Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 'Wide' or Ultra – which should you buy? I tried both, so you don't have to

This is Samsung's eighth year making folding phones – but it's a significantly different year to any prior, as the Korean giant has officially revealed not one foldable, but two.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the 'renamed' flagship, following the same fundamental design and proportions as the previous Z Fold 7, but with some core hardware updates.

The big change for 2026? The introduction of a Galaxy Z Fold 8 – which some are calling the 'Wide', given its form – with an all-new aspect ratio that stands it apart from the Ultra.

So you now have a choice in foldables. But which would be best for you and why? Ahead of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked summer 2026 showcase I got to see both handsets in person – here's how they differ and my key takeaways.

Price

At present I only have the UK pricing for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, but USA and Australian pricing will follow – as both devices are slated to launch in those regions.

The Z Fold 8 is priced from £1,699, whereas the Z Fold 8 Ultra is from £1,899. That's for the 256GB model, with the 512GB or 1TB options costing yet more (amount undisclosed at the time of writing).

The on-sale date is expected to be 4 August 2026, with pre-order deals available prior. Samsung Store will have exclusive (green-themed) colourways, with the table below detailing what's available:

Display Sizes

The most obvious difference between these two foldables is their sizes, as result of their differing display aspect ratios.

You can see why the Z Fold 8 has been dubbed the 'Wide' already, while the Ultra goes down the tried-and-tested route – with its taller and skinnier external display.

Samsung's take is that the Z Fold 8 is engineered for content consumption above all else. The Ultra, meanwhile, is a little more 'business', yet still good for content if that's your main goal – its internal display has a larger surface area overall.

The aspect ratios are vastly different between the two. The Z Fold 8's 5.5-inch external display almost sounds small by today's standards. It's not, though, it's just wide rather than extending tall across its 16:10 aspect ratio.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra, meanwhile, maintains the 21:9 aspect ratio for its rear display, which has attracted criticism in the past for being too narrow. I've tended to find that gives greater reason to use the unfolded display, though, which is fitting for such a product.

Once opened, the Z Fold 8's 4:3 aspect ratio is an uncommon sight in the world of Android. Not even Android tablets elect for this aspect ratio, with perhaps the OnePlus Pad 2 from 2024 representing the closest (at 7:5).

What is in 4:3, though? Well, an Apple iPad. How Samsung will leverage this much-utilised form to its own advantage we'll have to wait and see. But I suspect that come September this year, we'll have an iPhone Fold/Ultra to compete – and this will be the new 'standard' in foldables. Samsung got there first, though.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra's internal panel is akin to two 6.5-inch displays presented side-by-side, which is great for multi-tasking. The 8-inch measure across the diagonal is as big as it gets, too, just as it was in the previous model.

What has changed significantly for this internal panel, however, is the fundamental hardware beneath, in what Samsung calls Flex Titanium technology. Ingeniously, Samsung has devised a way to laser-etch a titanium plate so that it'll fold, maintaining rigidity and flatness – which is ideal to negate the 'crease' so often maligned in foldables. It's done that best job at that I've ever seen, too.

Now, don't panic, both the Z Fold 8 Ultra and the wider Z Fold 8 get Flex Titanium as part of their build. Their hinges feel different, though, with the wide model 'snapping' into place, whereas the gentler feel of the Ultra can be positioned from flat, through to V-shape, or completely closed.

While I got the perception that the Z Fold 8's display was brighter in my side-by-side viewing (brightness manually pushed to maximum), the core spec reads that they're both the same with a 3,000 nit peak. So there's no compromise in picking one or other – it's literally down to the size, shape and aspect ratio use that will work best for you.

Core Spec

Aside from aspect ratio, then, how does the Ultra justify its more elaborate name? In terms of core spec, the two foldables also aren't dramatically different – as you can see from the table above.

Both use Qualcomm's current flagship chipset, upgraded with 'for Galaxy' designation (meaning it's overclocked for extra power), the same amount of RAM and storage. Neither is S Pen compatible, so no stylus options here.

A major new addition is that, finally, Samsung has ventured from using a lithium-polymer battery to a silicon-carbon type. This means greater density in a smaller footprint and, ultimately, improved longevity.

Both Z Fold 8 and Ultra devices have this Si-C battery type, but the 4,800mAh capacity of the former is bettered in the Ultra, which has a 5,000mAh total capacity. I'd consider that similar, however, in light of the display sizes – one has more pixels to power, after all.

Both handsets split this across two cells rather than one, which is why the 45W charging is faster than it may read – with at least 63% charge in 30 minutes (it's 67% for the Ultra, given how the duo of cells is divided).

Cameras

If anything, therefore, it's the cameras that provide the Ultra with its namesake. That's because it features a trio, including a zoom, just like the previous Z Fold 7 did – indeed, they're exactly the same cameras, with no upgrades for this generation.

The Z Fold 8, meanwhile, drops to a duo of cameras instead, with a pair of 50-megapixel sensors handling the main and ultra-wide offering. Zoom is digital-only, cutting out that more advanced offering from the wider foldable.

This would go some way to explaining the price difference between the pair, of course. Both still awkwardly 'wobble' when placed on a desk, given how the cameras protrude from the rear of each device.

The key, therefore, is whether you want a proper zoom lens. The 50-megapixel versus 200MP is neither here nor there, really, given how processing sees typical output vastly reduced in output size anyway.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide vs Ultra: Verdict

In a nutshell: the all-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the wider aspect ratio option designed with content consumption in mind. It ditches a camera in favour of price, with the core hardware otherwise akin to the Z Fold 8 Ultra's outlay.

Why spend the extra for the Ultra instead? If the tall-and-narrow format suits you better – and that bigger interior screen overall – then it's the better match. The Flex Titanium technology does wonders for the crease – but you get that on the wider model, too.

Scrub any thought about the cameras, therefore, and the key difference between these two foldables is very much their aspect ratio. They're markedly different, which marks an exciting new option in this market – and what is quite likely to become the foldable 'norm' this year and beyond.