With the launch of iPhone Duo, Apple has seriously shaken up Samsung’s hold on the foldable smartphone market. While the latter has thus far been leading the charts with its Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Apple’s iPhone Duo is no slouch either. Let’s find out which of the two foldable phones is right for you.
iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Design and Build
- iPhone Duo’s titanium and aluminium frame is structurally tougher, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s Armour Aluminium keeps it thinner and more lightweight.
- Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is protected with Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, while the iPhone Duo has a Ceramic Shield glass.
- iPhone Duo has a near-creaseless hinge, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s crease becomes visible after a few weeks.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the iPhone Duo are both book-style foldables. Still, they couldn’t look any more different if they tried.
Where the Z Fold 8 Ultra is taller and narrower, the iPhone Duo is wider and more compact. Where the Z Fold 8 Ultra is straight and sharp, the iPhone Duo is softer and more rounded along the edges. Between the two, the iPhone Duo is much more comfortable to hold.
On the back, the dual cameras on the iPhone Duo are set horizontally, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra flaunts a three-camera vertical bar.
Both the foldables are extremely well built. But the iPhone Duo’s aluminium-and-titanium build has a tougher exterior compared to the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s Armour Aluminium, which leans towards being more lightweight.
At only 215 grams, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is much lighter than the iPhone Duo's 252-gram weight. And with a thickness of 4.1mm when open and 8.9mm when folded, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is one of the thinnest foldables out there. The Duo, on the other hand, measures 11.3 mm folded and 5.2 mm unfolded.
However, the almost-creaseless hinge on the iPhone Duo is quite something to behold. Apple has worked a great deal on the Ultra’s liquid metal hinge to reduce display creases while simultaneously improving durability. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s crease isn’t too bad either, but it does become pronounced with long-term use, as we found out in our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra makes quite a splash, with a wider colour palette to choose from, including Violet Shadow, Graphite, Cream, and an online-exclusive Green Shadow finish. On the other hand, the iPhone Duo has two colour options.
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iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Display
- Unfolded, both the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are about the same size (7.6 and 8 inches, respectively).
- Folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is taller, while the iPhone Duo is wider.
- Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s Dynamic AMOLED 2x screens are a tad bit brighter and more power efficient than iPhone Duo’s OLED screens.
The inner screen on both foldables is around the same size, as is the smoothness, thanks to their 120Hz display. The dynamic AMOLED 2X main display on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is very impressive in terms of colour depth. Along with the 3,000 nits of peak brightness, its anti-reflective coating makes it super easy to read in direct sunlight.
The iPhone Duo stays on par with the Z Fold 8 Ultra. The Super Retina XDR OLEDs reach the same peak brightness, while the matte finish on the inner display works to reduce glare. In any case, you won't find any problem viewing it in direct sunlight.
Both devices support HDR10+ playback, so there's also never going to be an issue consuming media on either one.
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iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Hardware
- The iPhone Duo is rocking Apple's first 2nm-process A20 Pro chip.
- Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3 nm process.
- iPhone Duo has 12 GB LPDDR5X memory with 256 GB storage, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a 12 GB and a 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM variant.
The A20 Pro chip on the iPhone Duo is Apple’s first 2 nm chipset. While the CPU maintains the 6-core layout found on the previous A19 Pro chipset, there is one extra GPU core this time (bringing the total GPU core count to 7) that boosts iPhone Duo’s gaming capabilities. The A20 Pro also changes up the core architecture design. With the memory dies now placed alongside the processor, the iPhone Duo is not only fast but much more efficient than older iPhones.
On the other hand, the 3 nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra falls slightly behind in comparison. Still, with the primary cores pushed up to 4.74 GHz, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is one of the fastest Android smartphones out there.
The base variants of both the foldables have 12 GB LPDDR5X memory and 256 GB storage. But the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also has a 16 GB RAM variant.
Still, even with Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s additional RAM, it would be hard to look past Apple’s new 2 nm chip, which is more graphically capable and efficient than before.
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iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Software
- The iPhone Duo has iOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and an improved Siri AI.
- Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is running Android 17 with One UI 9.
- The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will get 7 years of software and security updates, but Apple’s remain uncertain (typically 6 years).
Software is where the differences between the foldables become apparent. The Android 17-based Galaxy UI 9 on the Z Fold 8 Ultra is chock full of Galaxy AI features.
On top of that, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has also received Gemini Intelligence – a suite of Google Gemini features that understand natural languages and provide suggestions based on what’s on your screen.
