Samsung Officially Announces Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with Upgraded Specs

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra foldable smartphone, the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the new flagship in the company's expanded foldable lineup. The model brings improvements across the board over its predecessor, with a higher-resolution display, a sharper ultrawide camera, a bigger battery and a faster processor. It's not to be confused with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, an all-new (slightly cheaper) model with a smaller but much wider display.

Before diving into the specs, it's worth a look at the dimensions and displays of both new Z Fold 8 phones to understand the difference. The new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has nearly identical dimensions to the Z Fold 7 but is 0.1 mm thinner at 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1 mm unfolded. However, the Z Fold 8 is actually wider than the Z Fold 8 Ultra is tall, at 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 mm unfolded.

That's reflected in the unfolded screen resolution as well: 2,504 x 2,256 for the Z Fold 8 Ultra and 1,848 x 2,448 for the Z Fold 8. The cover screens, meanwhile, are 1,080 x 2,520 for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and 1,248 x 1,972 for the Z Fold 8. All displays on both devices use Samsung's AMOLED 2X tech with 120Hz adaptive refresh rates and Vision Booster.

Weight is always a concern with foldable phones, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is among the lightest out there at 215 grams (7.58 oz), more than 40 grams less than the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the same as the Z Fold 7. Samsung didn't tout any big changes in the hinge design, which shouldn't be an issue because the previous model "glides open and closed like a dream," we wrote in our Engadget review, while offering IP48 dust and water resistance.

Though the design is largely unchanged, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a number of spec upgrades. The 200-megapixel main camera has the same resolution as before but has been upgraded with high dynamic range (HDR) for richer, brighter images. It now offers a new 50MP ultrawide camera, up from 12MP, offering more detail in both wide and close-up shots, though the 10MP telephoto camera is unchanged. Another key update is the addition of an APV codec and Cine LUT that allows for higher-quality and more flexible 8K video.

Naturally, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has the latest (but now slightly old) Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip, promising smoother app switching and better support for the large display. It also comes with a larger 5,000 mAh battery, up from 4,400 mAh before. Samsung also introduced a new dual-path charging architecture with 45-watt fast charging, which it says helps distribute power more efficiently across the battery system for more stable and reliable charging.