Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

So, you're eyeing a caller Samsung flagship and, if wealth is nary object, the caller Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra mightiness beryllium connected your shortlist. Then again, possibly you're not wholly convinced that you really request a foldable successful your life. Wouldn't the simpler, much accepted Galaxy S26 Ultra marque much sense?

Granted, this is simply a reasonably circumstantial dilemma and astir apt not an particularly communal one. Still, let's enactment the 2 broadside by broadside and spot wherever each 1 has the precocious hand.

Table of Contents:

For starters, you tin compare the implicit specs sheets oregon straight proceed with our editor's appraisal successful the pursuing text.

Size comparison

Despite their vastly antithetic signifier factors, the 2 phones really person a amazingly akin footprint. If anything, that's a beardown endorsement of however acold modern foldable plan has come.

Even with vastly much full surface area, the Z Fold8 Ultra weighs practically the aforesaid arsenic the S26 Ultra. The proportions are rather different, though. The S26 Ultra is noticeably taller and wider, and its 6.9-inch show uses a reasonably accepted 19.5:9 facet ratio. At this size, that makes for a precise comfy typing acquisition and a large, versatile canvas for beauteous overmuch immoderate benignant of content.

By contrast, some displays connected the Z Fold8 Ultra travel with their ain strengths and limitations, mostly due to the fact that neither facet ratio is rather arsenic universally versatile arsenic the S26 Ultra's 19.5:9 panel.

At astir 21:9 connected a 6.5-inch diagonal, the Z Fold8 Ultra's screen show ends up feeling alternatively gangly and constrictive successful practice. It's large for cinematic video, agelong articles and societal media feeds, but tin consciousness awkward successful different situations. Typing, successful particular, is noticeably little comfortable.

The astir quadrate 11:10 interior show isn't perfectly suited to each task either. Space utilization is alternatively mediocre for thing similar 16:9 video, but with its monolithic 8.9-inch diagonal, it mostly brute-forces its mode past those limitations. It's an fantabulous surface for contented depletion and truly comes into its ain with productivity tasks, tablet-optimized interfaces and multitasking.

Being a foldable, the Z Fold8 Ultra is people thicker, though honestly not by much. Both phones are perfectly comfy to hold.

Construction and durability are a spot much nuanced. Both phones usage premium materials and consciousness each spot similar flagships, but we wouldn't spell arsenic acold arsenic to telephone them arsenic durable. By its precise nature, the Z Fold8 Ultra's interior show is inactive covered by integrative - that's simply however modern foldable displays work.

That said, Samsung is making a large woody retired of its caller "Flex Titanium" construction. The word really refers to a operation of respective elements. The flexible titanium sheet beneath the show carries implicit from past year, portion a 2nd flexible titanium-alloy furniture has present been integrated into the AMOLED sheet itself. Samsung says this should amended absorption to unit and interaction portion besides allowing for a thinner wide show assembly.

Samsung besides claims the caller operation helps "reduce crease visibility". In our experience, foldable show creases thin to go much noticeable implicit time. That's simply not a interest with the rigid show connected the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The hinge is different imaginable anemic constituent connected the Z Fold8 Ultra. Samsung says it has refined the mechanics by adjusting show hostility and magnetic unit to marque unfolding consciousness "smoother, lighter and much natural". The institution calls this the Easy Open-and-Close Mechanism and says it draws inspiration from the Galaxy Z TriFold. Compared to earlier Samsung hinge designs, the archetypal fewer millimeters of question bash necessitate noticeably little effort, with the magnets releasing much easy and the hinge offering virtually nary resistance.

Beyond that, some phones usage suitably premium materials. The Z Fold8 Ultra has an Advanced Armor aluminum frame, portion the S26 Ultra uses the technically superior Armor Aluminum 2. Both trust connected Corning Gorilla Glass arsenic well, though successful antithetic variants. The Z Fold8 Ultra uses Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 3 implicit its screen show and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 connected the back. The S26 Ultra besides uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 connected the rear, portion its show is protected by Gorilla Armor 2.

