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At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked eventThe phone maker has announced three new foldable phones, including its first ultra-foldable phone. the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra He is the true heir to last year Fold 7While the Fold 8 introduces a completely new look Wide fold design.
The prices of these devices are still high enough to put them out of reach for many, but they contain subtle design improvements that could have a significant impact on everyday life. I like the new anti-reflective coating, the easy-to-open design, and the battery upgrades, but the Galaxy Z Fold 7 remains a solid, capable device — especially if you can get it for cheap. Rare discount.
The two book-style foldable devices differ mainly in beta upgrades rather than spec bumps. It can be difficult to get an idea of what’s brand new. That’s why I put them side by side during the hands-on training to find out.
Design and presentation
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is roughly the same size as the already thin and light Fold 7. It weighs the same but is one millimeter slimmer when opened. Both phones are comfortable to hold, but the new model is easier to open.
Samsung has made the sides of the Ultra a little slimmer so that its edges don’t reach the corners. This gives you a slight gap between the sides to make it easier to open. In comparison, the Fold 7 has flat sides with no gap when the phone is folded and closed, making it more difficult to open.
Both phones have a 6.5-inch AMOLED cover display and an 8-inch foldable AMOLED display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s internal display is brighter at 3,000 nits (versus 2,600 nits on the Fold 7). It also has a matte finish, as well Long awaited feature:Anti-reflective coating for improved readability in harsh lighting conditions and outdoors.
I held both phones indoors under direct light, and the difference was noticeable. My Fold 7 was more prone to glare and harder to see under direct light compared to the new model.
Samsung has also improved the crease condition. It is small in size and cannot be seen unless you are specifically looking for it. The phone maker has added a new display structure that combines a layer of titanium alloy with a display Improved titanium plate To strengthen the screen and balance “hinge mechanics, screen tension and magnetic force to make the screen folding process smoother, lighter and more natural,” says Samsung.
Both foldable devices are IP48 rated for dust and water resistance. So, it’s not really as dust-resistant as Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Honor Magic V6But they can survive when immersed in water for at least 30 minutes (“8” at IP48). But it will not protect against dust particles smaller than 1 mm (number “4” in this rating).
Performance and battery
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 5th generation for the Galaxy chip, compared to the Fold 7’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. Both phones come in three storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with the top model getting 16GB of RAM (the 256GB and 512GB models are again paired with 12GB of RAM).
Samsung says it created more space in the internals to improve heat dissipation, so you can theoretically expect better thermal management.
As for the battery, this is the first time Samsung has used this device Silicon-carbon anode technology. It has allowed the phone maker to upgrade the cell capacity from 4,400 mAh to 5,000 mAh in the new model. The Ultra also supports faster 45W wired charging (the Fold 7 offers 25W).
On paper, it still lags behind its Chinese competitors OPPO and honorwhich includes more than 6,000 mAh in its foldable phones, but I hope these specs will help me get through a full day with ease.
Both phones have Qi wireless charging, but no built-in magnets. You will have to purchase a separate magnetic case to add compatibility with it Qi2 wireless chargers And other magnetic accessories.
Camera, software and artificial intelligence
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s camera lineup is mostly unchanged from last year’s model, with one exception: the ultra-wide sensor. You get a 200MP main camera and a 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom on both phones. However, the 12MP ultra-wide camera has been upgraded to a 50MP sensor. You can expect higher quality images, but I’ll wait for CNET’s tests to determine the real differences.
Both foldables shoot 8K video at 30fps, but the foldable may appeal to more creators. The new model adds support for the APV codec and adds Cine LUT to give cinematic color and tone control right from your phone. This adds greater flexibility to the editing and production workflow of professional creatives.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 was launched with the Android 16 operating system last year, and the Fold 8 Ultra comes with it Android 17 (With One UI 9 on top). You’ll get a similar software experience on both phones, and the Z Fold 7 will get the update to Android 17 with One UI 9.
Both devices support Samsung’s full suite of Galaxy AI features along with access to Gemini. There’s AI Select to support on-screen searching, an object eraser tool in the Gallery app and contextual AI features like Now Nudge for first-party apps. The latter displays contextual actions based on on-screen information. For example, if you’re having a conversation in the Messages app, and they send you an invitation with the date, time, and address, Samsung’s Now Nudge feature will display a pop-up to add it to your calendar.
The phone maker also showed off a new AI feature in my demo, which wasn’t very impressive. Ideally, Gemini’s new feature would help book a hotel just by looking at an image of the Eiffel Tower on the screen, but in its current state, it was unreliable. But since the Z Fold 8 Ultra is getting seven years of software updates and the Z Fold 7 has another six years to go, there’s plenty of time for both phones to continue improving these features.
To see more differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 7, check out the specs chart below.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Z Fold 7: Specs and prices
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 | |
| Covering screen size, technology, resolution and refresh rate | 6.5 inch AMOLED; 2,520 x 1,080 pixels; Variable refresh rate up to 120Hz | 4.1 inch AMOLED; 1,048 x 948 pixels; 120 Hz refresh rate |
| Internal display size, technology, resolution, refresh rate | 8.0 inch AMOLED; 2,256 x 2,504 pixels; Variable refresh rate up to 120Hz | 6.9 inch AMOLED; 2,520 x 1,080 pixels; Refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz |
| Pixel density | Cover: 422 dpi; Internal: 422 dpi | Cover: 342ppi; Internal: 397 dpi |
| Dimensions (inches) | Open: 6.23 x 5.6 x 0.16 inches; Closed: 6.23 x 2.87 x 0.35 inches | Open: 2.96 x 6.56 x 0.26 inches; Closed: 2.96 x 3.37 x 0.52 inches |
| Dimensions(mm) | Open: 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 mm; Closed: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm | Open: 75.2 x 166.7 x 6.5 mm; Closed: 75.2 x 85.5 x 13.7 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 215 grams (7.58 ounces) | 188 grams (6.63 ounces) |
| Mobile software | Android 17 with One UI 9 interface | Android 16 |
| Cameras | 200 MP (Wide), 50 MP (Ultra Wide), 10 MP (Telephoto), 10 MP (Cover Screen Portrait) | 50 MP (wide), 12 MP (ultra-wide) |
| Indoor screen camera | 10 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
| Capture video | 8K at 30 fps | 4K |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 5th Gen processor for Galaxy phone | Samsung Exynos 2500 |
| RAM/Storage | 12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 16 GB + 1 TB | 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB |
| Expandable storage | no one | no one |
| battery | 5000 mAh | 4,300 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | side | Yes |
| conductor | USB C | USB C |
| Headphone jack | no one | no one |
| Special features | IP48 rating, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 (cover display), Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (rear), advanced armor aluminum, 5G (sub6, mmW), Wi-Fi 7, 3000 nits peak brightness, anti-reflective display, 45W wired charging, 20W wireless charging | One UI 8, IP48 water resistance, 25W wired charging, Qi wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Galaxy AI |
| US price starts from | $2,100 (256GB); $2,300 (512GB); $2,700 (1 TB) | $1,100 (256GB) |
| UK price starts from | £1,899 (256GB); £2,069 (512GB); £2,409 (1TB) | £1,049 |
| Australia price starts from | AU$2,999 (256GB); AU$3,299 (512GB); AU$3,899 (1TB) | AU$1,799 |
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