Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Review: A Powerhouse Foldable That Almost Hits Perfection

The New Era of Foldables: Entering the 'Ultra' Territory

For years, Samsung has dominated the foldable market with the Z Fold series, but the updates often felt incremental. With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the company has finally shifted gears. This isn't just a rebranding exercise; it is a deliberate attempt to bring the raw power and premium capabilities of the S-series 'Ultra' phones into the foldable form factor.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra maintains a similar silhouette to its predecessor, the Z Fold 7, but beneath the surface, it is a different beast. From a massive leap in battery longevity to a display that defies the glare of the midday sun, Samsung is attempting to justify a premium price tag with genuine hardware innovation.

Display Brilliance and Visibility

One of the most immediate upgrades is the screen. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features an 8-inch AMOLED main display and a 6.5-inch cover display, both supporting adaptive refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz. However, the real story is the brightness. Rated at up to 3,000 nits, our real-world testing measured a peak of 2,687 nits, making it the brightest phone we have ever tested, narrowly edging out the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Coupled with a sophisticated new anti-reflective coating, the screen remains perfectly legible even in direct sunlight—even for users wearing sunglasses. While the internal crease remains visible, the overall visual experience is the most refined in the series' history.

Performance: The 'For Galaxy' Advantage

For the first time, Samsung has equipped its foldable with the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. Previously, foldables received the standard flagship chip, but the 'for Galaxy' variant provides a measurable performance boost.

In Geekbench 6 tests, the Z Fold 8 Ultra scored 3,733 in single-core and 11,457 in multi-core performance, significantly outpacing the Z Fold 7. This power translates into a seamless gaming experience; titles like PUBG Mobile run at maximum settings without the device overheating, proving that the thermal management is finally catching up to the raw power.

Battery Life: A Long-Overdue Leap

Battery anxiety has long plagued foldable users, but the Z Fold 8 Ultra addresses this with a new 5,000 mAh battery—the same capacity found in the S26 Ultra. Our custom 5G web surfing test resulted in a runtime of 14 hours and 33 minutes, a staggering improvement over the Z Fold 7's 10 hours and 44 minutes.

Charging speeds have also improved with 45W wired charging, which we found to be even more efficient than Samsung's official claims, hitting 76% charge in just 30 minutes. Additionally, the upgrade to the Qi2.2 wireless charging protocol brings 20W speeds, though it still trails slightly behind the 25W standard seen in some competitors.

Camera Capabilities: Highs and Lows

The Z Fold 8 Ultra inherits the 200MP main sensor from the S26 Ultra, and the results are breathtaking. Images are sharper and more detailed than those from the iPhone 17 Pro Max, particularly when zooming in on fine textures. The new 50MP ultra-wide lens also provides a significant resolution bump over the Z Fold 7, removing the 'washed out' look previously associated with wide shots.

However, the camera system isn't without flaws. The 10MP telephoto lens is a weak link. While 3x optical zoom is passable, anything beyond that results in a significant drop in quality, making the zoom experience feel outdated compared to the rest of the hardware.

AI Integration and the 'Now Nudge'

Samsung is leaning heavily into AI with the introduction of Now Nudge. This contextual tool surfaces relevant information—like email reminders or calendar events—during phone calls or browsing. When combined with the Fold's multitasking capabilities, you can tap a nudge and instantly open the relevant app in split-screen mode.

Another standout feature is MyFanCam, which uses AI to isolate a specific person in a video and make them the center of attention. While it works flawlessly for humans, the AI still struggles to recognize and track pets, highlighting a quirk in its current training.

The Trade-offs: Price and the Missing S Pen

The 'Ultra' experience comes with a cost. For the third consecutive year, Samsung has raised the starting price by $100, bringing the 256GB model to $2,099. With the cost of high-end RAM and storage rising globally, this is expected, but it makes the device a massive investment.

Perhaps most disappointing is the continued lack of S Pen support. To reduce the device's thickness, Samsung removed the digitizer layer. This leaves a void in productivity for users who rely on a stylus for note-taking or precision editing on the large 8-inch canvas.

Final Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a triumphant leap forward. By aligning its internals with the S26 Ultra, Samsung has eliminated the performance gap between folding and non-folding phones. While the telephoto lens is underwhelming and the price is steep, the combination of a world-class display, exceptional battery life, and raw power makes it the definitive foldable for power users. It isn't perfect, but it is undeniably the most capable foldable ever made.