I’ve Used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Fold 7 Side by Side, Here’s What Actually Changed

Now that Samsung has made the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra official, it’s time to see how it compares to its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 from last year. Last year, Samsung did give us a ton of upgrades with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, so we weren’t expecting any major upgrades this time around. But there are still quite a few changes, including the price. Let’s go through it all.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Build and Design Quality

When it comes to the design, Samsung didn’t change a whole lot here. The biggest change is actually going to be the bezel around the inner display on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung decided to bevel the edges a bit, making it easier to open and close. Now I’m not one who had issues opening and closing the Galaxy Z Fold 7 over the past year, but this change does make a really big difference. It’s significantly easier to open and close.

Another change that Samsung made this year was making the phone a tiny bit thinner. We went from 4.2mm thick when unfolded on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to 4.1mm thick when unfolded on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. And to be honest, you don’t notice the difference. That is just 0.1mm, and it’s likely a rounded figure, so it’s even smaller than it shows on paper. One thing you will notice, however, is that the camera bump is now thicker than before. A little odd since only the ultrawide was upgraded to 50MP, keeping the same 200MP primary and 10MP 3x telephoto.

In the hand, they both feel very nice. While not everyone likes the sharp and boxy look of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and 8 series, I actually really like them, versus having rounded corners on half of the phone and straight corners on the left half because of the hinge. It’s one of the best-feeling foldables in the hand.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Display

This is where you can really see an improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Samsung is using its new Flex Titanium display on the entire Galaxy Z8 series this year, which makes the display stronger, flatter, and gets rid of most of the crease. It’s a huge year-over-year improvement when it comes to the crease.

While I’ve only had my review unit for 24 hours, I can tell that the crease is far less noticeable than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was even after the same amount of time. Of course, we won’t truly know until a month or two from now.

But the other big upgrade this year is the anti-reflective display. This does make a big difference in making the crease appear invisible, but also with visibility outdoors. Samsung upped the peak brightness from 2,600nits to 3,000nits this year, which has made using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra outdoors a real joy. Remember that inner display uses plastic, which is naturally reflective, making it tougher to see because of that. So adding higher brightness and an anti-reflective layer really helps with all of that.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Performance

On the performance side, of course the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is going to win. It’s got the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, and it has better thermals. Though we have not yet tested this, we will be doing so in our full review coming up. But the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is more powerful and more efficient than the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. Not to say the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was slow by any means, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is definitely going to be better for all of the new AI features coming, including Gemini Intelligence.

Both phones do still ship with 12GB of RAM, unless you opt for the 1TB model, which will bump that up to 16GB of RAM. While unfortunate, it’s not surprising with the current RAM shortage we are dealing with. And to be honest, 12GB of RAM is perfectly fine. I’ve never felt like I needed more on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 over the past year, and expect that to remain the same with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. However, for future-proofing for a few years, you’ll likely want the 16GB model.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Battery Life and Charging

It goes without saying that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is going to win both battery life and charging here. It has a larger battery and finally has faster charging at 45W wired. It’s still a little early to give a verdict on battery life, however, but the first few days have been pretty promising. Of course, it is packing a 13% larger battery, and Samsung finally went silicon-carbon with its battery this year. Though it is a low silicon content battery, which is why it’s only 5,000mAh and not something larger like the HONOR Magic V6 and Motorola Razr Fold.

At 45W, we’re talking much faster charging this time around versus the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and that does make a difference. Coming from 25W, it is a noticeable difference too.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Software

When it comes to software, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are essentially the same. But, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra does indeed have One UI 9 already, while that update has not hit the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it’s still on One UI 8.5. But it will get it pretty soon.

But it does bring in some of the new Gemini Intelligence features, which are currently exclusive to the new Galaxy Z8 series (Flip 8, Fold 8, and Fold 8 Ultra). Largely, we’re talking about app automation, so now you can get tasks done in fewer taps compared to before on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. There are over 40 apps that are now available for app automations, making it easier to do things like make a reservation at a restaurant.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also has Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) pre-installed. This makes it easier to bring in notes, documents, links, and more into an easy-to-use notebook. Keeping your research together in a nice little notebook. And of course, there’s split-screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so you can put Gemini Notebook next to something else you’re working on.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Camera

When it comes to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, only one camera changed, technically. The Ultrawide finally moved from a 12-megapixel sensor to a 50-megapixel sensor. And it does make for a big deal for those taking ultrawide shots. But the other two cameras are the same. So how do they compare?

As you can see in the spec comparison above, the cameras are mostly identical, with the ultrawide being a tiny bit larger and much higher resolution. Now let’s check out some camera comparisons.

As expected, the camera isn’t a huge change from last year. In fact, the main differences I’m seeing so far is going to be the fact that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra can handle shadows better than the Fold 7 did. It also appears to be brighter, which is a bit interesting since the aperture remained the same.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Which phone is better?

It should come as no surprise that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra won every category. After all, it is the newer phone with plenty of upgrades and better performance. Unfortunately, neither phone supports the S Pen, so that’s a knock on both of Samsung’s recent foldables. At $2,099, this is still a pretty tough sell, especially in this economy. But if you want the best Samsung foldable you can buy, then the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is definitely the one to get.

I would upgrade alone for the new display. It’s a night-and-day improvement over last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. Not just the crease, but also the visibility thanks to the anti-reflective layer.

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