The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is finally here, and it lands right as Apple's rumoured foldable, the iPhone Ultra (Fold), keeps inching closer to its own September reveal. Both are shaping up to be the best foldable phones of the year, but should you get this one or wait for Apple's turn? Let me help you decide in this Z Fold 8 Ultra vs iPhone Ultra comparison to find out which phone truly deserves the "Ultra" title.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra May Be Marginally Thinner than iPhone Fold Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the slimmest foldable, measuring 4.1mm unfolded and weighs 215 grams
- iPhone Fold Ultra is rumoured to be 4.5 to 4.8mm unfolded and weigh 255 grams
- The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has an Armour Aluminium chassis, while Apple could use titanium instead
In terms of design, Samsung has had an eight-generation head start compared to Apple when it comes to foldable phones. And the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is their finest phone yet. It is an ultra-thin book-style foldable, measuring around 4.1mm when opened and 8.9mm shut.
This is exactly the thickness of a regular, non-folding iPhone 17 Pro Max. Moreover, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra weighs just 215 grams, which is comparatively less than the 255-gram weight reported for Apple's iPhone Ultra.
The iPhone Ultra, by every account I've read, will be Apple's thinnest iPhone ever, beating the iPhone Air. However, it might still end up thicker than what Samsung is shipping today, at 4.5–4.8mm.
In terms of build quality too, Samsung features an Advanced Armour aluminium frame with its new Flex technology for better display durability, a reinforced hinge and minimal crease. From what rumours suggest, Apple is trying to achieve the same by going with a tougher titanium frame and a better hinge.
But the design is where the biggest difference appears. It is all but confirmed from the leaked 3D renders that the iPhone Ultra will be a compact book-style foldable, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. While the Fold 8 Ultra has a tall and narrow design, following in the footsteps of Samsung's previous phones.
If you ask me, the compact design of the iPhone Ultra could forgive the added thickness and weight. It will be a one-hand-friendly device, and people, especially iPhone users who have been waiting for years for an iPhone Fold, would much prefer Apple's design language to what Samsung is offering.
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iPhone Fold Ultra Might Actually Have a Display Advantage
- The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's inner screen runs an 8-inch folding display inside with a 6.5-inch cover display
- iPhone Ultra is rumoured to have a 7.6 to 7.76-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch cover screen
- While Samsung already comes with an AMOLED display, Apple could also feature an OLED panel
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features a 6.5-inch 1080p cover screen with an inner panel which unfolds to a huge 8-inch 1.5K AMOLED display. Both screens are 120 Hz high-refresh-rate displays.
However, I am genuinely impressed by the iPhone Ultra's rumoured display specs too. The cover screen could feature a 2,088 x 1,422 resolution, which is higher than Samsung's 1080p, and the folding screen will also feature a sharper 2,713 x 1,920 resolution OLED display with ProMotion.
Recent leaks also suggest that Apple could use the same Flex technology that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is using to keep the crease of its folding display to less than 0.15 mm in thickness. This should offer an almost crease-free experience on the iPhone Ultra.
So, no matter which foldable phone you pick this year, there won't be any compromise in the display quality. But I would personally suggest the Fold 8 Ultra to anyone who wants a foldable now with a display that is already excellent. But if Apple pulls off the crease-free claim, that alone might be worth waiting for if you are not in a rush.
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Both Foldables Will Offer "Ultra" Performance
- The Fold 8 Ultra runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor
- The iPhone Ultra is rumoured to get the next-generation A20 Pro chipset
- Both phones will deliver genuine flagship performance backed by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage
Both phones will feature the best-in-class performance for their respective ecosystems.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra already packs a mighty powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor for Galaxy. It is the same chipset powering the Galaxy S26 Ultra, launched earlier this year. It is fast and can handle multitasking or demanding apps and games with ease, as I tested in my Galaxy S26 Ultra review.
In comparison, rumours suggest that the iPhone Ultra will be coming out with the Apple A20 Pro processor, the same as the iPhone 18 Pro. I can't tell how well it would stack up against the Z Fold 8 Ultra in performance, but given how powerful the current Apple A19 chipset is in the iPhone 17 Pro devices, Apple fans have no real reason to worry about it underperforming.
