Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Z Fold 7: Should You Upgrade?

Quick summary: Physically, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 7 are almost identical. It’s not an exciting upgrade, but the Ultra wins in every category, and battery life alone makes it worth it for me. If your Fold 7’s battery is still good and you love it, keep it.

Cameras

Photos looked a little clearer, with colors I liked better, on the Fold 8 Ultra. Video was nearly identical, but when it wasn’t a tie, the Ultra won. Camera win: Fold 8 Ultra.

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Look and feel

The Ultra is a little thinner (4.1mm vs 4.2mm), and the Fold 7 is a bit lighter. Hand them to someone without saying anything and they probably wouldn’t notice a difference. Both have a 6.5-inch cover screen and an 8-inch inner screen.

Crease and brightness

The crease is improved on the Ultra and more pronounced on the Fold 7, though you get used to either. Brightness is 3,000 nits vs 2,600. I couldn’t see a difference on the cover screens, but the Ultra’s inner screen was a little easier to see.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 beats the 8 Elite on Geekbench. Day to day, gaming gains are a few frames per second, and both run ultra settings. Smoothness is where you’ll notice it: the 8 and 8 Ultra are the smoothest Galaxy phones I’ve had, while my Fold 7 got a little jittery near the end.

Battery life

This is the big one.

• Fold 8 Ultra: one charge a day, about 10 to 12 hours. Off the charger at 7 a.m., I charge around 5 to 7 p.m.
• Fold 7: low by noon or 1 p.m., then another charge in the evening.

The Ultra also charges faster, wired and wireless.

Speakers and software

With Dolby Atmos on Auto and volume maxed, the Ultra is about 10% better, with a bit more oomph for music. Software is basically the same, but the Ultra gets an extra year of support.

Verdict

The Fold 8 Ultra is the better phone: much better battery, a less visible crease, a bit more brightness, better speakers, smoother performance and slightly better cameras. Personally, I’m still more excited about the regular Fold 8.

• Benks case for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, code GREGGLESTV
• Benks case for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, code GREGGLESTV
• OhSnap SnapGrip Stand
• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra from Samsung