Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review: a refined facelift!

When the Galaxy Z Fold7 landed on my desk a year ago, I had clear expectations for it. It was a groundbreaking model within the Galaxy Z Fold series, and the new device significantly outperformed the previous generation, especially with its redesigned construction. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, as its direct successor, will have a much tougher time. Firstly, it has to compete for customer favor with its stablemate, the Galaxy Z Fold8, which practically immediately became a sales hit. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra also offers few changes compared to its predecessor. Nevertheless, it is precisely these few new features that make a surprisingly significant difference in everyday use.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review content

The best in design from Samsung

At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra might seem identical in construction to its predecessor. However, the manufacturer has made several partial adjustments that have a significant impact on daily use. Firstly, Samsung boasts a Flex Titanium layer, which is a double layer of titanium beneath the display. This should ensure higher display durability and reduce the crease in the hinge area. And indeed, the inner display here isn’t about getting used to the crease in the middle and ignoring it after a while. Here, you really have to look for it. It’s subtly visible when the display is off and when you explicitly focus on detecting its presence by running your finger over it. Otherwise, the crease on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra’s inner display practically doesn’t exist.

However, the biggest drawback of the previous generation, in my opinion, was elsewhere – specifically, in handling the device, and the difficulty of opening it. And judging by reactions online, I wasn’t the only one with similar complaints. Fortunately, Samsung took the feedback to heart, and with the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, they introduced several details that ultimately make a big difference. Specifically, there’s a larger gap between the phone’s frame and the inner bezel around the display. In addition, there’s a redesigned hinge, whose operation is noticeably smoother. As a result, the phone opens significantly easier, and I didn’t have to worry every time that it would slip out of my hands and fall to the ground.

A minor upgrade also occurred with the outer cover glass. The display is now protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 3. Otherwise, the construction of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra relies on the same durable Armor Aluminum as its predecessor. And the dimensions are largely the same. When closed, the new device measures 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm, while when unfolded, it is 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 mm. It never ceases to amaze me that while in the closed state, the device feels like an ordinary phone with a slightly more widescreen aspect ratio, when open, its thickness is only slightly greater than the height of a USB-C connector. And even the weight of 215 grams won’t excessively burden your pocket.

Massive camera module as a necessary evil

What bothered me a bit again during use was the massive and prominently protruding camera module. I understand that even Samsung can’t cheat physics, and if we want decent cameras in a Z Fold, the manufacturer needs a place to put them. Nevertheless, I prefer the solution used by most current competitors like Honor Magic V6, Oppo Find N6, or Vivo X Fold6. That is, a circular camera module centered on the back, where individual cameras are covered by a single tempered glass. Even in the case of those mentioned, these modules are massive, but when placed on a table, the phones don’t wobble nearly as much, and there aren’t as many corners where dirt could accumulate. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, it is precisely because of this module that it’s practically impossible to operate the phone when laid on a table in its folded state.

The sharp edges of the construction are not exactly ergonomic either. However, even here, the manufacturer cannot be blamed too much given the limitations of the folding design. While the left side of the device in the closed state is naturally occupied by the hinge cover, the right side features a narrow volume rocker and a power button with an integrated fingerprint reader. This is traditionally excellent, fast, and precise, though you might need a moment to get used to its size. I like that the reader can be set to behave differently in the closed and open states. For example, you can specify that in the closed state, you must press the button to wake and unlock the phone, while in the open state, simply placing your finger on it will suffice. A small detail, but practical.

Displays practically the same, yet better

The outer display received only minor intergenerational improvements; besides the aforementioned more advanced cover glass, it boasts approximately 15% higher maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, with the display reaching up to 1,800 nits across its entire surface. Readability in sunlight is thus ensured, although in hot summer weather, even a mild to moderate load is enough for the automatic system to immediately reach the maximum brightness level it allows due to heating.

This brightness limitation could be unpleasant, especially when taking photos, and it applies to both displays simultaneously. On the other hand, the brightness was never limited to such an extent that it explicitly prevented phone use. Specifically, the 6.5″ outer display has a very narrow and elongated 21:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2520 x 1080 px. It thus offers an image density of 422 pixels per inch. The refresh rate, of course, reaches up to 120 Hz.

Inner display almost without compromises

As I mentioned above, the biggest innovations of this year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra are related to the inner display. Thanks to the redesigned hinge and the double layer of flexible titanium plates under the display, the display itself is better tensioned. In addition to making the crease at the hinge almost imperceptible, the display feels more like a classic glass-covered touchscreen, and when using it, I don’t get the same soft plastic feel as with some older Folds. Subjectively, it also seems to me that grease doesn’t stick to the display as easily, although the manufacturer doesn’t boast about any improved oleophobic layer anywhere.

