It’s been eight years since Samsung released the first commercially available Galaxy Fold smartphone, and all that experience in making a phone with a foldable display allows for finesse that its rivals don’t possess – certainly not Apple, which is only rumoured to launch its first foldable iPhone later this year. Hence, when rumours broke around the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, our expectations were bound to be sky-high.
With rising chip prices and the competition heating up, Samsung is now expected to bring two large book-style foldable phones. If the rumours are to be considered, there will be a Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. With Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event expected to be hosted on July 22, a torrent of leaks has left almost nothing to the imagination.
Samsung, however, remains tight-lipped and has left us with only a couple of teasers suggesting the new shape of its premium foldable phone. In a year when Apple’s superhit iPhone is expected to fold, Samsung’s salvo at the bitten Apple with two feature-rich foldable devices makes it exciting for the market.
Is Samsung giving its foldable the ‘Ultra’ treatment?
Based on the latest reported retail and supply chain leaks, Samsung is radically restructuring its foldable lineup. Instead of a single flagship, the tech giant is split-screening its approach with two distinct book-style foldables – a redesigned base Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a hyper-premium Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
According to leaked One UI 9 code and case renders, the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is getting a major ergonomic facelift. It is expected to be shorter, wider, and lighter, sporting a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main display, making it look more like a passport than a TV remote.
Based on a flurry of recent leaks from trusted industry insider Tarun Vats and prominent tipster Ahmed Qwaider, the internal architectures of Samsung’s upcoming foldables have been entirely laid bare. Under the hood, both devices will be driven by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, but their physical footprints differ significantly.
The standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is shifting to a wider, passport-style design, featuring a 5.5-inch cover screen (sporting a 16:10 aspect ratio) and a 7.6-inch QHD+ main display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Case leaks from Thinborne and Android Headlines add to this broader form factor, revealing a slim 4.5mm unfolded profile and a featherlight weight of just 201 grams.
As far as endurance and cameras are concerned, Notebookcheck and recent Chinese regulatory filings indicate that the standard model will house a 4,800mAh battery, while the premium Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will pack a bigger 5,000mAh cell, with both models finally upgrading to 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0.
For photography, the standard version will lean on a dual-camera system featuring a brand new 50MP wide sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide lens, whereas the Fold 8 Ultra variant is tipped to retain a dedicated 12MP telephoto sensor alongside 16GB RAM configurations exclusive to its highest tier.
Lastly, a massive retail supply chain leak published by WinFuture has exposed the new European pricing structure. The base Galaxy Z Fold 8 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will start at €1,999, while the beefed-up Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is likely to command a €2,199 entry point, scaling all the way up to €2,799 for the absolute top-tier 1TB model.
While the hardware upgrades are substantial, there are a few rumoured compromises. Master leakster Ice Universe noted that Samsung is allegedly skipping its new anti-reflective “Privacy Display” tech (found on the Galaxy S26 Ultra) for this foldable generation, and the devices may reuse older M13 OLED panel materials to keep manufacturing costs from spiking further.
The ‘iPhone Ultra’ factor
With the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, Samsung may have the first mover advantage this summer, but Apple is playing a psychological war. Code snippets in the latest iOS 27 betas practically confirm that Apple’s engineering team is preparing for a foldable ecosystem.
Expected to be called the iPhone Ultra (or iPhone Fold) by supply chain insiders, Apple’s foldable device is slated for a late Q3 launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup.
Sources close to Apple’s supply chain hint that the company has delayed mass production until August 2026 for one primary reason – perfecting a completely “crease-free” inner panel. Apple is reportedly utilising a custom titanium-and-aluminium hinge architecture to eliminate the visual seam that has plagued Android foldables for generations.
According to prominent industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone Ultra will feature a 5.5-inch exterior screen and a 7.8-inch near-square inner canvas. Interestingly, Apple is rumoured to be ditching Face ID on this model in favour of a side-mounted Touch ID power button to keep the unfolded chassis down to a razor-thin 4.5mm. It will be driven by the next-gen A20 chipset and feature a horizontally aligned dual-camera array.
Will Samsung’s foldables prevail?
As both tech giants prepare their opening salvos in the foldable segment, consumers should prepare for historic levels of price shock.
Samsung’s leaked European pricing shows the base Galaxy Z Fold 8 starting at €1,999, while the 1TB Ultra variant climbs all the way to €2,799. Apple is expected to push the ceiling even higher, with rumours pointing to a jaw-dropping retail price between $2,299 and $2,499 for the iPhone Ultra. Yet, despite a price tag that rivals a high-end MacBook Pro, the biggest hurdle for Apple buyers won’t be their wallets — it will be supply.
Hence, as the foldable season looms ahead, Samsung has tough times ahead. Will the dual-model launch help Samsung hold off Apple’s iPhone Ultra hype this year?