For the better part of the past decade, Samsung has been a pioneer in the foldable space and it’s been an astonishing journey from the clunky original Z Fold to the brand new Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. What began as a novelty—a chonker of a smartphone that doubled as a tablet—has quickly become the sleek, light, sturdy, versatile mainstay for users who don’t want to compromise.
After spending two weeks with the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, the most undeniable thing about this phone is that it finally feels like any other smartphone out there. Gone are the days that a foldable was roughly the size (and thickness) of an ice cream sandwich. I constantly found myself marveling at the size and shape of this little transformer.
When compared to Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max, the Z Fold8 Ultra is actually a few millimeters thinner when it’s folded at its thickest, and razor-thin when unfolded. It’s an impossible form factor that Samsung has pulled off and sets a high bar for anyone else joining the foldable space.
Folded, this phone feels like any other glass slate smartphone out there, but unfolded is where it shines. Samsung’s improved Flex Titanium display technology minimizes the visibility of the crease while increasing durability, making the transition between phone and tablet feel more seamless than ever. The pulling and pushing required to change the Z Fold8 Ultra’s form is more satisfying and less delicate than any previous iteration of Samsung’s folding devices.
Form factor was clearly a priority for Samsung here but the on-board AI was not far behind it on the list. Galaxy AI, which leverages Google’s Gemini, is a big part of the experience and, mercifully, Samsung has approached AI here with a light touch.
Features like Now Nudge pop up intuitively in places that make sense, like texts talking about activities that should be added to the calendar. It’s a small notification that can easily be ignored but usually has good reason to be there. AI can often be as annoying as Microsoft’s old Clippy when done wrong and I’m happy to report that’s not the case here. Of course, invoking the system AI still delivers a more traditional digital assistant experience when I’m actively seeking it to answer a question or perform a task.
Powering everything is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processor, giving the Fold8 Ultra more than enough horsepower for demanding workloads, console-quality gaming and Samsung’s expanding collection of the aforementioned, on-device AI features. The upgraded CPU, GPU and neural processing capabilities keep multitasking smooth even when several applications are running simultaneously across the large display.
Combined with a high capacity battery engineered specifically for the foldable design, the Fold8 Ultra is built to get through the day, no matter how big a workload I threw at it, even when most of that was done powering the full tablet display.
Samsung has spent years perfecting folding OLED displays, and the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra showcases that expertise. The expansive 8-inch unfolded main screen is incredibly bright and vibrant, includes Vision Booster technology and the low reflection surface makes a decent difference when using the phone outdoors in summer sunlight.
The screen does an admirable job in terms of both normal use of texting and emails and also for content creation and consumption. That’s especially important because the extra screen real estate makes split-screen multitasking genuinely useful, allowing multiple applications to sit side by side without feeling cramped. Phones that don’t fold simply can’t do this and not having to swipe around from app to app is a genuinely big step forward in the way we use these devices.
Samsung is well aware that they can’t call a phone their flagship in 2026 without serious camera capabilities. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra features a three lens array covering telephoto, wide and ultra-wide perspectives, delivering detailed images whether you’re capturing landscapes or everyday moments. In my experience it’s…fine. Genuine photogs will probably find it coming up short with too much color correction and gimmicks but the average person is going love the versatility and get great shots on both the front and rear-facing cameras.
One of the Fold8 Ultra’s more unique tricks is Dual Recording, which lets both the photographer and subject see the composition using the cover display while recording video. It’s just one example of Samsung’s creative use of the unique form factor of the Fold lineup and one that is a welcome addition to using the Fold8 Ultra to make videos of themselves.
The real magic of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra isn’t any single specification. It’s the flexibility it delivers every single day. Closed, it slips into your pocket and behaves like a premium flagship smartphone that’s comfortable to use one-handed. Open, it becomes a capable tablet that really makes the most of its unique form to transform productivity, entertainment and multitasking, delivering tablet functions without the need to carry a second device. That’s ultimately the Fold8 Ultra’s greatest achievement. Samsung hasn’t simply built a better foldable. It’s built a phone that finally makes carrying a foldable feel like the obvious choice.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is available for pre-order now with the phone making its way out into the wild on August 7th. Starting at $2,099.99 for the 256GB model, Samsung is offering up some aggressive trade-in deals (up to $1,200 instantly off with eligible trade-in) as well as carrier contracts and retail partner discounts. Even if there’s no trade-in in play, pre-ordering on Samsung.com will give an instant $200 discount for when the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra drops this week.