What is stated in the official specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, however, is the anti-reflective display coating. Thanks to this, the surroundings are reflected significantly less in the display, making the information on it more readable. In addition to the same maximum brightness as the outer display, i.e., 3,000 nits at its peak, the inner display offers a resolution of 2256 x 2504 pixels. On an 8″ diagonal area, this resolution again means an image density of 422 ppi. The display’s refresh rate here is also 120 Hz. HDR10+ support is also present, but don’t look for Dolby Vision here – as is customary with Samsung in the long term.

Sound below expectations

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra offers stereo loudspeaker reproduction. However, it uses the phone’s earpiece for one channel, which results in an unbalanced sound, with the dedicated speaker offering slightly deeper tones. Overall, the phone’s sound profile is tuned more towards deeper tones, but at times it sounds muffled. If I evaluate the quality of the loudspeaker reproduction through the lens of the most equipped TOP models, I must state that I miss greater clarity in the highs and mids here. Similarly, the maximum volume is rather average.

Top performance and better cooling

As you probably expect from the most expensive Samsung on our market, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is powered by nothing less than the top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Depending on the selected configuration, the chipset is complemented by 12 or 16 GB of RAM, and UFS 4.0 / 4.1 storage offers capacities of 256, 512, or 1024 GB. For this review, I had the basic 12/256GB variant available. Some might argue that such an expensive phone should offer at least 512 GB as standard. Considering the current situation in the memory chip market, I must commend Samsung’s decision to also release a 256GB variant.

What I was genuinely concerned about was the device’s heating. To my great surprise, however, it was not nearly as big a problem as I had feared. I tested 3DMark on the phone, specifically the Wild Life Extreme stress test, which well represents long-term high load similar to playing graphically demanding games. The results truly surprised me, as the new model performed significantly better than its predecessor with stability consistently around 73%. This is almost 20% better than the predecessor’s result. I tested the phone in both open and closed states, and it confirmed that the phone dissipates heat much better in the open state, as in the closed state, the stability during the test was only 61%. Thus, not only when gaming, but also when recording longer high-resolution videos, it is more suitable to use the phone in the open state.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Benchmarks

• AnTuTu v11: 3,271,724 points
• GeekBench 7 Single-core: 2,932 points
• GeekBench 7 Multi-core: 7,233 points
• 3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 5,977 points

Regarding connectivity, I have practically nothing to add; everything you can think of is simply here. From dual-band Wi-Fi 7, through Bluetooth 6 with aptX HD support, to a USB 3.2 controller with video output. I also noticed better signal reception than with the previous Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. Even in places where the Xiaomi 15T Pro was only running on a 2G network, I was “whizzing” on 5G with the Fold without any problems. Both phones had the same operator. The manufacturer also did not forget about Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology support, which you can use, for example, in combination with a digital car key or some Samsung accessories from the SmartThings ecosystem.

Two days on a single charge?

It wasn’t long ago that battery life was one of the big topics for foldable phones. The pressure for the thinnest possible design and the need to power a significantly larger inner display simply didn’t favor long endurance. Chinese manufacturers solved this by gradually transitioning to Si/C batteries with significantly higher capacity. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra also debuts with a silicon-carbon battery, and although it is probably the last of the foldable manufacturers to adopt it, it still isn’t chasing breathtaking capacity. No, optimization plays the primary role here.

Thanks to excellent power consumption optimization, the 5,000mAh battery used here is sufficient for the Samsung to achieve a battery life exceeding 7 hours of active use on a single charge. With more moderate use, I didn’t even have to charge the phone for two days and easily surpassed 8 hours on a single charge. If, on the other hand, I pushed the battery harder with photography and video recording combined with frequent use of the inner display, I only got slightly below the 7-hour mark. These are excellent values, and above all, it’s already a battery life that will suffice for two days of use for many users. But even if you utilize the device’s performance more and strongly prioritize the larger inner display, you don’t have to worry that the battery life will significantly limit you during the day.

Improvements have also occurred in the area of charging. The phone now supports up to 45W fast charging with support for USB PD 3.0 and Quick Charge 2.0 standards. You don’t necessarily need an original Samsung adapter to utilize the maximum wired charging speed. Wireless charging has also improved, supporting Qi2.2 and up to 20W power. However, the manufacturer, quite understandably, was unable to fit a magnet into the device’s body for attachment to a charging puck or stand. To use this feature, you will need to purchase a case with an integrated magnet.

OneUI knows how to handle foldables

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra comes to market with Android 17 and the OneUI 9.0 overlay. The new version of the overlay primarily brings AI-related innovations, although, for example, Czech language support is still missing for the interpreter. Flex mode has been improved, allowing the phone to be used in a partially open state like a laptop, with a touchpad and keyboard shortcuts in the lower area. Moreover, you can choose for which applications this mode should be activated. Visual changes are rather scarce, but personally, I don’t mind it particularly. OneUI has been working great on foldable phones for several generations, and nothing fundamental changes here.

