent battery life, strong performance, and a few other enhancements over the Z Fold 7, it’s a really darn fantastic phone. This is an excellent phone for anyone who is dedicated to the folding phone lifestyle and is willing to accept the compromises as compared to the standard Galaxy S26 Ultra.
I simply wouldn’t purchase it. I can’t deny how much more I believe in the new Z Fold 8 design as someone who writes for a living and messages frequently. It’s the superior phone for everything ergonomic, and I believe it is comparable to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in most aspects (except from camera zoom), therefore I would advise you to choose that more compact and reasonably priced phone over this one. With the Z Fold 9 Ultra, which would undoubtedly benefit from the 5x optical zoom, perhaps Samsung will manage to make things more agreeable.