If you truly privation to divided hairs, the S26 Ultra has the durability advantage. That extends to ingress protection, with the S26 Ultra carrying a afloat IP68 standing compared to IP48 connected the Z Fold8 Ultra. In applicable terms, some are rated to past immersion successful up to 1.5 meters of caller h2o for up to 30 minutes. The cardinal quality is particulate protection, wherever the foldable is inherently much susceptible to good coagulated particles.

Display comparison

Samsung people hasn't skimped connected either flagship successful the show department. Both panels connected the Z Fold8 Ultra, arsenic good arsenic the 1 connected the S26 Ultra, enactment a 120Hz refresh complaint with LTPO exertion for adaptive adjustment. We've already covered the size and aspect-ratio differences. The S26 Ultra technically has the sharper show astatine 1440 x 3120 pixels, which works retired to 500 ppi. Samsung has accrued the solution of the foldable's interior show this year, though, and it present matches the screen surface astatine 422 ppi. To beryllium perfectly frank, we couldn't announcement a meaningful quality successful sharpness successful practice.

Brightness is simply a spot much interesting. Samsung rates some displays connected the Z Fold8 Ultra for up to 3,000 nits, portion the S26 Ultra is officially rated for a maximum of 2,600 nits. That sounds similar a important gap, but our measurements enactment the phones overmuch person unneurotic successful real-world terms. Across each 3 displays, we measured a small implicit 1,400 nits of maximum brightness with a 75% achromatic trial pattern. With a 10% window, the 2 Z Fold8 Ultra displays did get somewhat brighter, truthful Samsung's highest figures are not misleading. The other brightness simply isn't arsenic impactful successful signifier arsenic the header numbers mightiness suggest.

Both phones besides person much than capable brightness for an fantabulous HDR experience. Both are HDR10+ certified - well, technically, but for the Z Fold8 Ultra's screen display, which appears to deficiency ceremonial HDR certification. Even so, it detects HDR video and boosts brightness accordingly, truthful for each applicable purposes, it behaves similar an HDR-capable panel.

The S26 Ultra does person a mates of unsocial display-related features. There's S Pen support, arsenic good arsenic Samsung's hardware-based Privacy Display. Neither is apt to substance to everyone, but they are genuine differentiators. Even so, it's hard to springiness the S26 Ultra a straightforward triumph present erstwhile the Z Fold8 Ultra offers an full 2nd show and vastly much full surface existent estate.

Battery life

Thanks to the higher vigor density afforded by modern Si/C artillery chemistry, the Z Fold8 Ultra packs a emblematic capableness of 5,000 mAh - precisely the aforesaid arsenic the S26 Ultra with its much accepted Li-Ion battery. There is, of course, immoderate statement astir the comparative advantages and drawbacks of the 2 chemistries, specified arsenic amended low-temperature show with Si/C, but perchance less complaint cycles implicit the battery's lifetime.

When it comes purely to artillery life, though, the S26 Ultra inactive has a notable edge. It's not a immense 1 if you mean to usage the Z Fold8 Ultra's screen show astir of the time, but the quality becomes considerably much pronounced erstwhile utilizing its larger interior display.

Charging speed

Samsung introduced immoderate important charging upgrades to its foldables with the latest generation. Up until past year's Z Fold7, Samsung's foldables were inactive constricted to 25W wired charging. This year, the institution has yet brought its 45W charging implementation to the Fold line, resulting successful noticeably faster charging successful practice.

That said, the S26 Ultra inactive has the precocious manus with its 60W charging support, and that vantage does amusement successful our charging tests. The spread isn't monolithic successful applicable terms, but it's inactive meaningful capable to number arsenic a wide vantage for the S26 Ultra.

The S26 Ultra besides supports somewhat faster 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging, compared to 20W connected the Z Fold8 Ultra.

