Samsung supercharges fold 8 ultra, but apple’s iPhone 18 looms as game-changer

Samsung has made a notable leap in battery capacity with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, introducing a 5,000mAh cell—the first significant increase in years—bringing it on par with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This upgrade directly addresses longstanding battery life criticisms and reflects Samsung's commitment to enhancing user experience in its foldable lineup.

Charging speeds have nearly doubled from the previous generation, with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra now supporting 45W wired charging compared to the Fold 7’s 25W. Leveraging a new dual-path charging architecture, this allows the device to reach approximately 67% charge in just 30 minutes, significantly reducing downtime for power users.

To fit the larger 5,000mAh battery into the ultra-thin 4.1mm profile of the Fold 8 Ultra, Samsung innovatively incorporated a small amount of silicon into the battery chemistry. This subtle yet impactful change enables a physically smaller cell without sacrificing capacity, showcasing Samsung’s engineering prowess in balancing design elegance with functional improvements.

Building on the strong battery optimization foundation established by the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung’s enhancements in the Fold 8 Ultra demonstrate a clear evolution in foldable technology. The combination of increased capacity and faster charging underscores Samsung’s strategic focus on overcoming previous foldable battery limitations to better compete in the flagship market.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has made notable strides in battery capacity and camera enhancements, it still trails the Galaxy S26 Ultra in several flagship benchmarks. Samsung’s S26 Ultra boasts a cutting-edge 200MP camera paired with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, expanded Galaxy AI capabilities, and a built-in Privacy Display, underscoring a more comprehensive feature set that the foldable Ultra has yet to fully match. Despite the Fold 8 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery and improved 45W charging speed, it continues to lag behind the S26 Ultra’s overall charging efficiency and flagship refinements.

The camera systems reveal a clear divide between Samsung’s foldable and traditional flagship lines. The Fold 8 Ultra’s triple-camera array, featuring a 200MP main sensor identical to last year’s model and the S26 Ultra, benefits from upgraded processing and a new 50MP ultrawide with autofocus, enhancing low-light and macro photography. However, the base Z Fold 8’s omission of a telephoto lens—offering only dual 50MP cameras—highlights ongoing compromises in foldable camera versatility compared to the S26 Ultra’s more robust setup.

Display and design choices further differentiate these flagship tiers. The Fold 8 Ultra impresses with an expansive 8-inch main display composed of two 6.5-inch panels, enhanced by a peak brightness of 3,000 nits and reinforced with Samsung’s Flex Titanium technology for durability. Yet, the visible crease remains a persistent drawback absent in the S26 Ultra’s traditional screen. Meanwhile, the base Fold 8’s wider 4:3 aspect ratio reduces letterboxing during media consumption, offering a distinct viewing experience but still lacking the seamlessness of the S26 Ultra’s display.

Certain flagship features remain exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, underscoring trade-offs inherent in foldable technology. Notably, the Fold 8 Ultra omits stylus support and the associated digitizer layer, a functionality present in the S26 Ultra that appeals to productivity-focused users. Both Fold 8 models maintain premium touches like IP48 dust and water resistance, side-mounted fingerprint readers, and high brightness levels, but these refinements have yet to bridge the gap fully with Samsung’s traditional flagship experience.

Apple's anticipated enhancements in battery capacity and charging speeds for the iPhone 18 series are exerting tangible pressure on Samsung to elevate the specifications of its Galaxy S27 and Fold 8 models. This competitive push underscores a broader industry trend where Apple’s entry into the foldable segment threatens to disrupt Samsung’s established dominance, potentially forcing the Korean tech giant to innovate more aggressively to maintain its premium foldable market share.

Samsung recognizes that Apple’s debut foldable iPhone could serve as a powerful catalyst to boost consumer awareness and interest in foldable devices overall. As Drew Blackard, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile product management, remarked, 'An Apple foldable could bring more attention overall to those kinds of devices,' highlighting how Apple’s brand cachet might expand the foldable smartphone niche, which, while currently small, is strategically vital for attracting high-spending customers seeking unique, profit-driving devices.