The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series has reached a new milestone with the introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. Instead of simply refreshing the existing formula, Samsung has finally given its premium foldable the “Ultra” branding, setting higher expectations than ever before.
While the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra doesn’t bring the dramatic redesign many may have hoped for, Samsung has instead focused on refining almost every aspect of the device. From a sturdier display and improved hinge to a larger battery and smarter AI-powered software, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra aims to perfect what was already one of the best foldable smartphones available.
But is the “Ultra” branding enough to justify the upgrade? Let’s find out.
Design
At first glance, it would be easy to mistake the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for last year’s Galaxy Z Fold7. Samsung hasn’t drastically changed the overall appearance, and honestly, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The phone is now ever so slightly thinner when unfolded, measuring just 4.1mm compared to the Fold7’s 4.2mm. While the difference is minimal on paper, Samsung has introduced a completely new hinge mechanism underneath.
The new Armor FlexHinge requires noticeably less effort to open and is assisted by magnets, making unfolding the device feel smoother than before. The only compromise is that the hinge no longer stays firmly at multiple viewing angles like previous generations. Personally, this isn’t a dealbreaker since I rarely used Flex Mode halfway open.
Samsung has also introduced its new Flex Titanium display structure, making the flexible display feel much flatter and more uniform. More importantly, the infamous crease is now significantly smaller and much harder to notice both visually and when swiping across the screen.
The rest of the construction remains familiar. The frame continues to use Armor Aluminum, while the cover screen is now protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 3, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protecting the rear panel.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra also retains its IP48 rating for water and dust resistance.
Overall, Samsung didn’t reinvent the Galaxy Z Fold with the Ultra branding. Instead, it polished an already excellent design. As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
Display
Although Samsung spent a lot of time talking about the new aspect ratio of the regular Galaxy Z Fold8, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra still receives several meaningful improvements to its 8-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED inner display.
The resolution has increased to 2,256 × 2,504 pixels while retaining HDR10+ support. Combined with the new Flex Titanium structure, the display feels flatter and considerably more premium.
The most noticeable improvement is the crease. It is far less visible than before, and after using the phone for a short while, I barely noticed or felt it at all.
Samsung has also added a new anti-reflective coating to the inner display, making outdoor visibility much better. Combined with brightness reaching 3,000 nits, the display remains comfortable to use even under bright sunlight.
Of course, only time will tell whether the crease becomes more noticeable after prolonged use, but during my review period, it was one of the best foldable displays Samsung has produced.
Those expecting a larger screen for watching videos may actually prefer the regular Galaxy Z Fold8 instead. The Ultra’s square aspect ratio isn’t ideal for widescreen content.
Where this display truly shines is productivity. Think of it as having two 6.5-inch displays side by side. Multi Window multitasking, running messaging apps alongside emails, or browsing while taking notes all make excellent use of the available space.
The outer display remains unchanged, featuring the familiar 6.5-inch LTPO OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,080 × 2,520-pixel resolution, which continues to deliver an excellent everyday smartphone experience.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen for Galaxy
Like previous generations, Samsung once again uses an exclusive version of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset.
Powering the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, an overclocked version specifically tuned for Samsung devices.
Memory configurations include:
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage
- 12GB RAM + 512GB storage
- 16GB RAM + 1TB storage
Performance is exactly what you’d expect from a flagship. Apps launch instantly, multitasking is effortless, and gaming performance is excellent.
Benchmark scores are impressive as well.
However, there is one limitation.
Due to its incredibly thin chassis, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra does heat up fairly quickly during extended heavy workloads. Once temperatures rise, thermal throttling kicks in, resulting in reduced sustained performance.
Realistically, this is understandable. Packing one of the fastest mobile processors into a body just over 4mm thick leaves very little room for cooling.
For everyday usage though, this is rarely noticeable.
One UI 9.0
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra ships with One UI 9.0 based on Android 17, along with Samsung’s promise of seven years of Android OS and security updates.
Software remains Samsung’s biggest strength in the foldable space.
While One UI feels familiar, Samsung has refined numerous small interactions that improve everyday usability.
One example is how screen rotation now behaves. If you’re using an app in landscape mode on the inner display before closing the phone, it intelligently maintains that orientation when moving to the cover display instead of unexpectedly rotating.
Samsung has also expanded its AI features significantly.