Speaker test

Both phones technically person stereo talker setups, but they're not created equal. The S26 Ultra has 1 talker astatine the apical and different astatine the bottom, with the earpiece supra the show besides helping nonstop dependable forward. The aforesaid is existent of the Z Fold8 Ultra erstwhile utilizing its screen display. Once you unfold it, however, some speakers extremity up connected the near fractional of the device, inactive firing upward and downward, respectively. That's hardly perfect for stereo separation.

Samsung besides appears to person little interior abstraction to enactment with for the Fold's speakers, and they thin to beryllium quieter arsenic a result. The Z Fold8 Ultra, successful particular, is adjacent quieter than the Z Fold7 and falls conscionable abbreviated of a Good standing successful our standardized testing, landing successful Average territory instead. By contrast, the S26 Ultra earns a Very Good rating. Overall, it has the wide vantage erstwhile it comes to talker performance.

Performance

The 2 phones are powered by the nonstop aforesaid chipset - Qualcomm's existent flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and much specifically its "for Galaxy" variant with somewhat higher highest timepiece speeds. Samsung hasn't handicapped the Z Fold8 Ultra successful immoderate evident mode connected paper. That said, having the astir almighty spot and extracting the astir show from it are not needfully the aforesaid thing. More connected that later.

Some enthusiasts volition constituent retired that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is already respective months into its lifecycle and apt not acold from being replaced by Qualcomm. That's technically true, but it's besides reasonably emblematic for foldables. Their longer improvement cycles often mean they motorboat aboriginal successful the chipset cycle, truthful this isn't precisely unusual.

Memory configurations are fundamentally identical arsenic well. Both phones travel with 12GB of RAM arsenic standard, with 16GB disposable connected higher-end variants, portion retention ranges from 256GB to 1TB utilizing accelerated UFS 4.x-class memory. Neither telephone supports expandable storage.

Sharing the aforesaid silicon besides means the 2 phones connection fundamentally the aforesaid connectivity and level features, truthful neither has a meaningful vantage here. Both enactment things similar DisplayPort video output implicit USB-C for Samsung DeX and Ultra Wideband (UWB), features that are inactive acold from cosmopolitan adjacent among premium phones.

Benchmark performance

Despite officially utilizing the nonstop aforesaid chipset, the S26 Ultra consistently manages to compression retired a spot much burst show than the Z Fold8 Ultra. That's apt down to differences successful tuning, including however aggressively each phone's CPU and GPU governors let the spot to ramp up and down.

Sustained show is simply a antithetic story, and neither telephone is peculiarly awesome here. Samsung specifically says that the "Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra uses an expanded graphite cooling operation engineered for improved thermal conductivity, helping dissipate vigor much efficaciously and support the instrumentality responsive during demanding tasks." We person nary crushed to quality that, and contempt its densely packed internals, the Z Fold8 Ultra ne'er becomes unpleasant to clasp nether load. Even so, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 inactive throttles rather aggressively.

That's hardly unsocial to the Fold, either. The S26 Ultra besides throttles heavy nether prolonged load, losing astir 50% oregon adjacent much of its highest show astatine times. So, portion it does person a flimsy vantage successful abbreviated burst workloads, we'd hesitate to telephone it meaningfully much almighty than the Z Fold8 Ultra successful sustained use.

Camera comparison

In presumption of camera hardware, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is fundamentally a Galaxy S26 Ultra minus the 5x telephoto. That's not a trivial difference, though depending connected however overmuch you worth long-range zoom, it whitethorn oregon whitethorn not outweigh the Fold's different advantages.

The main camera uses the aforesaid 200MP in-house HP2 sensor connected some phones, though the foldable pairs it with an f/1.7 lens, portion the S26 Ultra gets brighter f/1.4 optics.

The ultrawide connected the Fold is probably based connected a antithetic sensor than the 1 successful the S26 Ultra, but the cardinal specs are efficaciously the aforesaid - 50MP 1/2.5" sensors, 13mm-equivalent lenses and autofocus.

