Samsung Ditches Narrow Folds for Wider Tablet-Style Z Fold 8
Samsung's flagship foldable trades its narrow form for a wider aspect ratio and bigger battery. At £1,899, it now competes directly with Google's Pixel 11 Pro…
Samsung has ditched the narrow folding phone design it pioneered for nearly a decade. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, arriving as the company's first foldable to carry the "Ultra" badge, adopts a wider passport-style aspect ratio — a reversal that signals how aggressively the folding phone market is reshaping itself.
The Ultra sits atop Samsung's 2026 foldable lineup, priced at £1,899 (€2,199/$2,099.99/A$2,999). It opens like a book into an 8-inch OLED tablet screen, compared to the narrower standard Z Fold 8 below it.
Design and Build
At 215 grams and 8.9mm thick when closed, the Ultra feels roughly equivalent to a large flat phone. The 6.5-inch cover screen handles everyday tasks — messaging, calls, maps — without needing to unfold. Samsung has kept the external design nearly identical to last year's Z Fold 7, avoiding dramatic shifts.
The internal 8-inch display is notably crisper and brighter than previous generations, with an anti-reflective coating that cuts glare in direct sunlight. The crease where the screen folds remains visible to the naked eye and when you run a finger across it, though it is less pronounced than before. The softer flexible material picks up fingerprints and requires more care than hardened glass.
Wider Aspect Ratio Changes the Game
Samsung's shift to a wider form factor mirrors a broader industry reckoning. Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold, announced concurrently, takes the opposite tack — it is taller and narrower, with a 6.5-inch external display closer to a traditional smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 8's shorter, squatter proportions and 5.5-inch cover screen aim for easier one-handed operation.
The wider 7.6-inch internal screen works "much better for watching video than past Samsung foldables," according to hands-on reviews, though videos do carry large black letterboxing at top and bottom. Stereo speakers in landscape mode deliver decent audio without headphones.
Specs and Performance
The Ultra runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor on One UI 9, based on Android 17. The main screen reaches 8 inches at QXGA+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate (422 pixels per inch), while the cover screen measures 6.5 inches in FHD+ at the same 120Hz and pixel density.
Camera details remain incomplete in available specifications, though the Ultra carries a 200-megapixel main sensor plus a 50-megapixel module. Battery capacity and charging speeds have not yet been publicly confirmed.
The Competitive Picture
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold edges the Ultra on specific hardware: Google's Super Actua OLED screens reach 3,600 nits peak brightness versus Samsung's 3,000 nits, and the Pixel is 1mm thinner when folded. Google also introduced a new HiLight notification light and faster wireless charging. Both devices support IP68 water and dust resistance, though IP ratings for the Ultra have not yet been detailed.
The real difference lies in form philosophy. Samsung bets that a wider, squatter tablet screen will appeal to users who want video viewing and productivity. Google maintains that a narrower external display and taller unfolded format better mimic a normal phone.
At nearly $2,100, neither device is an impulse purchase. The Ultra's £1,899 price slots it firmly in flagship territory, matching or exceeding the cost of multiple conventional flagship phones. The question for buyers is whether the flexibility to switch between a compact phone and a tablet screen justifies the premium — and whether Samsung's new shape succeeds where its old narrow design fell short.