Where I will say both phones stack up similarly is in memory. The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts with 12 GB of RAM, and it is expected that the iPhone Fold will offer a similar setup. The reason behind it is that the newer iPhones require 12 GB of RAM to power the new Siri AI features coming in the iOS 27 update.
Similarly for storage, the Fold 8 Ultra already starts at 256 GB and goes up to 1 TB, and I speculate that the iPhone Ultra will offer a similar configuration.
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Software Is Where Samsung Already Offers a Polished Foldable Experience
- The Fold 8 Ultra ships with One UI 9.0 on Android 17, featuring Gemini intelligence
- The iPhone Ultra is expected to launch with iOS 27, running Apple Intelligence
This comparison comes down to which version of the ecosystem you prefer. The One UI 9 running on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is one of the most polished versions of Android 17 and packs several customisations, as well as Galaxy AI features, including Gemini Intelligence, to automate certain tasks for you.
Meanwhile, Apple has just refreshed Siri AI to be more conversational and context-aware and included an overall improved set of Apple Intelligence features compared to what it originally tried.
iOS 27 also polishes up the performance, and it is one of the best iOS versions I have used in a while.
However, Android's advantage is the slate of multitasking you can do on the Fold 8 Ultra's bigger screen. You can run more than three apps at a time, have floating windows on top of it or use the dock to jump between apps. But the verdict is still out on how Apple will utilise the bigger display on the iPhone Ultra.
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Samsung's Biggest Trump Card Will be Cameras
- The Fold 8 Ultra ships with a 200 MP main, a 50 MP ultrawide, and a 10 MP telephoto lens
- The iPhone Ultra is rumoured to use a dual 48 MP setup, with no telephoto lens at all
- Samsung has dual 10 MP cameras on each screen, while the iPhone could have 18 MP lenses instead
Cameras are where I feel the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra clearly wins, and the iPhone Ultra has no competition. Samsung features a triple-camera setup at the back, with a 200 MP main, 50 MP ultrawide and a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
It can also shoot 8K videos @ 30 FPS in APV format and supports multiple LUTs.
Meanwhile, the leaks and rumours say the iPhone Fold will have a 48 MP main and 48 MP ultrawide camera setup. Similar to the current iPhone 17 model.
The extra 10 MP telephoto is one of the strongest arguments that Samsung has in its arsenal, in my opinion. It helps you get higher-quality 3x photos without a major drop in quality, even in low-light scenarios.
That said, both phones will be able to capture exceptionally good photos, and I don't think that the iPhone will be any disappointment in the image quality department, considering Apple's track record.
Overall, if photography or video matters to you at all, this is not a close call. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra wins outright, and I would be surprised if that changes even once the iPhone Ultra is officially out.
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Battery: The Category With Too Many Unknowns
- The Fold 8 Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery with a faster 45W charging
- The iPhone Ultra is rumoured to have a combined 4,883mAh battery capacity
- Charging speed for the iPhone Ultra has not been confirmed yet, but it will support wireless charging
Samsung has bumped the battery capacity of the Z Fold 8 Ultra this year to 5,000mAh and also switched to faster 45W wired charging. This should deliver better all-day battery endurance compared to the battery life we got in our Z Fold 7 review.
On the other side, I am not exactly sure about the iPhone Ultra's battery size. Some sources say that it will have a 4,883mAh battery capacity, which is still less than Samsung's
But without a charging speed rumour to compare against, I cannot honestly call this category yet, and I am not going to pretend otherwise just to force a verdict.
Based on capacity alone and what is confirmed today, I would pick the Z Fold 8 Ultra as the better pick in this section, but my answer could change when the iPhone Fold launches.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs iPhone Ultra: Who Actually Deserves the "Ultra" Name?
Currently, the Z Fold 8 Ultra wins clearly on cameras and design maturity, and it holds a small edge on the display and battery too.
I also have high hopes for the iPhone Ultra, and I know Apple will do its best to put out its first foldable iPhone and won't leave any stone unturned.
But if you don't fall in any of the camps and want a more conventional folding phone right now with the best specs that the industry has to offer, then there is no better option than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
But if you are not in any rush, are looking for a compact foldable, and can wait to see what Apple has in store for us this September, then maybe the iPhone Ultra could be worth the wait.
