Samsung Galaxy Z8 Series Hands-On Live From Unpacked 2026

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Is The Successor To The Galaxy Z Fold7

I'm not sure why Samsung used the "Ultra" moniker on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra ($2,099), similar to its bar-style flagship cousin, the Galaxy S26 Ultra. If you measure it against what Chinese competitors are offering, Samsung still trails in many categories, despite this year's updates. That’s not to say that the Z Fold8 Ultra doesn’t improve over its predecessor, the impressively thin and light Galaxy Z Fold7. It’s just that the Z Fold8 Ultra is still outclassed in some important key areas.
So, what’s new with the Z Fold8 Ultra? In terms of design, specs, thickness (4.1 vs. 4.2mm), and weight (215g) it’s almost identical to the Z Fold7, but it gets a newer SoC (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy), a larger battery (5,000mAh vs. 4,400mAh), and a better ultrawide (50MP f/1.9 vs. 12MP f/2.2) camera.

The big news is with the Z Fold8 Ultra’s 8-inch 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED folding main display, which is higher resolution (2504x2256 vs. 2184x1968 pixels) and brighter (3,000 vs 2,600 nits). Samsung new Flex Titanium technology not only significantly reduces the crease, it also makes the folding screen more impact resistant by using a new titanium-alloy film between the OLED panel and the flexible titanium plate introduced with the Z Fold7.
These are welcome upgrades. The Z Fold8 Ultra still lags behind Honor’s Magic V6, Oppo’s Find N6, and Moto’s Razr Fold in several ways, however. It retains the Z Fold7’s 10MP f/2.4 telephoto with OIS, whereas the competition packs 50MP+ 3x periscope telephotos with larger sensors. The Z Fold8 Ultra’s 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery still doesn’t match the 6,000+ mAh batteries found in Chinese folding phones. And one of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra's chief rivals, the Moto Razr Fold, is available in the US and costs significantly less ($1,799).

The Z Fold8 Ultra’s competition all boast active pen support on both the inner and outer displays as well, something that Samsung dropped with the Z Fold7 and is still missing here. And while the Z Fold8 Ultra’s 4.1mm thickness (open) is definitely impressive, Honor’s Magic V6 got there first, with some variants being even thinner at just 4.0mm. On the plus side, the Z Fold8 Ultra’s charging speeds get a boost (45 vs. 25W wired, and 20 vs. 15W wireless).
Compare that to the wired charging (80W) and wireless charging (50W+) offered by the competition though, Samsung still trails. Ditto on dust and water resistance, which remains IP48 for the Z Fold8 Ultra, whereas its Chinese rivals all deliver IP49/59/69 ratings. Even Google’s middling Pixel 10 Pro Fold achieved an IP68 rating last year. This isn’t to say that the Z Fold8 Ultra isn't a nice device. Samsung’s angular design is attractive, it sports a number of software innovations that are genuinely useful, and the other specs are solid.

Like with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung just doesn’t seem to be pushing the envelope versus its competition. So, what carries over from the Z Fold7? The 6.5-inch FHD+ 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED cover display (2520x1080 pixels, 21:9) is the same. RAM and storage options are identical as well: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 16GB/1TB. The Z Fold8 Ultra also inherits the Z Fold7’s 200MP f/1.7 main shooter with OIS and 10MP f/2.2 selfie cameras.
As you’d expect, the Z Fold8 Ultra runs One UI 9.0 on top of Android 17 and sports an array of new colors: Violet Shadow, Cream, Graphite, and Green Shadow (Samsung exclusive).

The Galaxy Z Flip8 Takes Aim At Apple’s Rumored iPhone Ultra

With the Galaxy Z Fold8 ($1,899), Samsung is taking aim at Apple’s rumored iPhone Ultra, which is expected to land in September. Unlike the current crop of book-style folding phones, which feature a 1:1 (open) and 21:9 (closed) aspect ratio, this passport-style folding phone features a 4:3 (open) and 16:10 (closed) aspect ratio. This form factor is similar to Oppo’s Find N (2021) and Find N2 (2022), and Google’s original Pixel Fold (2023).
At 123.9 x 81.9mm closed, the Z Fold8 is about 1.3-inches shorter and 0.3-inches wider than the Z Fold8 Ultra (158.4 x 72.8mm), It’s also thicker at 4.5 vs. 4.1mm (open) and 9.7 vs. 8.9mm (closed), but lighter (201g vs. 215g). Displays, main camera, and battery aside, the Z Fold8’s specs are similar to the Z Fold8 Ultra, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy under the hood and 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 16GB/1TB RAM storage options.
The Z Fold8 packs a 5.5-inch 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED cover display (1972x1248 pixels, 16:10) covered in Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, and a 7.6-inch 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED folding main screen (2448x1848 pixels, 4:3) that boasts Samsung’s new Titanium Flex technology. While the Z Fold8 shares the same 50MP f/1.9 ultrawide and 10MP f/2.2 selfie cameras as the Z Fold8 Ultra, it drops the 200MP main shooter for a 50MP f/1.8 camera with OIS.
The Z Fold8’s silicon-carbon battery is smaller than the Z Fold8 Ultra’s (4,800 vs. 5,000 mAh), but charging speeds are the same (45W wired and 20W wireless). Materials are identical, too, with Advanced Armor Aluminum (frame) and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (rear panel), and so is the IP48 ingress rating. The Z Fold8 runs One UI 9 on top of Android 17, and is available in Lavender, Graphite, Cream, and Pistachio (Samsung exclusive).
Overall, I came away pretty impressed with the Z Fold8’s passport-style form factor. Keep in mind, however, that – first-generation shortcomings aside – I really enjoyed Google’s original Pixel Fold as well. Your mileage may vary, but this is an attractive form factor. That being said, I wish that Samsung gave the Z Fold8 a proper telephoto shooter, considering this handset’s price tag. Plus, 4,800mAh isn’t great, especially for a silicon-carbon battery.

