Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Z Flip 8: Which Foldable Wins?
▼ Summary
– Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra at its July 2026 Unpacked event, launching August 7th, with few major upgrades over last year’s models except for the Z Fold 8.
– The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a new, shorter model starting at $1,899.99, featuring a 7.6-inch main screen and a 50-megapixel main camera, with up to 16GB of RAM in the 1TB configuration.
– The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, priced at $2,099.99, is a direct follow-up to the Z Fold 7 with an 8-inch main screen, 200-megapixel camera with 3x telephoto zoom, and same storage and memory options as the smaller Fold 8.
– The Galaxy Z Flip 8, starting at $1,199.99, has minimal hardware updates but switches from the Exynos 2500 to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.
– The Z Fold 8 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery and 45W wired charging, while the Fold 8 has a 4,800mAh battery and the Flip 8 has a 4,300mAh battery with 25W wired charging.
Samsung’s July 2026 Unpacked event has come and gone, and with it, the company unveiled its latest lineup of folding phones and updated smartwatches, all set to launch on August 7th. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8, and Fold 8 Ultra aren’t necessarily designed to tempt last year’s buyers, as the updates are largely confined to fresh design tweaks and new AI features. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 stands apart as the most intriguing release of the trio.
The Z Fold 8 is poised to capture the most attention in the US this year, at least until Apple’s rumored foldable potentially arrives later in 2026. Despite its name suggesting it’s a direct sequel to the Z Fold 7, it’s actually a new, more compact variant starting at $1,899.99. It features a 7.6-inch main display and a 5.5-inch cover screen, both noticeably smaller than the new $2,099.99 Z Fold 8 Ultra. While it’s nearly as feature-rich as its bigger sibling, it makes a few compromises: a 50-megapixel main camera instead of a 200-megapixel sensor, and a slightly smaller 4,800mAh battery. Storage options include 256GB and 512GB models with 12GB of RAM, while the 1TB variant bumps memory up to 16GB.
In many respects, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the true successor to the Z Fold 7, albeit with a new name. It retains the same 8-inch main screen and 6.5-inch cover display with identical resolution, and it packs a 200-megapixel camera with 3x telephoto optical zoom. Storage and memory configurations match those of the smaller Fold 8.
At the more accessible end of the spectrum, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199.99 and seems to receive the fewest hardware changes. Its battery capacity and camera specs remain unchanged from the Flip 7. The most notable difference is the processor: it now uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 instead of the Exynos 2500 found in last year’s model. Whether this swap yields tangible performance gains will have to wait for our full review, though our assessment of the Flip 7 didn’t flag any major issues with the Samsung-made chip.
For those who want to dive deeper, the full spec comparison is laid out below.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs. Z Fold 8 vs. Z Fold 8 Ultra
| Category | Galaxy Z Flip 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | | :— | :— | :— | :— | | OS | Android 17 | Android 17 | Android 17 | | Main display | 6.9-inch Dynamic OLED | 7.6-inch Dynamic OLED | 8-inch Dynamic OLED | | Main display resolution | 2520 x 1080 | 2184 x 1968 | 2184 x 1968 | | Main refresh rate | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | | Cover display | 4.1-inch Super OLED | 5.5-inch Dynamic OLED | 6.5-inch Dynamic OLED | | Cover display resolution | 948 x 1048 | 2520 x 1080 | 2520 x 1080 | | Cover display refresh rate | 60/120Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | | Unfolded dimensions (mm) | 166.9 x 75.4 x 6.1 | 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 | 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 | | Folded dimensions (mm) | 85.7 x 75.4 x 13.1 | 123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7 | 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 | | Weight | 180 grams | 201 grams | 215 grams | | Battery | 4,300mAh | 4,800mAh | 5,000mAh | | Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy | | RAM | 12GB | 12GB, 16GB (1TB model) | 12GB, 16GB (1TB model) | | Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (16GB RAM) | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (16GB RAM) | | Rear camera | Wide: 50MP / Ultrawide: 12MP | Wide: 50MP / Ultrawide: 50MP | Wide: 200MP / Ultrawide: 50MP / Telephoto: 10MP | | Selfie camera | Wide: 10MP | Main: 10MP / Cover: 10MP | Main: 10MP / Cover: 10MP | | Main video | Up to 4K at 60fps | Up to 8K at 30fps | Up to 8K at 30fps | | Selfie video | Up to 4K at 60fps | Main: FHD at 60fps / Cover: 4K at 60fps | Main: FHD at 60fps / Cover: 4K at 60fps | | Water and dust protection | IP48 | IP48 | IP48 | | Connectivity | 4G LTE / 5G (sub6) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 | 4G LTE / 5G (sub6, mmW) / Wi-Fi 7 / UWB / Bluetooth 6.0 | 4G LTE / 5G (sub6, mmW) / Wi-Fi 7 / UWB / Bluetooth 6.0 | | Wired charging | 25W | 45W | 45W | | Wireless charging | 15W | 20W | 20W | | Colors | Pink, graphite, cream, mint (online) | Lavender, graphite, cream, pistachio (online) | Violet shadow, graphite, cream, green shadow (online) | | Starting price | $1,199.99 | $1,899.99 | $2,099.99 |
(Source: The Verge)
