Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Review: Six Flaws in a $2,100 Flagship

Verdict: A Refined Foldable That Misfires on “Ultra”

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a premium book-style foldable phone that refines Samsung’s flagship formula with a slimmer body, bigger battery, upgraded cameras, and smarter software, yet still carries key hardware and design compromises that limit its value for demanding power users and early adopters of foldable devices.

From the first hour with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, my verdict solidified: this is a good foldable, but a questionable purchase at USD 2,099.99 (approx. RM9,800) unless you are locked into Samsung’s ecosystem and upgrading from something much older. It refines the Fold 7 with a slimmer design, silicon‑carbon 5,000mAh battery, faster 45W charging, and Galaxy S26 Ultra camera hardware on the main and ultrawide lenses. Yet the phone feels almost identical in hand, and the list of long‑standing foldable phone flaws is longer than it should be at this price. For premium foldable shoppers, the bigger issue is not what Samsung added, but what it left behind.

Design, Branding, and the Problem With “Barely New”

On the surface, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra looks like the logical evolution of last year’s book-style Fold. The overall design language, footprint, and in-hand experience are nearly the same as its predecessor, right down to how the hinge and cover screen feel when you open and close it. Samsung’s Flex Titanium components help make it thinner and lighter than the OPPO Find N6 in direct comparison, which is no small feat for a big-screen foldable.

The trouble begins with the name. Samsung moved its new, wider model to the standard Z Fold 8 branding and pushed this more traditional form factor into “Ultra” territory. Branding a device “Ultra” sets expectations: top-tier components everywhere and minimal compromise. Instead, the Z Fold 8 Ultra keeps some long-standing premium foldable problems alive, such as the unchanged telephoto camera and lack of magnetic wireless charging. As one quotable takeaway, “It comes with an Ultra moniker, sure, but is it really deserving of one?” For many buyers, the answer will hinge on whether refinement is enough when the competition is leaping ahead.

Six Critical Flaws That Undercut the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The headline issue is price. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at USD 2,100 (approx. RM9,800), a USD 100 (approx. RM470) increase over the Fold 7’s launch price, while also dropping the base RAM to 12GB. You pay more for a phone that, in daily use, feels only marginally different from last year’s model. That alone might be forgivable if everything else screamed “Ultra”, but hands-on testing shows six major missteps that collectively hurt its value.

First, the telephoto camera is stuck on the same 10MP 3x sensor Samsung has used since the Z Fold 3, a half-decade-old component that now feels clearly dated next to rival 50MP tele lenses. Second, S Pen support is still missing despite the huge inner screen, meaning note-takers and artists can’t use the display for handwriting or sketches. Third, Qi2 magnetic wireless charging is not built-in, forcing you to rely on cases to align with MagSafe-style chargers and hit full 20W speeds. Rounding out the list are the minor-feeling year-on-year design changes, the reduced base RAM, and the sense that the Ultra’s higher price exists as much to push buyers toward the standard Z Fold 8 as to deliver extra value.

Performance and Features: Strong, But Outpaced by a Four-Month-Old Rival

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is every bit a modern flagship. It runs a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-class chipset, shares Galaxy S26 Ultra-level cameras for its 200MP main sensor, and adds an upgraded 50MP ultrawide camera, which collectively give it serious imaging and performance credentials. The 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery and 45W wired charging finally bring Samsung closer to the battery life and refuelling expectations power users have for a device at this price. Paired with Samsung’s established multitasking tools and big inner display, it remains one of the best productivity-focused foldables around.

Yet, when you compare it to the OPPO Find N6, a four-month-old foldable, the cracks show. The Find N6 matches the 200MP main and 50MP ultrawide setup while adding a 50MP 3x telephoto and higher-resolution 20MP front cameras. It equals the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s 3,000-nit-class brightness while offering a slightly smaller, more hand-friendly footprint. Most damning, it pairs a 6,000mAh battery with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging, leaving Samsung’s 5,000mAh/45W combo looking conservative. As one concise summary, “the Find N6 is still way out in front” in key hardware metrics, even as Samsung raises the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s price.

Value, Competition, and the Case for Waiting

All of this leads to a tough question for premium foldable buyers: what are you paying for with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra that you cannot get elsewhere? The refinements are real—thinner Flex Titanium build, big battery, faster charging, and upgraded ultrawide camera—but they feel incremental compared to what competitors like the Find N6 already offered months ago. Older foldables from other brands still outperform Samsung’s latest flagship in areas such as battery capacity, charging speeds, stylus support, and flexible windowing systems for multitasking.

Premium pricing does not guarantee superior execution across every foldable feature. Samsung’s decision to keep an aging telephoto, omit Qi2 magnets, and abandon S Pen support means the Z Fold 8 Ultra does not meaningfully reset the bar for the category. Hands-on impressions already highlight omissions that stand out the moment you start using the phone day-to-day. If you are already in the Samsung foldable ecosystem and value their software and support, the Z Fold 8 Ultra will feel like a polished, if familiar, upgrade. But if you are shopping with an open mind, this Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review shows a device that refines the formula without fully earning its Ultra badge.

• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if you want Samsung’s latest foldable with a slimmer design, big inner screen, and strong multitasking tools.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if you expect a transformative upgrade over the Fold 7 and dislike paying more for minor refinements.
• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if you prioritise a 5,000mAh battery, faster 45W charging, and Galaxy S26 Ultra-grade main and ultrawide cameras in a book-style foldable.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if you care about telephoto quality, since its 10MP 3x camera is the same aging sensor used since the Fold 3.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if stylus support is essential, because it still does not work with any S Pen on its large inner display.
• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if you are committed to Samsung’s ecosystem and value consistent software, updates, and familiar hardware over experimental designs.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if Qi2 magnetic charging, faster wired/wireless speeds, or more flexible multitasking are priorities, as rivals like the Find N6 currently do those better.