The Galaxy Z Flip8 is a thinner Z Flip7 with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

It has a higher price, and the design and footprint is mostly unchanged, but there are a number of key differences between the new Z Flip8 ($1,199) and its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip7 ($1099). First, the Z Flip8 swaps last year’s Exynos Exynos 2500 SoC for a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which is a welcome upgrade. Second, while the footprint remains the same overall, the Z Flip8 is thinner than the Z Flip7, at 6.1 vs. 6.5mm (open) and 13.1 vs. 13.7mm (closed), and lighter (180 vs. 188g).
The Z Fold8 features a 4.1-inch 120Hz LTPS AMOLED cover screen (1048x948 pixels, approx. 1:1) covered in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and a 6.9-inch FHD+ 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED folding main display (2520x1080 pixels, 21:9, 2,600 nits). Samsung offers two RAM and storage options: 12/256GB and 12/512GB. Battery capacity is 4,300mAh, and the Z Flip8 charges at 25W (wired) and 15W (wireless).

On the camera front, the Z Flip8 inherits the Z Flip7’s 50MP f/1.8 main shooter with OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera. The Z Flip8 is rated IP48 for water and dust resistance and uses Advanced Armor Aluminum (frame) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (rear panel) for durability. It runs One UI 9 on top of Android 17 and comes in Pink, Cream, Graphite, and Mint (Samsung exclusive).
While the Z Flip8’s slimmer profile and lighter weight are noticeable, and the Qualcomm chip is a an improvement, the price increase (while understandable) is unfortunate. I would have liked to see a better (50MP) ultrawide and a bigger battery. On the plus side, Samsung made it easier to run a wide range of Android apps on the cover screen, something that Motorola enabled on its Razr handsets several years ago.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 get a Snapdragon Wear Elite

Wrapping things up, Samsung announced two new smartwatches: the 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra2 ($699) and the Galaxy Watch9 ($379 Bluetooth, $429 LTE) which is available in 40 and 44m sizes. Both feature Qualcomm’s 3nm Snapdragon Wear Elite SoC, 2GB of RAM, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and dual-band GPS. Watch9 comes with 32GB of storage, and Watch Ultra2 with 64GB. LTE is optional on Watch9, and standard on Watch Ultra2.
The 40mm Watch9 is available in Graphite and Cream, and comes with a 1.34-inch (438x438) Super AMOLED display and 390mAh battery, while the 44mm Watch9 is available in Graphite and Silver, and comes with a 1.47-inch (480x480) Super AMOLED display and a 445mAh battery. Both screens have a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Watch9 is water resistant to 5ATM (IP68) while Watch Ultra2 can handle up to 10ATM (IP69K).

Watch Ultra2 comes in Titanium Silver and Titanium Gray, and is thinner than its predecessor (10.7 vs. 12.1mm). It boasts a 1.52-inch (498x498) Super AMOLED screen with a peak brightness of 5,000 nits and packs a massive (for a smartwatch) 800mAh battery. Both Watch9 and Watch Ultra2 have a sapphire crystal and MIL-STD-810H rating for durability, offer wireless charging, and run One UI 9 on top of Wear OS 7.
Samsung is leaning hard into AI-powered health with these two new smartwatches. The company describes these features as follows:

- Sleep Apnea feature: Delivers insights into breathing disruptions during sleep using an FDA-backed AI algorithm.
- Vitals: Proactively monitors your health during sleep and provides seamless alerts for significant deviations.
- Heart Health Score: Provides an understanding of cardiovascular wellness through a simple, actionable score and personalized lifestyle recommendations.
- Daily Cardio Load: Optimizes training through tailored guidance on workout volume and estimated recovery needs.
- Fitness Index: Delivers a holistic view of physical fitness with personalized goals to improve everyday performance.
- Hearing: Helps protect long-term hearing health with alerts for unsafe noise levels.

The Watch Ultra2 also delivers several new features. Trail Run tracks detailed elevation, climbing progress, and terrain impact to reduce injury risk. Nutrition Alert estimates sweat loss relative to body weight, and provides guidance on when and how much to hydrate. A diving app, developed with diving equipment brand Mares, keeps track of depth, time, and water temperature automatically, and in real time, the moment you enter the water.

My Takeaway From Samsung Unpacked

While I’m excited about the Z Fold8 and its new passport-style form factor (4:3 aspect ratio), I’m somewhat less enthusiastic about the Z Fold8 Ultra and Z Flip8, which don’t raise the bar enough and bring the fight to the competition, despite costing $100 more than before. Samsung’s Flex Titanium technology is a meaningful upgrade, but doesn’t fully eliminate the crease. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is great and should offer excellent performance. And while the company is now using silicon-carbon anodes, battery capacity trails the competition.
Based on the “Ultra” nomenclature, I was hoping the Z Fold8 Ultra would offer a better (50MP) 3x periscope telephoto and restore S-Pen support for the inner and outer displays to match its Chinese rivals. Regardless of these limitations, it’s impossible to underestimate Samsung’s broad ecosystem, feature-rich software, and strong marketing and retail channels. I’m sure these folding phones will be successful in the market. They may not lead in every category, but they are attractive, well-built, high-quality devices.

The Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 are exactly what I expected from Samsung: a solid update to existing products. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8, Z Flip8, Watch Ultra2, and Watch 9 are available for pre-order today (July 22) from Samsung, the carriers, and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, with open sales beginning on August 7, 2026. Stay tuned for more coverage about these devices, including our full Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review in the days ahead.