Now Nudge is now integrated into more parts of the system, intelligently suggesting split-screen actions, launching relevant apps directly from notifications, or assisting while chatting.
One particularly useful example is creating calendar events. When Now Nudge detects relevant information, it instantly opens the Calendar app beside your current application in split-screen mode, eliminating unnecessary app switching.
Call Assist now introduces Call Brief, which actively listens for relevant information during phone conversations. If it recognises something already stored, such as an upcoming meeting in your calendar, it displays the information directly during the call.
Now Brief has become even more personalised with custom cards.
Perhaps the most impressive addition is My FanCam.
This AI-powered video editor automatically tracks a selected person throughout an existing video, intelligently adjusting framing and zoom. It even recognises actions like a basketball being thrown and follows the motion naturally. Better still, it works with compatible existing videos instead of only footage recorded using the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.
Samsung also introduces Gemini Notebook, allowing users to organise notes using photos, voice recordings, documents, presentations and news articles. Gemini can then answer questions based on everything stored inside the notebook, making it much more useful than traditional note-taking.
These aren’t just AI features for marketing purposes. Many of them genuinely improve the foldable experience.
Camera
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra largely carries over the camera hardware from the Galaxy Z Fold7, with one notable improvement.
The rear camera setup consists of:
- 200MP main camera
- 10MP 3x telephoto camera
- New 50MP Sony IMX858 ultra-wide camera
Both selfie cameras are 10MP sensors, although they feature different focal lengths. The cover display camera uses a standard 23mm field of view, while the internal camera offers a much wider 17mm perspective.
Image quality overall remains familiar.
The standout upgrade is undoubtedly the new ultra-wide camera. It captures noticeably sharper images with colours that closely match the main camera, while also delivering excellent dynamic range.
It also performs very well at night and serves as the best option for close-up photography.
The main 200MP camera continues to produce detailed images during daylight, although its 2x crop quality feels more like a compromise than a dedicated zoom solution. Low-light performance is respectable but not class-leading.
Meanwhile, the ageing 10MP 3x telephoto camera is beginning to show its age. Compared to rival foldables, it feels like hardware better suited to Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A series rather than its most premium foldable.
Thankfully, both selfie cameras continue to deliver consistently good-looking results.
Video recording also receives useful additions including Horizontal Lock and support for the APV codec, providing greater flexibility for video creators.
Battery Life
Battery life sees one of the most meaningful hardware upgrades this year. Samsung finally moves to a 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, replacing the previous 4,400mAh unit.
While 5,000mAh may no longer be considered huge by current flagship standards, it makes a noticeable difference in real-world usage.
Throughout my testing, achieving two full days of battery life with moderate use wasn’t difficult at all.
Charging has also improved.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra now supports:
- 45W wired charging
- 25W wireless charging
A full charge from empty takes roughly one hour.
It isn’t the fastest charging solution on the market, but considering the improved battery endurance, it’s a welcome upgrade.
Final Words
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra represents the eighth generation of Samsung’s foldable journey.
Looking back at the original Galaxy Fold that I reviewed six years ago, it’s incredible to see how much Samsung has refined the concept. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra doesn’t attempt to reinvent the foldable formula. Instead, it focuses on meaningful improvements where they matter most.
The upgraded inner display is brighter, flatter, and features a much smaller crease, making it the best foldable display Samsung has produced so far. The larger silicon-carbon battery, faster charging, improved ultra-wide camera, and numerous Galaxy AI enhancements further elevate the overall experience.
That said, Samsung is still playing catch-up in certain areas. Competing foldables continue to offer larger batteries, faster charging, and more advanced camera hardware.
However, software remains Samsung’s biggest advantage. One UI 9.0 delivers the most polished and feature-rich foldable experience available today, with multitasking and AI features that genuinely take advantage of the larger display.
If you’re already using the Galaxy Z Fold7, the upgrade may not feel revolutionary. But for anyone coming from an older Fold or entering the foldable market for the first time, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra remains one of the most complete and refined foldable smartphones you can buy today.
- Z Fold8 Ultra
- 12GB+256GB: RM8,099
- 12GB+512GB: RM8,899
- 16GB+1TB: RM10,499
Yay
- Improved internal display
- Feature-rich software utilises the screen
- Better battery life
Nay
- Unimpressive speakers
- Telephoto camera is still the same
- Small silicon-carbon battery
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