| MAIN: 8.0" LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 3000 nits | COVER: 6.5" TPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ 3000 nits | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| 200MP + 50MP (UW) + 10MP 3X tele | 10MP Selfie + 10MP Selfie | 5000mAh SiC+ 45W + 20W (wireless) |
For years, foldable phones have promised the future while asking buyers to accept a few compromises. They were thicker than conventional flagships, rarely matched the best camera phones, and the crease across the main display constantly reminded you that two panels sat beneath the glass. Considering their eye-watering prices, those trade-offs never felt insignificant.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra though, suggests that Samsung is finally ready to move beyond that formula. Instead of relying on a routine chipset upgrade, the company has refined the hardware in meaningful ways. The phone measures 4.1mm when unfolded, is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and features an inner display where the crease is barely visible.
What makes this launch interesting, however, is Samsung's lineup. The redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers a wider, conventional approach, leaving the Ultra to perfect the tall foldable formula. After spending two weeks with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as my phone, I wanted to find out whether its upgrades make it the flagship to beat in 2026.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't try to impress you with flashy styling. Instead, it's the engineering that grabs your attention. The moment you pick it up, it's difficult not to wonder how Samsung has managed to fit flagship-grade hardware into a chassis this slim.
Folded shut, the phone measures just 8.9mm, putting it in the same league as many conventional flagship smartphones. Unfolded though, it sits at 4.1mm. That in itself is pretty incredible. Samsung has managed to shave off 0.1mm from the Z Fold 7, and while it may not seem that big a deal, trust me, it is.
More importantly, it weighs only 215 grams, making it surprisingly comfortable to carry and use throughout the day. Earlier Fold models often felt hefty after prolonged use, but that is no longer the case. The weight distribution is well balanced, and the phone never feels cumbersome despite housing two displays.
Samsung has also redesigned its hinge. Dubbed the Armor FlexHinge, it combines titanium alloy with Armour Aluminium to deliver a reassuringly solid feel. Opening and closing the device is smooth and controlled, with just the right amount of resistance. The two halves shut completely flat without leaving a visible gap, while the unfolded display locks firmly into place with virtually no flex or unwanted movement.
Durability has also seen subtle refinements. The Fold 8 Ultra retains an IP48 rating, offering protection against freshwater immersion as well as larger dust particles. It still isn't a phone I'd casually take to a beach, but it feels robust enough for everyday life.
My review unit in Violet Shadow looked particularly striking, although Graphite and Cream are available for those who prefer understated finishes. The satin-textured rear glass resists fingerprints well, helping the phone maintain its clean appearance. Everything about the Fold 8 Ultra, from the materials to the fit and finish, reinforces its position as Samsung's premium flagship foldable.
One of my biggest issues with Samsung's earlier Fold devices was the cover screen. It always felt a little too narrow, especially when typing with two hands, which meant I would often unfold the phone even for relatively simple tasks. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra improves that experience considerably.
The 6.5-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display now feels much closer to using a conventional smartphone. The wider aspect ratio makes browsing, replying to messages and navigating apps far more comfortable. Two-thumb typing is also considerably easier, although the proportions still take some getting used to.
Samsung hasn't cut corners on display quality either. Both panels support an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate and can hit 3,000 nits of peak brightness. Outdoor visibility is excellent, while scrolling and animations remain wonderfully fluid.
Unfold the phone and you get the real attraction: an 8-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. Colours are rich, blacks are appropriately deep and HDR10+ content looks fantastic. The squarish aspect ratio means some videos still have noticeable black bars, but the sheer size makes watching content incredibly immersive.
More importantly, Samsung has made the crease far less distracting. It hasn't disappeared completely. You'll still spot it under overhead lighting or when viewing the screen from certain angles, but during normal use, I rarely noticed it. Even running a finger across the centre produces only a slight indentation.
Samsung's anti-reflective coating and Vision Booster further improve the experience, particularly outdoors or under harsh lighting. Whether I was reading articles, editing documents, watching videos or running apps side-by-side, the inner display remained the biggest reason I enjoyed using the Fold 8 Ultra.
Camera performance has often been one of the biggest compromises on foldable phones, but that gap has narrowed considerably with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung has retained the excellent 200MP primary sensor from last year's model, and it continues to deliver the kind of results you'd expect from a premium flagship.
In daylight, photos are packed with detail, colours look vibrant without appearing overprocessed, and Samsung's Quad Pixel autofocus locks onto subjects quickly. The 2x in-sensor crop is particularly useful, producing sharp images that don't feel like digitally zoomed shots. Once the sun goes down, the combination of the bright f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation helps retain detail while keeping noise under control.
The biggest hardware improvement comes from the ultra-wide camera. Samsung has swapped the older 12MP sensor for a much sharper 50MP unit, and the difference is immediately noticeable. Landscapes look cleaner across the frame, distortion around the edges is well managed, and the addition of autofocus means the lens doubles as a surprisingly capable macro camera.
