A new era for the foldable form factor
It is July 2026, and the foldable smartphone market looks nothing like it did two years ago. While Chinese competition, led by Honor and Xiaomi, has pushed Samsung to the wall with ever-slimmer designs, the Korean giant is finally unleashing its lethal weapon: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. This is not a simple incremental update; it is a declaration of war.
Design and Display: Finesse meets ergonomics
The first thing that strikes you is the feel in the hand. The Z Fold 8 Ultra manages the feat of falling under the 10 mm thickness mark when folded. Samsung has finally reworked its « Flex Hinge » to completely eliminate the central crease which, let's be honest, was starting to become an anomaly on a product of this caliber in 2026. The external screen is now in a 20:9 format, which means that daily use finally feels like that of a classic smartphone, without the « remote control » stretch of older models.
Performance on steroids
Under the hood, Samsung has opted for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 « for Galaxy », coupled with 16 GB of LPDDR6 RAM. The benchmarks are impressive, but it is the thermal management that really surprises. The vapor chamber cooling system has been redesigned for intense gaming sessions, making the Fold 8 Ultra a true powerhouse for mobile gaming and heavy multitasking with the new One UI 9.0.
Photography: The real tipping point
This is where Samsung has made the most progress. The Z Fold 8 Ultra inherits the 200 MP main sensor seen on the S series, paired with a periscope telephoto lens offering an impressive 5x optical zoom. Unlike previous years where the « Fold » format sacrificed photo quality for compactness, here, we finally have a true flagship-grade camera phone. The onboard AI, optimized for real-time image processing, works wonders on low-light scenes.
Price: The ticket to excellence
The thorny issue remains the price tag. Samsung positions its Fold 8 Ultra as a luxury tech product, with a launch price set at €2,199. It is a massive investment. Facing it, the Google Pixel Fold 3 and new releases from OnePlus offer software alternatives that are sometimes more intuitive, but the Z Fold 8 Ultra bets everything on its ultra-connected ecosystem and increased durability, IP68 certified and tested for over 400,000 folds.
My expert opinion
As a tech market observer, I am conflicted but impressed. Yes, the price is indecent. But the Z Fold 8 Ultra is the first foldable device that requires no real compromise. It is slim, powerful, and its camera finally keeps its promises. If you are looking for the most advanced smartphone of 2026, this is it. It remains to be seen if Samsung can maintain this pace against competition that never sleeps. For tech enthusiasts, it is undoubtedly the object of desire for the end of the year.