This summer will see the eighth generation of Samsung’s foldables. But this time around, the Korean giant will be shaking things up with a new ‘Ultra’ variant of its flagship foldable Galaxy Z Fold 8.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra follows in the footsteps of the company’s Galaxy S Ultra line, offering improved specs for those willing to pay top dollar. Based on the rumors, we expect a brighter display with a dramatically reduced crease, an upgraded ultra-wide camera, bigger battery and more. But a price hike is also rumored.
Here’s what we know about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far, and where it improves on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra specs (rumored)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
|
Price |
From $2,099 |
From $1,999 |
Cover display |
6.5-inch AMOLED (2520 x 1080, 120Hz) |
6.5 inches AMOLED (2520 x 1080, 120Hz) |
Main display |
8-inch AMOLED (2504 x 2256, 120Hz) |
8-inch AMOLED (2184 x 1968, 120Hz) |
Chipset |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
Snapdragon 8 Elite |
RAM |
12GB (16GB for 1TB) |
12GB (16GB for 1TB) |
Storage |
256GB/512GB/1TB |
256GB/512GB/1TB |
Battery |
5,000 mAh |
4,400 mAh |
Rear cameras |
200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom |
200MP wide (f/1.7), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), 10MP telephoto (f/2.4, 3x optical, 30x space zoom) |
Front camera |
10MP selfie (cover and main) |
10MP (f/2.2) |
Charging Speed |
45W |
25W |
Dimensions |
161.1 12.39 x 4.5 (unfolded) |
158.4 × 143.2 × 4.2 mm |
Colors |
Graphite, Cream, Violet Shadow, Green Shadow |
Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jet Black |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra release date and price
Samsung has already announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked event will be on Wednesday, July 22. While the company doesn’t reveal what’s coming in advance, various leaks have shown it to be new foldables and wearables, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 front and center. It’s unlikely to be available to buy immediately, with the Z Fold 7 launching 16 days after being announced, so expect a release date between August 5-7.
Samsung foldables have always been expensive. A combination of the Ultra upgrades and ongoing AI-driven component price inflation make the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra price rumor of $2,099 seem legit. That would be $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That will get pricier if you want more storage space and RAM.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra design and displays
While the non-Ultra variant of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will boast a new shorter and wider format, the Ultra model sticks with familiar dimensions of the past few models. That means a 6.5-inch cover screen that opens up to an 8-inch tablet-style canvas on the inside.
But look a little closer, and you should see some changes. For starters, it’s a tiny bit thinner, with WinFuture suggesting a thickness of just 4.1mm when unfolded (down 0.1mm from the current model).
More importantly, Samsung has addressed a long-running complaint about foldables: the crease. This year, Samsung has made real progress in making said crease invisible while improving the toughness via a new material called “Flex Titanium”. Our global editor-in-chief, Mark Spoonauer, has seen the new tech first hand, and was enormously impressed. “I almost didn’t believe my eyes at first,” he wrote.
Another rumor points to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's internal display featuring an anti-glare coating and a brightness of 3,000 nits (up from 2,600 nits on the Fold 7). So it should be much easier to use the Z Fold 8 Ultra in direct sunlight.
While the internal screen is still eight inches diagonally, the resolution has been increased from 2,184 x 1,968 to 2,504 x 2,256, according to WinFuture’s reporting. That should make things noticeably sharper for consuming content on the tablet-sized screen. The cover display is an unchanged 6.5-inch 2,520 x 1,080 canvas, and both support 120Hz refresh rates.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra performance
The main internals of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra shouldn’t be a huge surprise. As usual, Samsung will be incorporating Qualcomm’s latest flagship Snapdragon chipset to power things. This time it will be the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 ‘For Galaxy’ as seen in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Here’s how that phone compares to the Galaxy Z Fold 7:
Geekbench |
3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited |
|
Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
3,052 / 9,735 |
41.2 fps / 10,812 |
Galaxy S26 Ultra |
3,785 / 11,563 |
49.37 fps / 12,984 |
Like the Z Fold 7, it’s 12GB of RAM for Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra handsets with 256GB or 512GB. If you want 16GB RAM, you’ll need to splurge for the 1TB model. Given the current high price of both storage and RAM, that might be a bigger expense than usual.
Assuming our base price rumor is correct and that Samsung will stick with the same cost of upgrades as with the S26 Ultra, a 16GB/1TB Z Fold 8 Ultra could come to $2,599.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s rear camera setup is a mixed bag, with only one major rumored upgrade compared to its predecessor.
To recap, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 featured a 200MP wide (f/1.7) main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) snapper, and a 10MP telephoto (f/2.4, 3x optical, 30x space zoom) lens.
While we don’t have exact aperture specs, Z Fold 8 Ultra leaks suggest that the 200MP wide and 10MP 3x telephoto lens are staying, with only the ultrawide camera getting an upgrade. It’s a big improvement, though, with the megapixel count leaping from 12MP to 50MP.
But generally, the ‘Ultra’ branding here seems to be achieved via comparison to the regulare Z Fold 8 model. It’s rumored to feature just two cameras: a 50MP wide lens and a 50MP ultrawide.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 battery life and charging
There is some positive news for the Galaxy Z Fold 8's battery life. While the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a 4,400mAh cell, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is reportedly getting an upgrade to 5,000mAh thanks to silicon carbon technology.
When the time comes, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will charge faster, with 45W charging instead of the 25W found on the older model.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra outlook
Does Samsung’s upcoming flagship do enough to justify its rumored ‘Ultra’ branding? Based on what we’ve seen so far, just about. The upgrades to battery capacity, charging speeds, and ultrawide camera are all positive. The biggest upgrade comes with the display with a nearly crease free design, much brighter panel and anti-glare coating.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 owners might be jealous of some of these improvements, but anyone who owns an older foldable — or those who have never tried one — will likely be tempted by the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Stay tuned for our hands on impressions and full Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review.