Problems may arise only with some applications that developers have not adapted for specific devices or aspect ratios. I didn’t encounter any major issues on the outer display, but on the inner one, every now and then, an application appears that doesn’t render correctly. For example, Facebook, which somehow works, but cannot handle the aspect ratio ideally, and some control elements don’t even appear at all. The transition between the outer and inner display is traditionally smooth, allowing you to immediately continue working in the open application.

Again, there is also a bottom bar that appears if you briefly drag from the bottom edge in an application. Within the bar, you have access to pre-selected applications, three recently used applications, and there is also quick access to the menu of all applications. From the bar, applications can then be launched in full-screen mode, or by holding and dragging, launched in a multitasking window or split screen. The Fold8 Ultra’s display is ideal for working with two applications on a split screen – and a third and fourth application window can even be added.

This is the main difference between the tested Fold8 Ultra and the Fold8, which has a 4:3 aspect ratio display when opened, making it much more suitable for content consumption and multimedia use, as some tablets – especially those from competitor Apple – use the same aspect ratio. The Samsung Galaxy Fold8 Ultra works great, for example, for multitasking, handling emails, and reading documents. However, when watching videos, it often doesn’t matter whether you watch it on the inner or outer display, as the image is practically the same size, and most of the beautiful, large display is filled with black borders.

Gradual evolution of cameras

Samsung innovates camera hardware rather gradually across its product portfolio, and the tested Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is a prime example of this. Last year’s model received a solid primary camera from the Galaxy S25 Ultra; this year, we got a new ultrawide camera from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but the telephoto lens with 3x zoom has been waiting for its replacement for several years. Overall, however, I am a bit more satisfied with the cameras in general, which the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra certainly owes partly to the new chipset and somewhat better image processing.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Camera Hardware

• Primary Camera – 200 MPx, 1/1.3″, 0.6 µm, f/1.7, PDAF, OIS
• Ultrawide Camera – 50 MPx, 1/2.5″, 0.7 µm, f/1.9, 120°, AF
• 3x Zoom Camera – 10 MPx, 1/3.94″, 1.22 µm, f/2.4, PDAF

Primary Camera

The main, 200MP camera consistently delivers excellent performance. Images from it have great dynamic range, contrast, and minimal noise. The images are then, typically for Samsung, stylized. Colors are thus enhanced, yet still with a faithful hue. The images are also slightly brighter and shadows less pronounced. What is important is that this color profile or stylization is consistent across all cameras.

The primary camera also delivers excellent results when using 2x zoom, which is truly on par with optical zoom. Images are full of fine details, though at times they are slightly oversharpened. Night photos are clean, noiseless, and with sufficient light. However, typically for Samsung, the phone tends to tint the night blue.

Ultrawide Camera

The camera with a 120° field of view has seen a noticeable intergenerational improvement. Images from it are now significantly more detailed, aided not only by the higher sensor resolution but also by the presence of autofocus. Fisheye effect correction works great, and photos are beautifully contrasty. Images from this camera are usually a bit brighter than from the other two, but otherwise, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra maintains its color stylization here as well. The biggest intergenerational leap is noticeable when shooting at night, where the new model is truly one to two classes better and can capture solid images even in poor lighting conditions.

Optical Zoom Camera

The portrait camera with 3x optical zoom and a tiny sensor remained the biggest underdog. In good lighting conditions, it manages to take surprisingly good photos. However, as light diminishes, the image quality gradually degrades, details are lost, and noise and color artifacts appear. In portrait mode, it demonstrates solid separation of the subject from the blurred background. However, quite often, when quickly taking a portrait shot, the phone would focus on the background instead of the person in the foreground. While this can be easily corrected in the gallery editor, it quite unpleasantly surprised me, as I last encountered similar errors years ago, and with significantly cheaper devices.

Video

Availability and Price

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is sold on our market in three memory variants – 12 / 256, 12 / 512, and 16 / 1024 GB. The price starts at 53,990, continues to 58,990, and goes up to 68,990 CZK including VAT depending on the chosen version. The phone is available in the tested dark purple, and subsequently dark gray and white colors.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Review Conclusion

This year, the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra stands in the shadow of the cheaper Galaxy Z Fold8 with its new aspect ratio. On one hand, it’s not that surprising. The smaller and more affordable model offers an interesting and fresh solution for content consumption, while the model tested today appears almost identical to its predecessor at first glance. However, in my opinion, it would be a huge mistake to completely ignore the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, if only because both models target different uses. The Ultra is still more about multitasking and productivity.

Yes, it’s certainly not a huge leap, and owners of last year’s Galaxy Z Fold7 might remain completely indifferent to the new generation. Personally, I would compare the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra to a successful facelift. The manufacturer simply focused on what bothered owners of the previous generation, added a few new features to keep up with the competition, and delivered a refined product to the market. So, if you know what you expect from a foldable phone, and that the Ultra format is right for you, and you also accept the really high price, there aren’t many reasons to dissuade you from buying it.

Editor’s Rating: 93 / 100

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