Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Z Fold 8 Ultra: the £200 question
(and everything else from Unpacked)
Samsung has just ‘unpacked’ its 2026 foldable line-up, and for most people it comes down to one decision: the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the new wider and shorter form factor…or the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the tried and tested form factor.
There is £200 between them, and where that £200 goes tells you more about how you use a phone than any spec sheet does. Here is the quick, honest version, along with the Flip, the two new watches and a first look at Samsung's smart glasses. Prices are below, and I will be straight about whether they are worth it.
UK pricing at a glance
| Device | Price |
|---|---|
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | from £1,699 |
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | from £1,899 |
| Galaxy Z Flip 8 | from £1,149 |
| Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 | from £649 |
| Galaxy Watch 9 | from £349 |
The £200 question: Fold 8 or Fold 8 Ultra
Think of them as two cars from the same garage. The Fold 8 Ultra is the driver's car, sharper and built for someone who wants to push it. The standard Fold 8 is the grand tourer, built for the journey and the enjoyment. Same badge, different jobs.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Z Fold 8. Same badge. Different jobs.
Buy the Fold 8 Ultra if you work off your phone. You get an 8-inch main screen, so two full app windows sit side by side, and that is the real reason to spend the extra. It carries the 200-megapixel main camera, Samsung's fastest phone chip, the bigger battery and the thinnest Fold body they have made. The hero colour is Violet Shadow..
Buy the standard Fold 8 if you mostly watch, read and scroll. This is the all-new wider model, and the shape is the whole point. Closed, it is a proper pocketable phone. Open, it gives you a wide 4:3 screen that frames films, telly and e-books with nothing cropped off. It is the lightest Fold yet, runs the same top-end chip and packs dual 50-megapixel cameras. The hero colour is Lavender.
Yes, you can work on the Fold 8 too. The Ultra simply gives you more room to do it, and that extra freedom is what your £200 buys.
| Spec | Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main screen | 7.6-inch, wide 4:3 shape | 8-inch |
| Rear cameras | Dual 50MP | 200MP main, five cameras |
| Battery | 4,800mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Body | 201g, lightest Fold yet | 215g, thinnest Fold yet (4.1mm) |
| Hero colour | Lavender | Violet Shadow |
| Price from | £1,699 | £1,899 |
The hinge and the crease are nearly there
The thing that surprised me most was the hinge. Back at CES in January I spent time with Samsung's tri-fold, and that opening feel has carried into these. The Fold 8 Ultra has a wider opening gap, an assisted hinge that needs less effort, and a crease that is very nearly gone. That crease is the single thing that has kept iPhone owners away from foldables for years, and on this one it is about ninety percent sorted. Not perfect, but the closest I have felt.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra - New Display
The Ultra's anti-reflective coating is a real surprise
One more from the Ultra I did not expect: the anti-reflective coating on the screen. It is not up to the standard of the S26 Ultra, and if you saw that review you will know how much I rated that display. But anti-reflective glass this good on a folding screen is a bit special. Step into direct sun and you are not hunting for shade to read your notifications. Both Folds get a low-reflection finish, and the Ultra's is the one that made me stop and notice.
The Z Flip 8, briefly
There is also a Z Flip 8. It is the thinnest and lightest Flip Samsung has made, and it starts at £1,149. If the small folding phone is your thing, it is a lovely little device. It is not the one that excites me, so I will be honest and leave it there. If enough of you want a full review, tell me on YouTube and I will make one.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8
Two watches, for two different people
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (£649) is for the endurance crowd. Runners, hikers, divers. It has the biggest battery Samsung has put in a Galaxy watch, the brightest smartwatch screen you can buy so you can read it mid-run in full sun, proper dive certification, and route guidance that paces you so you do not blow up in the first mile.
The Galaxy Watch 9 (from £349) is the everyday one. Lighter, comfier, all the day-to-day health and sleep tracking, and a fair bit cheaper. If you are not scaling mountains at the weekend, this is almost certainly the one you want.
Pick the athlete watch or the everyday watch based on what you actually do, not on the biggest number on the box.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
The smart glasses are a teaser for now
Samsung also showed its new smart glasses. I have footage and they look promising, but nobody was allowed to wear them, so I am not going to pretend I have tested them. They arrive properly in the autumn, and that is when I will give you the honest, worn-them-all-day verdict.
Samsung Galaxy Smart Glasses
A word on the prices
They have gone up, and I am not going to gloss over it. There is a global memory shortage pushing costs across the whole industry, so this is not a Samsung-only story. It does not make it more fun to pay, but that is the honest reason.
And here is my usual warning, because it is your money. Watch the storage tiers. With memory this expensive, the jump to the top tier is where the cost really stacks up. Be realistic about what you actually keep on your phone, because most people pay for space they never touch. Buy the storage you need, not the storage the box wants you to want.
So, who buys what?
If you work off your phone and want the best camera and screen, the Fold 8 Ultra earns its £200. If you mainly watch, read and enjoy, the standard Fold 8 is the smart buy and I would happily carry it. The Watch Ultra 2 is for the athletes, the Watch 9 for everyone else. Feel free to ignore me, I am one bloke on the internet, but that is where I have landed.
Watch the video where I show these devices in more detail
Pre-order links
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: https://geni.us/GalaxyZFold8Ultra
Galaxy Z Fold 8: https://geni.us/GalaxyZFold8
Galaxy Z Flip 8: https://geni.us/ZFlip8
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: https://geni.us/GalaxyWatchU2
Galaxy Watch 9: https://geni.us/Watch9
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