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MobileIQ

Head to head

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltravsSamsung Galaxy S26

The short answer

Choose the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for the larger screen and peak brightness. Choose the Galaxy S26 for lower weight. The Galaxy S26 is £1,020 cheaper at UK RRP (£879 against £1,899). The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra gets security updates for longer: until July 2033, against February 2033 for the Galaxy S26.

Released
2026-08-07Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 launch, retrieved 2026-09-10
Price
£1,899Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8, retrieved 2026-09-10
Security updates until
2033-07-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, retrieved 2026-09-22
Released
2026-03-06endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
Price
£879Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy S26 series, retrieved 2026-08-20
Security updates until
2033-02-28Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy S26, retrieved 2026-09-22

2 wins for Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra1 win for Galaxy S264 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice£1,020 apart at RRP

Verdict: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra ahead on 2 rows, Galaxy S26 on 1 row

On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra wins on display size (8 in against 6.3 in) and peak brightness (3,000 nits from the maker against 2,600 nits from GSMArena); the Galaxy S26 wins on weight (167 g against 215 g). 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: battery capacity (5,000 mAh against 4,300 mAh) for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, claimed video playback (30 h against 27 h) for the Galaxy S26, fast charging (45 W against 25 W) for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and wireless charging (20 W from the maker against 15 W from GSMArena) for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. The difference in battery per charge is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same refresh rate, storage (base), RAM and battery lifespan. The other 34 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra · 158.4 × 72.8 mmGalaxy S26 · 149.6 × 71.7 mm

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

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mmOfficial
149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mmOfficial
Weight
215gOfficial
167gOfficialwins this row

Galaxy S26 is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

BuildDiffers, but not ranked.
Armor Aluminum frame; Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 cover, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 backOfficial
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame3rd party
SIMDiffers, but not ranked.
Nano-SIM + eSIM / Dual eSIMOfficial
Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) — international3rd party
Water/dust ratingDiffers, but not ranked.
IP48Official
IP68Official
UnlockSame.
Fingerprint SensorOfficial
Fingerprint SensorOfficial

Display

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Main: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz; Cover: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120HzOfficial
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz adaptive, Vision boosterOfficial
Display size
8inOfficialwins this row
6.3inOfficial

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
2504 x 2256Official
1080 x 23403rd party
Pixel densityDiffers, but not ranked.
422ppiOfficial
411ppi3rd party
Refresh rateSame.
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
Peak brightness
3000nitsOfficialwins this row
2600nits3rd party

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Screen protectionDiffers, but not ranked.
Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 (cover); inner foldable panel with titanium shock-absorbing layersOfficial
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 23rd party

Platform

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
Android 17, One UI 9Official
Android 16, One UI 8.5Official
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for GalaxyOfficial
Exynos 2600Official
CPUDiffers, but not ranked.
Octa-Core, 4.74GHz, 3.6GHzOfficial
10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra, 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro, 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro)3rd party
GPU
No verified data
Xclipse 9603rd party

Memory

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
Storage (base)Same.
256GBOfficial
256GBOfficial
Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.
256GB/512GB/1TBOfficial
256GB/512GBOfficial
RAMSame.
12GBOfficial
12GBOfficial
Card slotSame.
No3rd party
No3rd party

Camera

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
200MP Wide Quad Pixel AF OIS f/1.7; 50MP Ultra-Wide Quad Pixel AF f/1.9 FOV 120°; 10MP Telephoto PDAF OIS f/2.4 3x; 10MP cover selfie f/2.2; 10MP inner front f/2.2Official
50MP Wide f/1.8 with 2x optical-quality zoom; 10MP Telephoto 3x optical zoom f/2.4; 12MP Ultra-Wide f/2.2; 12MP front f/2.2Official
Main sensor resolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
200MPOfficial
50MPOfficial
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.7Official
f/1.8Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.3"3rd party
1/1.56"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
10MP Telephoto, f/2.4, FOV 36°, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoomOfficial
10MP Telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4Official
UltrawideDiffers, but not ranked.
50MP Ultra-Wide, f/1.9, FOV 120°, Quad Pixel AFOfficial
12MP Ultra-Wide, f/2.2Official
Front cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
Cover 10MP f/2.2 FOV 85°; inner 10MP f/2.2 FOV 100°Official
12MP front, f/2.2Official
Video captureDiffers, but not ranked.
UHD 8K (7680 x 4320)@30fpsOfficial
8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, HDR10+3rd party

Battery

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
Battery capacity
5000mAhOfficial
4300mAhOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery per charge
51.17hOfficial
51hOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

Claimed video playback
27hOfficial
30hOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery lifespanSame.
1200cyclesOfficial
1200cyclesOfficial
Fast charging
45WOfficial
25WOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Wireless charging
20WOfficial
15W3rd party

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Connectivity

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)Official
Wi-Fi 7Official
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
6.0Official
5.4Official
USBDiffers, but not ranked.
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1Official
USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG3rd party
NFCSame.
YesOfficial
Yes3rd party
PositioningDiffers, but not ranked.
GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSSOfficial
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS3rd party

Benchmarks

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
AnTuTu benchmark
No verified data
28275383rd party
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
No verified data
65313rd party
DXOMARK camera score
No verified data
1463rd party

Misc

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Graphite, Cream, Violet ShadowOfficial
Cobalt Violet, White, Black, Sky Blue, Pink Gold, Silver ShadowOfficial
SAR (EU, head)Differs, but not ranked.
0.82W/kg3rd party
1.21W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)Same.
COfficial
COfficial
5 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for

Typical brightness · HDR peak brightness · OS versions supported · Google Mobile Services · Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core). Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.

Questions

Is the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra better than the Galaxy S26?

On the figures, neither is better overall: the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra wins on display size, 8 in (Samsung UK) against 6.3 in (Samsung Newsroom UK) and peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Samsung UK) against 2,600 nits (GSMArena); the Galaxy S26 wins on weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 215 g (Samsung UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.

Which has the better battery?

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 51.17 h against 51 h (both EU energy label). The Galaxy S26 is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 30 h against 27 h (both Samsung UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 5,000 mAh (Samsung UK) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung Newsroom UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.

Which is lighter?

The Galaxy S26, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 215 g (Samsung UK).

Which has the brighter screen?

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Samsung UK) against 2,600 nits (GSMArena).

Which gets updates for longer?

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra gets security updates for longer: until July 2033, against February 2033 for the Galaxy S26. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API.

Which is cheaper?

The Galaxy S26 is £1,020 cheaper at UK RRP (£879 against £1,899). Prices from Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: Samsung Newsroom UK; Galaxy S26: Samsung Newsroom UK.

The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.