The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra landed in our office and it’s time to unbox it. The phone ships in a plain box with a (3A) USB-C cable. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra ships in Graphite, Cream and Violet Shadow. Samsung.com’s exclusive fourth color is called Green Shadow.
You can have it in 12/256GB or 12/512GB configurations; prices are €2,200 and €2,400, respectively.
You shouldn’t judge the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra on its specs or the way it looks on a webpage. Half of the charm of these folding phones is the way they all feel different than your regular slab phone. And the Galaxy Z Fold7 was the first Samsung foldable to truly feel futuristic – razor-thin and somehow more premium, special even. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra keeps all of that.
It feels wonderful in the hands. It’s squared off on all sides and just feels slim and expertly put together.
It’s not just a physical thing – Samsung’s One UI is the perfect companion to the elegant exterior.
The inner display is less reflective, has less of a crease
Still, it’s important to look at the hardware as well. Despite having the “Ultra” appended to its name, it’s just a Galaxy Z Fold7 successor. There’s no true Ultra-level feature added this year.
What’s new is the bigger 5,000mAh battery – a significant upgrade from the 4,400mAh on last year’s model. Even better, it’s the same 215g weight. The power pack being Samsung’s first Silicon Carbon (Si-C) unit has something to do with it.
Let’s say you’re all in on foldables and you like Samsung’s latest. The question then becomes, which one to get? The short and square Galaxy Z Fold8 presents something no other maker (with Samsung’s global scope, at least) offers for now (until Apple unveils its foldable and can put it on store shelves).
On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the safe choice – a regular phone when closed and a multitasking powerhouse when you need it. You don’t need to make any compromises with the Ultra, nor adapt to a new form factor.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra next to the Z Fold8
The stout foldable is interesting and can make a lot of sense, if you are more into content consumption. It’s stirred some debates here at GSMArena HQ about whether it’s the better overall form factor. Typing on the virtual keyboard is more comfortable on the square screen. Once opened, this folding screen is a better fit for both your phone’s images and typical 16:9 videos.
We’ll come back to this topic in a further comparison soon!
Is the display size difference meaningful?
