Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs. Z Fold 7: Improved battery, screen and higher price

At Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, the phone maker announced three new foldable phones, including its first Ultra foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the true successor to last year’s Fold 7, while the Fold 8 comes in with a new, wider design.

These devices are still priced high enough to put them out of the reach of many, but they pack subtle design improvements that could have a big impact on everyday life. I like the new anti-reflective coating, the easy-to-open design and the battery upgrade, but the Galaxy Z Fold 7 remains a powerful and capable device – especially if you can get it at an extraordinary discount.

The two-fold style of the book differs mainly in the development of the experience instead of the specified bumpers. It can be difficult to get an idea of ​​what is really new. That’s why I put them aside when I grab them to find out.

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is almost the same size as the already thin and light Fold 7. It weighs the same but is a millimeter thinner when unfolded. Both phones are comfortable to hold, but the new model is easier to open.

Samsung has made the Ultra’s sides a little thinner so that its bezels don’t go all the way to the corners. This gives you a little gap between the sides for easy opening. In comparison, the Fold 7 has flat sides with zero gap when the phone is folded closed, making it difficult to unfold.

Both phones have a 6.5-inch AMOLED cover screen and an 8-inch AMOLED foldable display with a variable refresh rate of 120Hz. The internal screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is brightly lit at 3,000 nits (compared to 2,600 nits on the Fold 7). It also has a matte finish, and my long-requested feature: an anti-reflective coating for better readability in difficult lighting conditions and outdoors.

I held both phones indoors in direct light, and the difference was noticeable. My Fold 7 was prone to glare and was harder to see under direct light compared to the newer model.

Samsung has also improved the shape of the crease. It’s small and can’t be seen unless you’re specifically looking for it. The phone maker added a new display structure that combines a titanium-alloy film with an advanced titanium plate to strengthen the display and balance “hinge mechanics, display tension and magnetic force to make opening feel smooth, easy and natural,” Samsung said.

Both foldables have an IP48 rating for dust and water resistance. Therefore, they are not really as strong as the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the Honor Magic V6, but they can survive being submerged in water for at least 30 minutes (the “8” in IP48). But they won’t protect against dust particles smaller than 1mm (“4” on that scale).

Battery operation

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Galaxy chip, compared to the Fold 7’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. Both phones come in three storage options: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, with the top-end model getting 16GB of RAM (the 256GB and 512GB models are also paired with 12GB of RAM).

Samsung says they’ve created more space inside for better heat dissipation, so you can expect better heat management.

As for the battery, it is the first time that Samsung uses silicon-carbon anode technology. It allowed the phone maker to upgrade the cell phone’s capacity from 4,400 mAh to 5,000 mAh in the new model. The Ultra also supports fast wired charging at 45 watts (the Fold 7 offers 25 watts).

On paper, it’s behind Chinese rivals like Oppo and Honor, which include more than 6,000-mAh batteries in their foldable phones, but I hope this feature will help me get through the day with ease.

Both phones have Qi wireless charging, but no built-in magnets. You will need to purchase a separate magnetic case to add compatibility with Qi2 wireless chargers and other magnetic accessories.

Camera, software and AI

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s camera lineup hasn’t changed much from last year’s model, with one exception: the ultrawide sensor. You get a 200-megapixel primary camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom on both phones. However, the 12-megapixel ultrawide camera has been upgraded to a 50-megapixel sensor. You can expect higher quality images, but I’ll wait for CNET’s test to see the real difference.

Both foldables capture video in 8K at 30 frames per second, but the Fold may appeal to more creatives. The new model adds APV codec support and adds Cine LUT to provide cinematic color and tone control directly from your phone. This adds great flexibility to the planning and production workflow of professional creators.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched with Android 16 on board last year, while the Fold 8 Ultra comes with Android 17 (with One UI 9 on top). You get the same software experience on both phones, and the Z Fold 7 will get an update to Android 17 with One UI 9.

Both devices support the full suite of Samsung Galaxy AI features alongside Gemini’s reach. There’s AI Select for on-screen search support, an item wipe 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. Like, if you’re chatting in the Messages app, and they send you an invitation with a date, time and address, Samsung’s Now Nudge feature will display a nudge to add it to the calendar.

The phone maker also dropped a new AI feature in my demo, which I was not impressed with. Ideally, the new Gemini feature will help book a hotel just by looking at the on-screen image of the Eiffel Tower, but in its current state, it was unreliable. But with the Z Fold 8 Ultra getting seven years of software updates and the Z Fold 7 six years away, there’s plenty of time for both phones to keep improving on these features.

To see more differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Z Fold 7, check out the detailed chart below.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs. Z Fold 7: Specifications and prices

Prakhar Khanna is a CNET Writer with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives on chaos–combining deadlines and travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza places wherever he goes. Her backpack usually carries one phone too many, and her playlists are packed with 2000s Bollywood. Find him on social media @ParkyPrakhar. Contact: parkydoesstuff(at)gmail(dot)com

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