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MobileIQ

Head to head

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8vsApple iPhone 17 Pro Max

The short answer

Choose the Galaxy Z Fold8 for lower weight and the larger screen. Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max for video playback time. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is £500 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,199 against £1,699). The Galaxy Z Fold8 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
£1,699Samsung 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, 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

2 wins for Galaxy Z Fold81 win for iPhone 17 Pro Max2 gaps borderline2 differences you won’t notice£500 apart at RRP

Verdict: Galaxy Z Fold8 ahead on 2 rows, iPhone 17 Pro Max on 1 row

On the makers’ published figures, the Galaxy Z Fold8 wins on weight (201 g against 231 g) and display size (7.6 in against 6.9 in); the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on claimed video playback (37 h against 26 h). 2 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: battery per charge (53 h against 49.17 h) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and battery lifespan (1,200 cycles against 1,000 cycles) for the Galaxy Z Fold8. The differences in battery capacity and fast charging are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same refresh rate, peak brightness, storage (base) and RAM. The other 38 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

Galaxy Z Fold8 · 123.9 × 81.9 mmiPhone 17 Pro Max · 163.4 × 78 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 Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7 mmOfficial
163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mmOfficial
Weight
201gOfficialwins this row
231gOfficial

Galaxy Z Fold8 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
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backOfficial
SIMDiffers, but not ranked.
Nano-SIM + eSIM / Dual eSIMOfficial
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM supportOfficial
Water/dust ratingDiffers, but not ranked.
IP48Official
IP68Official
UnlockDiffers, but not ranked.
Fingerprint SensorOfficial
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official

Display

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Main: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz; Cover: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120HzOfficial
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Display size
7.6inOfficialwins this row
6.9inOfficial

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

ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
1848 x 2448Official
2868 x 1320Official
Pixel densityDiffers, but not ranked.
403ppiOfficial
460ppiOfficial
Refresh rateSame.
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
Peak brightnessSame.
3000nitsOfficial
3000nitsOfficial
Typical brightness
No verified data
1000nitsOfficial
HDR peak brightness
No verified data
1600nitsOfficial
Screen protectionDiffers, but not ranked.
Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 (cover); inner foldable panel with Flex TitaniumOfficial
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial

Platform

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
Android 17, One UI 9Official
iOS 263rd party
OS versions supported
No verified data
iOS 26 to iOS 27Official
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for GalaxyOfficial
A19 Pro chipOfficial
CPUDiffers, but not ranked.
Octa-Core, 4.74GHz, 3.6GHzOfficial
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
GPU
No verified data
6-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial

Memory

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Storage (base)Same.
256GBOfficial
256GBOfficial
Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.
256GB/512GB/1TBOfficial
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBOfficial
RAMSame.
12GBOfficial
12GB3rd party
Card slotSame.
No3rd party
No3rd party

Camera

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
50MP Wide Dual Pixel AF OIS f/1.8; 50MP Ultra-Wide Quad Pixel AF f/1.9 FOV 120°; 10MP cover selfie f/2.2; 10MP inner front f/2.2Official
48MP Pro Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 24mm f/1.78 with second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2 120°; 48MP Fusion Telephoto 100mm 4x f/2.8 tetraprism; Fusion Main also enables 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto 48mm f/1.78; Fusion Telephoto also enables 12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto 200mm f/2.8Official
Main sensor resolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
50MPOfficial
48MPOfficial
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.8Official
f/1.78Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.56"3rd party
1/1.28"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
No dedicated telephoto lens; 2x optical-quality zoom from the 50MP Adaptive Pixel wide cameraOfficial
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS; also enables 12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto 200mm f/2.8Official
UltrawideDiffers, but not ranked.
50MP Ultra-Wide, f/1.9, FOV 120°, Quad Pixel AFOfficial
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
Front cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
Cover 10MP f/2.2 FOV 85°; inner 10MP f/2.2 FOV 100°Official
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
Video captureDiffers, but not ranked.
UHD 8K (7680 x 4320)@30fpsOfficial
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 or 120 fps (Fusion Main)Official

Battery

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Battery capacity
4800mAhOfficial
4823mAh3rd party

You won’t notice this difference.

Battery per charge
49.17hOfficial
53hOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Claimed video playback
26hOfficial
37hOfficialwins this row

iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Battery lifespan
1200cyclesOfficial
1000cyclesOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Fast charging
45WOfficial
40WOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

Wireless charging
No verified data
25WOfficial

Connectivity

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)Official
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
6.0Official
6Official
USBDiffers, but not ranked.
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1Official
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
NFCSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
PositioningDiffers, but not ranked.
GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSSOfficial
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official

Benchmarks

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core)
No verified data
87953rd party
AnTuTu benchmark
28142513rd party
No verified data
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
No verified data
54053rd party

Misc

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Lavender, Graphite, Cream, PistachioOfficial
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep BlueOfficial
SAR (EU, head)Differs, but not ranked.
0.82W/kg3rd party
1.49W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)Same.
COfficial
COfficial
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for

Google Mobile Services · 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 Fold8 better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max?

On the figures, neither is better overall: the Galaxy Z Fold8 wins on weight, 201 g (Samsung UK) against 231 g (Apple UK) and display size, 7.6 in (Samsung UK) against 6.9 in (Apple UK); the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 26 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 is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 53 h against 49.17 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 26 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,800 mAh (Samsung UK).

Which is lighter?

The Galaxy Z Fold8, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 201 g (Samsung UK) against 231 g (Apple UK).

Which has the brighter screen?

Neither: both state 3,000 nits for peak brightness (Samsung UK and Apple UK).

Which gets updates for longer?

The Galaxy Z Fold8 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 iPhone 17 Pro Max is £500 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,199 against £1,699). Prices from Galaxy Z Fold8: Samsung Newsroom UK; iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple UK store.

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