i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: which 2026 foldable is shaping up to be the better phone? | Tech Radar
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i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: which 2026 foldable is shaping up to be the better phone?
Both devices are rumored to be wider than existing foldables — but how else might they compare?
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2026 could be a big year for foldable phones, as Apple is rumored to finally be launching a foldable of its own, reportedly called the i Phone Ultra.
This could push foldable phones into the mainstream, and Samsung — as well as welcoming the competition from its biggest rival — looks set to cash in, as it’s reportedly launching a foldable phone in a new wider form factor, so that it can better compete with Apple’s device, which itself is expected to be quite wide.
This new phone was once referred to as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide but is now rumored to be launching simply as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, with the more familiar, narrower model said to be landing as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Obviously, we don’t know for sure how the i Phone Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will compare just yet — nor even whether they'll officially launch — but thanks to leaks, rumors, and previous foldables, we’re starting to get a good idea of what to expect.
i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: price and availability
The i Phone 17 Pro Max (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
We haven’t yet heard much about what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 might cost, but there’s a good chance it will either be in line with or slightly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, since it will reportedly have one fewer camera and sit beneath the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. That would mean a starting price of
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As for availability, it’s likely that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will launch in July, alongside Samsung’s other 2026 foldables. If it really launches with that name, it will probably be available globally, though there's a chance Samsung could limit the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to a few regions to test the waters, just as it did with the Galaxy Z Tri-Fold.
The i Phone Ultra will probably launch in September alongside the i Phone 18 Pro series, though there has been some talk of a possible delay until 2027. Whenever it does land, it’s likely to be sold globally.
i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: design and display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The i Phone Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 might have quite similar designs, with both being rumored to have wider, shorter screens than typical book-style foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
This form factor could give you a more widescreen experience when they’re unfolded, but would leave you with a slightly squat device when folded shut.
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Going by dummy units, the i Phone Ultra might be 117.71 x 84.27mm when folded, and come in at 11.02mm at its thinnest point and 16.57mm at the camera bump. It could be just 5.24mm when unfolded, though some other leaks put it at a slightly slimmer 4.5mm when unfolded and between 9 and 9.5mm when folded. We’ve also heard repeatedly that there will be no visible crease on the i Phone Ultra.
Various leaks also suggest that it will have a roughly 5.5-inch cover screen and an approximately 7.8-inch foldable display.
As for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, that phone might have a roughly 7.6-inch main screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and weigh around 200g according to Tech Maniacs. That same screen size, along with a 5.4-inch cover display, has been put forward by Android Headlines, which adds that the phone will be 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.9mm when unfolded and 123.9 x 82.2 x 9.8mm when folded.
So, Samsung’s phone might be marginally smaller — at least in terms of screen sizes — and thinner than Apple’s, though there’s a high chance it will also have a more visible crease.
i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: cameras
The i Phone 17 Pro Max (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
It’s expected that the i Phone Ultra will have two cameras on the back: specifically, a wide and an ultra-wide, both of which will be 48MP, according to leaker Digital Chat Station. The i Phone Ultra is also expected to have cameras in both its screens, and while no specs have been leaked yet, they might be 18MP like the selfie cameras on the i Phone 17 line.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 likewise looks set to have a dual-lens camera, and as with the i Phone, you’ll probably get wide and ultra-wide lenses. Leaks also point to similar numbers of megapixels, with both sensors apparently being 50MP. The phone is also almost certainly going to have a camera in each screen, with these rumored to be 10MP.
So, on paper, there might not be much to choose between these phones when it comes to the cameras, but it will be interesting to see how they compare in practice.
i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: performance and software
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The i Phone Ultra will almost certainly have the same chipset as the i Phone 18 Pro Max if it launches this year, which likely means a top-end A20 Pro chipset. Leaker Fixed Focus Digital suggests the phone could also have a vapor chamber, which would further boost performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, meanwhile, is likely to have a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is also very powerful — this is what you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, for example.
So, both of these should be very powerful phones, though the i Phone Ultra, with its slightly newer chipset and rumored vapor chamber, could have the edge in terms of performance.
As for software, the i Phone Ultra will likely run on i OS — specifically the yet-to-launch i OS 27, if it lands in September — though there's a small chance that Apple could debut some foldable-specific software for its first foldable device.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, on the other hand, will run Android — most likely Android 17, overlaid with Samsung’s One UI. These are both highly capable operating systems, so it really comes down to personal preference as to which is best.
i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: battery
The i Phone 17 Pro Max (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The i Phone Ultra could have a surprisingly high-capacity battery for a foldable phone, with one leak putting it at 5,800m Ah. A slightly earlier leak from Lanzuk puts it at between 5,400m Ah and 5,800m Ah, but even at that lower end, it would still have a lot of foldables beat.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rumored to have a 4,800m Ah battery — so not as good as the i Phone, though still better than the 4,400m Ah-equipped Galaxy Z Fold 7.
i Phone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: early verdict
Based on what we’ve heard so far, the i Phone Ultra could have a more powerful chipset and a bigger battery than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, as well as a less visible crease.
But it could also be thicker and have a higher price, and there may not be much to choose between the two phones' cameras and screens.
So, it’s sounding like the i Phone Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 might be quite evenly matched overall. We'll likely find out for sure before the end of the year, as we're expecting Samsung to debut the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July, and Apple to debut the i Phone Ultra in September.
Which foldable phone are you most excited for? Let us know in the poll or comments section below.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at Tech Radar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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