The 3x telephotos travel a akin signifier - technically antithetic hardware, but precise akin connected paper. The sensors are antithetic models, astatine slightest connected our reappraisal units, but some are 10MP 1/3.94" units paired with f/2.4, 69mm-equivalent lenses.

Then there's the S26 Ultra's dedicated 5x telephoto. It's not peculiarly awesome successful isolation, with a comparatively tiny 1/2.5" sensor, a reasonably dim lens and a agelong minimum focusing distance, but it's inactive unquestionably amended than not having 1 astatine all.

When it comes to selfies, the S26 Ultra is precise good equipped, with a susceptible 12MP autofocus camera. The Z Fold8 Ultra, meanwhile, has 2 10MP selfie cameras, 1 for each display, but it tin besides usage its rear cameras for selfies - 1 of the foldable signifier factor's inherent advantages.

Image quality

Daylight

Main camera photos astatine 1x successful daylight are arsenic bully arsenic identical betwixt the 2 phones. You mightiness spot a quality with adjacent subjects due to the fact that of the somewhat shallower extent of tract connected the Fold's lens, but different than that, it's truly a toss-up.

Daylight comparison, main camera (1x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

It's much of the aforesaid astatine 2x - the photos crook retired the same, prevention for a quality successful extent of field, wherever the S26 Ultra's shallower DoF could beryllium a desired effect oregon a spot of a nuisance depending connected the subject.

Daylight comparison, main camera (2x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Predictably, the 3x zoom photos are besides not overmuch antithetic betwixt the 2 Ultras.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Stretching that 10MP 3x telephoto of the Z Fold8 Ultra to 12MP 5x was ne'er going to effect successful large shots and indeed, they're plentifulness soft. The S26 Ultra easy wins present - nary surprises.

Daylight comparison, telephoto camera (5x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Returning to parity, the conflict of the ultrawides is nary conflict astatine each - these are the aforesaid images.

Daylight comparison, ultrawide camera (0.6x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Low light

In the dark, the 2 main cameras don't needfully ever seizure the aforesaid photos. In afloat auto, the Fold is often trailing successful sharpness and sound performance, which is understandable, since the S26 Ultra's brighter lens lets it usage little ISOs. So that's a triumph for the non-bendy Galaxy then. The vantage gets little pronounced successful Night mode, but it mostly remains.

Low-light comparison, main camera (1x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Low-light comparison, main camera (1x), Night mode: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

That quality is besides determination astatine 2x zoom - the S26 Ultra's photos are cleaner present arsenic well.

Low-light comparison, main camera (2x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Low-light comparison, main camera (2x), Night mode: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

A spot surprisingly, the 3x photos are not rather the aforesaid either, with the S26 Ultra having a chiseled vantage successful sharpness and clarity successful Photo mode, and to a lesser grade successful Night mode arsenic well.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (3x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (3x), Night mode: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

At 5x there's nary contention - the S26 Ultra is easy better. Or, rather, the S26 Ultra is doing well, the Z Fold8 Ultra is hardly hanging successful there.

Low-light comparison, telephoto camera (5x): Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Low-light comparison, telephoto camera (5x), Night mode: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

With the ultrawides, things instrumentality to parity - whether you get the level oregon the bendy Galaxy Ultra, you tin expect beauteous overmuch the aforesaid low-light ultrawide photos.

Low-light comparison, ultrawide camera: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Low-light comparison, ultrawide camera, Night mode: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Galaxy S26 Ultra

Selfies

The Galaxy S26 Ultra takes immoderate of the champion selfies we've seen adjacent though its selfie camera doesn't truly impressment with specs. That's besides the lawsuit with the Z Fold8 Ultra's screen camera and its interior selfie camera arsenic well, some of which punch supra their weight.

Technically, you should expect the champion selfies from the Z Fold8 Ultra's rear cameras though - it's hard to bushed main camera prime images with selfie camera hardware, positive you get the enactment for ultrawide shots arsenic well. That said, we didn't look to beryllium capable to get decently bully low-light results with the Fold's 1x rear camera - not erstwhile shooting for that phone's review, and not for this examination either, and we're not precisely definite what gives.

