Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs 8 Ultra: Cameras, Speakers, Apps, Games

Quick summary: In everyday use, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are closer than you’d think. The Ultra wins on zoom and on vertical social videos without rotating. The Fold 8 wins on speakers, widescreen video and its cover screen. For now, I’m sticking with the Fold 8.

Cameras

The big difference is zoom: 30x on the Ultra versus 10x on the Fold 8. Otherwise, regular photos look almost identical. I compared at 12MP and at 200MP (Ultra) versus 50MP (Fold 8). For 4K60 video with HDR off, the main, ultra-wide and cover-screen selfie cameras, stabilization and mics all looked and sounded very similar. If you need zoom, get the Ultra. For basic everyday shots, you won’t see much difference.

Speakers

With max volume, Dolby Atmos on and the music preset, the Fold 8 sounded louder and more immersive. The gap wasn’t as dramatic as in my earlier test, but the Fold 8 still wins.

Comfort

Closed and without a grip, the narrower Ultra is easier to hold, though harder to reach the top one-handed. With OhSnap grips both are very comfortable, and the Ultra still feels a little better balanced to me, maybe from muscle memory. Open, they feel about the same.

Brightness and crease

Both are rated at 3,000 nits inside and out, with similar PPI, and I couldn’t see a brightness difference. The creases look about the same too. With the screen on they’re almost gone, and you mostly see them on a dark screen.

Apps on the cover screen

• TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: I enjoy them more on the Fold 8’s wider cover screen. It’s a preference thing.
• YouTube: fewer black bars on the Fold 8, and full screen looks bigger and better on it, even rotated.
• Vertical full-screen Instagram and TikTok: the Ultra wins if you don’t want to rotate the phone.
• Chrome: the Fold 8 shows more side to side, including menus.

Fortnite

Both have the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (mine have 12GB RAM and 256GB). On the Fold 8’s cover screen, the game fills the display and feels comfortable, and the inner screen is even more immersive. On the Ultra’s cover screen you see more left to right and less up and down, almost like an ultrawide. Inside, the two flip: the Ultra feels like a bigger Fold 8 cover screen. Everything was totally playable.

Verdict

For media I mostly prefer the Fold 8. For vertical social video without rotating, the Ultra. I love the Ultra’s inner display but dislike its cover screen, and the Fold 8’s cover screen is better. I’d be fine with either phone, but right now I’m sticking with the Fold 8.

• Order the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or 8 Ultra from Samsung
• OhSnap SnapGrip
• Benks case for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, code GREGGLESTV
• dbrand Grip case
• Latercase for the Galaxy Z Fold 8
• SUPCASE for the Galaxy Z Fold 8