Completing the rear setup is a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and OIS. Portraits come out looking natural with pleasing background separation, while images remain sharp up to the optical zoom range. Push beyond that and finer details begin to soften, although overall quality remains respectable.
Selfies are handled by two 10MP cameras. The outer camera is better suited to everyday selfies, while the wider inner camera works well for group shots and video calls.
Video recording is another area where the Fold 8 Ultra impresses. Stabilisation is excellent thanks to the combination of OIS and gyro-EIS, autofocus tracks subjects confidently, and footage remains smooth even while walking. You can record in 8K at 30fps or 4K at up to 120fps, with support for both 10-bit HDR and HDR10+ recording, producing footage with impressive dynamic range and colour depth.
My only real complaint is the noticeable colour shift when switching between lenses mid-recording. It isn't a deal-breaker, but it does interrupt what is otherwise one of the most polished camera experiences on a foldable smartphone.
Powering the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the fastest Android phones you can buy today.
The synthetic benchmarks reflect that performance. The Fold 8 Ultra scored 3,351,472 in AnTuTu, 22,054 in the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test, while Geekbench returned scores of 3,617 in the single-core test and 10,845 in the multi-core test.
Those numbers translate well into everyday use. Throughout my time with the device, I never encountered slowdowns, regardless of the workload. Running multiple apps side by side on the expansive inner display, editing 4K videos in VN or jumping between demanding apps felt effortless, with the phone remaining consistently responsive.
Samsung has also improved thermal management with a redesigned graphite cooling structure, and the difference is noticeable during extended gaming sessions. BGMI comfortably held close to 120fps whether I played folded or unfolded, while temperatures stayed surprisingly well under control. The phone only became noticeably warm during benchmark testing, which is expected from any flagship chipset.
For a device this slim, the Fold 8 Ultra delivers outstanding sustained performance without compromising on stability or efficiency.
Battery life has traditionally been one of the weaker aspects of foldable phones, largely because fitting a large cell into such a slim chassis isn't easy. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra changes that with Samsung's first-ever 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, allowing the company to improve efficiency without increasing the phone's size.
In everyday use, which included emails, web browsing, photography, streaming and a bit of gaming across both displays, the Fold 8 Ultra comfortably lasted an entire day. By bedtime, I usually had around 20 to 25 per cent battery remaining, making it reliable enough for heavy users.
Charging has also improved. Samsung's new 45W dual-path charging system takes the battery from empty to around 65 per cent in roughly 30 minutes, with a full charge taking under an hour. Wireless charging now tops out at 20W, although you'll still need a MagSafe-style case if you want magnetic accessories, as Samsung continues to omit built-in magnets.
Great hardware is only half the story with a foldable. What ultimately sets the experience apart is how well the software takes advantage of the larger display, and this is where Samsung continues to stay ahead of the competition.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra ships with One UI 9 based on Android 17, and it makes excellent use of the expansive inner screen. The persistent taskbar gives the interface a tablet-like feel, making it easy to launch recently used apps or switch between tasks. Multitasking is effortless. Running three apps side by side, opening floating windows or dragging content between applications all feels intuitive rather than gimmicky. Over time, I found myself relying on these features far more than I expected.
Samsung's Galaxy AI suite also feels meaningfully integrated instead of existing purely for marketing. Live Interpreter with Dual Screen View is one of the standout features. Fold the phone partially, place it on a table, and each person can view translated conversations on their respective side of the display, making face-to-face communication remarkably natural.
I also came to appreciate Note Assist during long meetings. It can transcribe conversations, generate concise summaries and even identify action points directly within Samsung Notes, making it a genuinely useful productivity tool. The Generative Photo Editor is equally polished, allowing you to remove distractions, extend backgrounds or refine images in just a few taps, with results that are often surprisingly convincing.
Rounding things off is Samsung's software support promise. The company is committing to seven years of Android OS upgrades and security updates, ensuring the Fold 8 Ultra remains relevant long after most smartphones would have reached the end of their software lifecycle. On a device at this price, that level of long-term support is reassuring and adds meaningful value beyond the hardware itself.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't a revolutionary leap over its predecessor, but it doesn't need to be. Instead, Samsung has focused on refining the experience in all the right places. The phone is slimmer, lighter and easier to use than previous generations, the crease is less distracting, the cover display finally feels practical, and the cameras no longer feel like a compromise compared to traditional flagship phones. Add dependable battery life and class-leading performance, and you have a foldable that delivers on almost every front.
What stood out to me most was how quickly the novelty of the folding screen disappeared. Rather than constantly reminding me I was using a foldable, the Z Fold 8 Ultra simply behaved like a premium flagship that could transform into a compact tablet whenever I needed more screen space. That's exactly how a foldable should feel.
At ₹2,00,000 for the base 12GB + 256GB variant, this is undeniably a luxury purchase. But if you're after the most polished foldable experience currently available, whether for productivity, entertainment or simply having the most versatile smartphone on the market, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is easy to recommend. It sets a new benchmark for what a premium foldable should be.