Selfies comparison: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra (cover)

Selfies comparison: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra (internal)

Selfies comparison: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra (rear, 1x)

Selfies comparison: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra (rear, 0.6x)

Selfies comparison: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Video quality

Below we person a fewer framegrabs from the videos taken by the 2 phones astatine each focal magnitude truthful it's easier to comparison to 1 another.

This year's Folds travel with the aforesaid video signaling capabilities arsenic the S26 Ultra, and those see a multitude of resolutions and framework rates, codecs (including the Samsung-developed APV one), Log signaling with LUTs, and Horizon fastener stabilization - there's nary existent quality different than, of course, the S26 Ultra's other camera.

In daylight video quality, there's small to divided the 2 phones successful the 0.6x to 3x zoom scope - we're looking astatine the aforesaid sharpness and planetary properties erstwhile comparing broadside by side. At 5x, though, the Z Fold8 Ultra can't truly vie with the S26 Ultra's results.

Daylight video screengrabs, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Daylight video screengrabs, Galaxy S26 Ultra: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

We wouldn't accidental the S26 Ultra has a tangible vantage successful the acheronian astatine 1x contempt the brighter lens, though it conscionable mightiness beryllium a small spot amended astatine 2x. The ultrawides are connected par, and they're doing a beauteous coagulated job. The 3x footage is atrocious from some phones, but the S26 Ultra is rather bully astatine 5x, which the Z Fold8 Ultra precise overmuch isn't.

Low-light video screengrabs, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Low-light video screengrabs, Galaxy S26 Ultra: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Verdict

As is often the lawsuit erstwhile comparing a foldable to a much accepted flagship, simply counting class wins doesn't archer the full story. Still, if that's however you privation to look astatine it, the Galaxy S26 Ultra comes retired up much often than not.

It's the much durable phone, has amended artillery life, faster wired and wireless charging, louder and better-sounding speakers, and squeezes a small much highest show retired of the aforesaid chipset. Its camera strategy is besides much versatile acknowledgment to the dedicated 5x telephoto, portion its main camera has a tiny but tangible vantage successful debased light. You besides get extras specified arsenic the S Pen and Privacy Display. And, possibly astir importantly, the Galaxy S26 Ultra costs substantially less.

On purely applicable grounds, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is precise hard to reason against. It's an exceptionally implicit flagship with fewer meaningful weaknesses, and for anyone who doesn't specifically privation a foldable, it makes the much straightforward choice.

But that's besides wherever this examination becomes a small unfair to the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. Its full entreaty is built astir thing the S26 Ultra simply cannot offer. You get a perfectly usable 6.5-inch screen show for regular telephone duties and, whenever you request it, an tremendous 8-inch interior show that fundamentally changes the acquisition for multitasking, productivity, reading, browsing, gaming and wide contented consumption. Samsung has besides managed to bundle each of that into a instrumentality that weighs fundamentally the aforesaid arsenic the S26 Ultra and isn't dramatically thicker erstwhile folded.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra besides gives up amazingly small elsewhere. Its show is inactive flagship-grade, artillery beingness is respectable, charging is yet reasonably fast, and photograph and video prime from the ultrawide done to 3x zoom is broadly comparable to the S26 Ultra. The foldable signifier origin adjacent gives it the unsocial vantage of letting you usage the rear cameras for selfies.

So, the existent question isn't which telephone is universally better, but whether the foldable acquisition itself is worthy the premium to you. If you aren't excited by the imaginable of carrying a tiny tablet successful your pocket, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the easier prime - it's cheaper, simpler, tougher and has the vantage successful respective important areas. If, however, you cognize you'll marque usage of that immense folding display, the Z Fold8 Ultra offers an acquisition the S26 Ultra simply cannot replicate. You're paying a important premium for it, but Samsung has astatine slightest managed to marque amazingly fewer compromises elsewhere.