Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review: Big-screen versatility in a remarkably slim package

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series has long been the benchmark for foldables and with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the company is doubling down on refinement. The latest iteration brings a sleeker, squarer design, a thinner profile and Samsung’s first-ever Ultra branding for a Fold device. But beyond the new name, does the Fold 8 Ultra offer a truly better foldable experience? After spending time with the device, here’s why Samsung’s most ambitious foldable yet may also be its most complete.

The Galaxy Z Fold series has evolved steadily over the years, but the Z Fold 8 Ultra feels like Samsung’s most refined foldable yet, striking the right balance between portability and productivity. Measuring just 4.1mm when unfolded and 8.9mm when folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is remarkably thin for a book-style foldable. Despite its slender profile, it feels sturdy and reassuringly premium in hand. The Violet Shadow variant reviewed here stands out with its subtle lavender hue, lending the device a distinctive yet understated premium look. The finish also does a good job of resisting fingerprints and smudges. The only notable drawback is the protruding camera module, which causes the phone to wobble when placed on a flat surface.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features an expansive 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X inner display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits. On the outside sits a 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display that matches the inner screen’s 120Hz smoothness and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3.

The large foldable display remains one of the Fold’s biggest strengths. It is ideally suited for streaming videos, reading documents and PDFs, browsing the web and multitasking across multiple apps. The extra screen real estate also enhances gaming and photo-editing workflows, offering a tablet-like experience in a device that still fits in a pocket.

Watching Operation Safed Sagar on Netflix was particularly enjoyable on the 8-inch display. Like most streaming platforms, Netflix defaults to a letterboxed aspect ratio, but a quick adjustment allows the content to full screen. The panel delivers excellent contrast, natural-looking skin tones, and rich yet balanced colours, making movies and shows look consistently immersive.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features a stereo speaker setup. Listening to tracks such as Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, the synth-pop and synthwave production came through with excellent clarity, even at higher volume levels. Vocals remained crisp and well-defined, while the instrumentals retained their energy and detail, resulting in a balanced and engaging listening experience.

That said, Samsung’s pursuit of an ultra-thin design has introduced a minor compromise. Both stereo speakers are positioned on the left half of the unfolded Fold, with one located at the top and the other at the bottom. As a result, audio exhibits a subtle left-side bias in landscape mode. It’s not a significant issue in day-to-day use, but it does slightly affect spatial audio and channel separation, something only audiophiles and more discerning listeners are likely to notice.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features a versatile triple-camera system, led by a 200MP primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and Samsung’s 2x optical-quality zoom. It is accompanied by a 50MP ultra-wide camera for broader perspectives and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS for steadier long-range shots.

In use, the primary and ultra-wide cameras consistently delivered well-balanced images with excellent detail, contrast and reliable exposure. Colours appeared natural without being overly saturated and dynamic range was generally impressive. One minor quirk was the Fold’s bright inner display, which occasionally made it difficult to accurately judge exposure in harsh outdoor conditions immediately after unfolding the device.

Low-light performance was equally commendable. Night-time images were clean, with controlled noise levels, good detail retention and pleasing contrast. Samsung’s image processing strikes a sensible balance between brightening scenes and preserving a natural look.

The 10MP telephoto camera remains a useful addition for portraits and moderate zoom shots, but its relatively modest resolution and 3x optical reach limit its ability to capture finer details at longer distances. While the results are perfectly serviceable, the setup falls short of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s dual-telephoto system, which combines 3x and 5x optical zoom lenses to offer greater flexibility and long-range image quality.

Samsung includes a 10MP cover camera and a 10MP under-display camera hidden beneath the foldable display. Both deliver good detail, natural skin tones, and a wide field of view that works well for group selfies and video calls.