Samsung’s new Ultra foldable is amazing, but I would pay more attention to this model

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Highlights taken by ZDNET

• Samsung unveiled three foldable phones at its Unpacked event in London.
• Its first foldable ‘Ultra’, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, is an impressive device.
• However, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a unique form factor that is very compelling.

Now that Samsung Unpacked is over and all the phones have been announced, you might be lamenting that you put in your pre-order for a new one. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. After all, it’s the first Samsung foldable to carry the “Ultra” moniker.

Also: Everything announced at Samsung Unpacked 2026: New phones, smartwatches, and more

But you might want to hold on for a while and check Samsung Galaxy Fold 8again. Yes, the Fold 8 Ultra has a lot going for it, but the Fold 8 makes a strong case for itself. Part of that is because Samsung knows what’s coming next: a foldable iPhone — a product that could disrupt a historically dominated market.

As a result, Samsung has given the Z Fold 8 some compelling design features. Here are some points you might want to consider before dropping a chunk of change on the Ultra model.

The price is right

First and foremost, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 starts with $1,899which is a full $200 less than its sibling. The differences between the two include the phone’s missing 10MP camera, smaller 50MP primary camera, 200 mAh battery capacity, and smaller screen inside and out. In that compromise, I thought the reduced screen size would be a drawback, but after spending time with the phone, I no longer think so.

We live in an era where smartphone prices are rising, often with a few logical upgrades, or both. Saving a few benjamins these days can go a long way in saving your already strained budget.

Form meets function

One of my criticisms of book-style folding is the fact that the square form isn’t ideal for things like content manipulation. They can also hold. The Fold 8 almost eliminates that argument by turning itself into a 4:3 tablet when you open it up. It’s a small tablet, sure, but it’s a real tablet form factor, not a square peg shoved into a square hole.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs. Z Fold 7: After a year of using it, I’m ready to upgrade

On paper, this doesn’t sound like a big deal. But, when I held the phone in my hand, it clicked. The cover screen is great because you can access most of it with one hand. I’m used to the finger practice required to navigate a long phone call with one hand, but the Galaxy 8 Fold’s squat screen changes all that.

Although the phone is short, it is also wide which may be better for reading; which means, after all, most of what we do is on our phones. However, it remains to be seen which apps respond to that 10:16 feature. The apps installed on phones at runtime all look great, but there are millions of others that may not; your mileage may vary.

Only two cameras?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn’t have a telephoto camera, which is a shame. Between an ultrawide and a telephoto camera, I would always choose the telephoto. As a parent, I like to take pictures of my kids doing kid things, and sometimes those things are in the stadium or on stage, so I’d like to be able to zoom in more.

Another quick test of the 50-megapixel main camera suggests that even up to 10x, the zoom is fine. I couldn’t test those results on a big computer screen, but at the very least, the pictures are what I like to call “social media good” as that’s probably where they’ll end up perfect.

In the end, the missing telephoto lens is not that big of a problem. I tested the 10MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and it definitely falls into the “okay, but not great” category. Although it is generally better to have it than not need it, evidence shows that not having it will be fine.

Also: I tried Samsung’s new widescreen Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it’s my favorite Unpacked 2026 product.

It would have been nice if Samsung packed the 200-megapixel shooter from the Ultra into this phone, but then again, this phone isn’t an Ultra. Perhaps Samsung sees the 200-megapixel sensor as an Ultra feature. But when all is said and done, I suspect it will be fine to live without the camera entirely.

Bottom line: it’s better to buy

I Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 it makes me curious that, to be honest, most phones are not cheap. The form factor feels so retro it’s hard to put my finger on it.

What I can say is that if this phone had not been unlocked, it would have been a completely different story; the cover screen is too squat for me to use full time. It’s not lost on me that one of the criteria I use to judge a foldable is how much I can or want to use it when it’s closed. That’s a bit about me and only a proper review time will tell if that opinion holds up.

All I can say for now is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a lovely phone, and one that I’m looking forward to testing. But for now, I think this phone is a sleeper made by Samsung and I really hope it succeeds, despite not being “Ultra.”