Head to head
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8vsApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max for peak brightness, battery life per charge and video playback time. Choose the Galaxy Z Flip8 for lower weight. The Galaxy Z Flip8 is £50 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,149 against £1,199). The Galaxy Z Flip8 gets security updates until July 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.
- Released
- 2026-08-07Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 launch, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Price
- £1,149Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Security updates until
- 2033-07-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy Z Flip8, retrieved 2026-09-22
- Released
- 2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £1,199Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
1 win for Galaxy Z Flip83 wins for iPhone 17 Pro Max3 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice£50 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead on 3 rows, Galaxy Z Flip8 on 1 row
On the makers’ published figures, the Galaxy Z Flip8 wins on weight (180 g against 231 g); the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,600 nits), battery per charge (53 h against 44.17 h) and claimed video playback (37 h against 31 h). 3 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: battery capacity (4,823 mAh from GSMArena against 4,300 mAh from the maker) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, battery lifespan (1,200 cycles against 1,000 cycles) for the Galaxy Z Flip8 and fast charging (40 W against 25 W) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The difference in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same display size, refresh rate, storage (base) and RAM. The other 36 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
3 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the Galaxy Z Flip8 better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the Galaxy Z Flip8 wins on weight, 180 g (Samsung UK) against 231 g (Apple UK); the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (Samsung UK), battery per charge, 53 h against 44.17 h (both EU energy label) and claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 31 h (Samsung UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 53 h against 44.17 h (both EU energy label). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 31 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy Z Flip8, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 180 g (Samsung UK) against 231 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (Samsung UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy Z Flip8 gets security updates until July 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The Galaxy Z Flip8 is £50 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,149 against £1,199). Prices from Galaxy Z Flip8: Samsung Newsroom UK; iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple UK store.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.