But there’s no doubt that the iPhone Duo feels better optimised. Being an iPhone, the hardware is designed to fit hand-in-glove with the software, which makes everyday usage much faster. iOS 27 also has some serious heft this time around, packed with a matured Apple Intelligence framework and Siri AI that’s actually improved.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets 7 years of software and security updates, a commitment Samsung’s been making since the launch of the Galaxy S24 series in 2024. For the iPhone Duo, the timeline is not so specific. Apple doesn’t like committing to a number. But it tends to extend support for at least 6 years for most iPhones. For example, the iPhone 11 has received as many as 8 years of software support.
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iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Camera
- iPhone Duo has a dual-camera setup on the back, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra boasts a triple-camera setup.
- The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s 200MP main sensor looks good on paper, but the iPhone Duo’s 48 MP main camera holds its own.
- Galaxy Z Fold Ultra has a 10MP telephoto and a 50MP ultra-wide, but the iPhone is limited to a 12 MP ultra-wide.
The camera setup is another area where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lords it over the newcomer. With a 200 MP main camera, an upgraded 50 MP ultra-wide, and a 10 MP telephoto to boot, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra looks like the clear winner, on paper at least.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra takes exceptional photos with plenty of detail, with more than capable night photography. The ultra-wide is surprisingly good and captures detail-rich images. However, the 3x telephoto camera capabilities are suspect and don’t always produce sharp images.
But the iPhone Duo’s 48 MP Fusion main and 48 MP ultra-wide cameras don’t hang back either. With a marginally better sensor (1/1.28-inch) than the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s (1/1.3-inch), the iPhone Duo will capture spectacular images, despite a lower megapixel count.
In terms of video recording, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s main camera can record up to 8K @ 30 FPS, while the iPhone Duo maxes out at 4K @ 60 FPS.
As for the selfie camera, the iPhone Duo’s 12MP front cameras (folded and unfolded) are slightly better than Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s 10MP front cameras, though the latter can record 4K UHD videos at 60 FPS, giving it a slight edge.
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iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Battery Capacity
- iPhone Duo comes with a battery that Apple claims will last up to 31 hours of video playback.
- The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra carries a 5000mAh battery.
- The iPhone Duo comes with 60W wired charging while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra supports 45W charging
Both smartphones could have similar battery capacities. Apple claims the iPhone Duo’s battery will last for up to 31 hours of video playback, and as usual, we don't know the exact battery size. On the contrary, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes with 5,000mAh battery.
Neither of them would come close to making the list for smartphones with the largest battery. It does, however, let them drop some bulk and stay light and slim.
Still, both devices make up for the relatively smaller batteries in more ways than one. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets 45W wired charging. The iPhone Duo, on the other hand, with 60W wired charging, can go up to 50% in half an hour, which are very respectable numbers.
iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?
Before we get to the verdict, let’s take a quick look at the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra key specifications again.
| Specification | iPhone Duo | Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra |
| Display | 7.6-inch (foldable), 5.4-inch (cover) OLED, 120 Hz | 8-inch (foldable), 6.5-inch (cover), Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz |
| Processor | A20 Pro (2 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 12 GB and 256 GB to 2 TB | 12 GB / 16 GB and 256 GB to 1 TB |
| Rear Cameras | 48 MP main + 48 MP ultrawide | 200 MP main + 50 MP ultrawide + 10 MP telephoto |
| Front Cameras | 12 MP | 10 MP |
| Battery | 5,400mAh, 60W | 5000mAh, 45W |
| Build | Hybrid Aluminium-Titanium Frame, Liquid Metal | Armour Aluminium |
| Software | iOS 27 | Android 17, OneUI 9.0 |
| Colours | Star White, Night Sky | Cream, Graphite, Green Shadow, Violet Shadow |
| Starting Price in India | Rs 2,99,900 | Rs 1,99,999 |
The differences between the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are minimal at best.
While iOS 27 may trump One UI 9.0, the iPhone Duo’s camera setup falls short of what the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra can deliver. On the other hand, iPhone Duo’s chip is definitely better than the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s, but the extra RAM on the latter gives it a little more breathing space.
There’s also the price factor to consider. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at Rs 1,99,999. The iPhone Duo starts at Rs 2,99,900, with the highest storage configuration exceeding Rs 4 lakhs.
On most other fronts, from the design and build to the battery, there’s little to set them apart. But it’s the little details where Samsung’s maturity comes through.
For those who cannot do without a telephoto camera, reverse wireless charging, and a little more screen real estate, the choice is clear. But if a better optimised device with a wide near-creaseless screen and a 2-nm chip appeals to you, the iPhone Duo is a superb first foldable by Apple.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra may slightly outperform the iPhone Duo but only by a very narrow margin. But Apple’s foray into the foldable smartphone market brings much-needed competition that is sure to keep everyone else on their toes.
