Samsung has unveiled its next generation of folding phones at the Galaxy Unpacked July 2026 event. It consists of the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 8, the all-new wide Z Fold 8, and, for the first time, an Ultra model in this lineup, the Z Fold 8 Ultra.
While the wide-fold is my favorite of the lot, the phonemaker has added some much-needed experiential upgrades to the Fold 7 successor. It has a bigger battery, anti-reflective screen, and some crucial design refinements to make the phone easier to open. I went hands-on with all three models ahead of the launch, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the most polished foldable Samsung has ever made.
Samsung’s new Ultra model is easier to unfold than the Fold 7. It has a new titanium plate on the inside to strengthen the display and make it easier to open. This is paired with minor design changes to the sides of the phone, so your thumb gets a better grip when unfolding the device.
Once unfolded, you are greeted with another major design improvement: the anti-reflective coating on the inner screen. Ever since I used the Oppo Find N5 and Find N6, I’ve wanted my Fold 7 to have this feature, and I’m glad Samsung has finally added it.
The phonemaker says its new Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra reduce glare by 50% compared to the last-gen model. I held them under direct artificial light side by side, and the difference was noticeable. The crease is also less deep than before. It is barely visible unless you’re looking for it. The new phone also unfolds fully flat, unlike its predecessor.
Like the Fold 7, Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a 6.5-inch cover screen and an 8-inch folding screen. Both are AMOLED displays with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. The only difference I could notice was on the inner screen and its matte finish. The big canvas is also brighter at 3,000 nits (vs. 2,600 nits on the Fold 7). You can expect better legibility and readability under harsh lighting conditions this time around.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has the same cameras as its predecessor, barring one sensor: the ultrawide camera has been upgraded from a 12MP sensor to a 50MP sensor. Otherwise, you get the same 200MP main camera and a 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom on the new device.
It supports the Galaxy S26 series’ Horizontal Lock stabilization feature and can shoot videos in 8K at 30 frames per second. The Fold 8 Ultra also brings support for the APV codec and adds Cine LUT to give cinematic color and tone control directly from your phone. This feature might appeal to creatives because it adds greater flexibility for editing and production workflows.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, which is paired with up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM (both the 256GB and 512GB models get 12GB of RAM). Samsung says it has created more space inside the phone thanks to the thinner titanium alloy layer. This should theoretically help with better thermal management.
The Korean company is also using a silicon-carbon anode battery for the first time. It has allowed the phonemaker to add a 5,000mAh cell inside the Fold 8 Ultra (up from a 4,400mAh battery on the Fold 7). This is still quitel ess than Oppo and Honor’s 6,000mAh+ cells on their foldables, but I’m looking forward to how it performs in real-world use.
The new Ultra also supports 45W fast wired charging and 25W wireless charging. However, there’s no Qi2 support, so you’ll need to buy a separate case if you want compatibility with Qi2 wireless chargers and other magnetic accessories.
All three Samsung foldables run One UI 9, based on Android 17. I haven’t had the time to check for new features and can’t comment on the smoothness based on my one-hour hands-on time, but there are a few additions throughout the system.
For instance, Now Nudge can display contextual actions based on on-screen information. If you are messaging your friend and they send you an invite with event details, Now Nudge will show a pop-up to add the details to Calendar and open a new window in split-screen for quicker access.
There’s a new agentic AI feature that can perform actions based on the on-screen information. During my hands-on, the Samsung demo official asked Gemini to book a hotel based on an on-screen photo of the Eiffel Tower. The demo kept loading or didn’t work at all across multiple tries. I don’t think I’ll be using this feature anyway. It is yet another party trick in Android’s AI feature set.
From my brief hands-on, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra feels like a meaningful refinement over its predecessor. The easier unfolding experience, anti-reflective inner display, and larger battery make it feel more polished than ever. Unfortunately, it comes at a time when electronics prices are on the rise, and Samsung’s new foldables haven’t been spared. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has received a $100 price hike and now starts at $2,099 for the base 256GB model.
