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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxvsSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra

The short answer

Choose the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for lower weight and the larger screen. Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max for video playback time. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is £600 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,299 against £1,899). The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra gets security updates until July 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.

Released
2026-09-18Apple Newsroom UK — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, retrieved 2026-09-10
Price
£1,299Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-10
Security updates until
Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-09-10
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

1 win for iPhone 18 Pro Max2 wins for Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra2 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice£600 apart at RRP

Verdict: Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra ahead on 2 rows, iPhone 18 Pro Max on 1 row

On the makers’ published figures, the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on claimed video playback (43 h against 27 h); the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra wins on weight (215 g against 249 g) and display size (8 in against 6.9 in). 2 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: fast charging (60 W against 45 W) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and wireless charging (25 W against 20 W) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The difference in battery capacity is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same refresh rate, peak brightness, storage (base) and RAM. The other 36 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

iPhone 18 Pro Max · 163.4 × 78.0 mmGalaxy Z Fold8 Ultra · 158.4 × 72.8 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

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mmOfficial
158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mmOfficial
Weight
249gOfficial
215gOfficialwins this row

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

BuildDiffers, but not ranked.
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backOfficial
Armor Aluminum frame; Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 cover, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 backOfficial
SIMDiffers, but not ranked.
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)Official
Nano-SIM + eSIM / Dual eSIMOfficial
Water/dust ratingDiffers, but not ranked.
IP68Official
IP48Official
UnlockDiffers, but not ranked.
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Fingerprint SensorOfficial

Display

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Main: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz; Cover: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120HzOfficial
Display size
6.9inOfficial
8inOfficialwins this row

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

ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
2868 x 1320Official
2504 x 2256Official
Pixel densityDiffers, but not ranked.
460ppiOfficial
422ppiOfficial
Refresh rateSame.
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
Peak brightnessSame.
3000nitsOfficial
3000nitsOfficial
Typical brightness
1000nitsOfficial
No verified data
HDR peak brightness
1600nitsOfficial
No verified data
Screen protectionDiffers, but not ranked.
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial
Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 (cover); inner foldable panel with titanium shock-absorbing layersOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
iOS 27Official
Android 17, One UI 9Official
OS versions supported
iOS 27Official
No verified data
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
A20 Pro chipOfficial
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for GalaxyOfficial
CPUDiffers, but not ranked.
6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
Octa-Core, 4.74GHz, 3.6GHzOfficial
GPU
7-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial
No verified data

Memory

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Storage (base)Same.
256GBOfficial
256GBOfficial
Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBOfficial
256GB/512GB/1TBOfficial
RAMSame.
12GB3rd party
12GBOfficial
Card slotSame.
No3rd party
No3rd party

Camera

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Pro Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 24mm with variable aperture (f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0) and second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2; 48MP Fusion Telephoto 100mm (4x) f/2.8 with 3D sensor-shift OIS; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 40xOfficial
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
Main sensor resolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
48MPOfficial
200MPOfficial
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.48 to f/4.0 (variable)Official
f/1.7Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.28"3rd party
1/1.3"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisationOfficial
10MP Telephoto, f/2.4, FOV 36°, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoomOfficial
UltrawideDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2Official
50MP Ultra-Wide, f/1.9, FOV 120°, Quad Pixel AFOfficial
Front cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
Cover 10MP f/2.2 FOV 85°; inner 10MP f/2.2 FOV 100°Official
Video captureDiffers, but not ranked.
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 (Fusion Main) or 120 fpsOfficial
UHD 8K (7680 x 4320)@30fpsOfficial

Battery

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Battery capacity
5391mAh3rd party
5000mAhOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

Battery per charge
No verified data
51.17hOfficial
Claimed video playback
43hOfficialwins this row
27hOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Battery lifespan
No verified data
1200cyclesOfficial
Fast charging
60WOfficial
45WOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Wireless charging
25WOfficial
20WOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Connectivity

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)Official
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
6Official
6.0Official
USBDiffers, but not ranked.
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1Official
NFCSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
PositioningDiffers, but not ranked.
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official
GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSSOfficial

Misc

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Black, Silver, Glacier, BurgundyOfficial
Graphite, Cream, Violet ShadowOfficial
SAR (EU, head)
No verified data
0.82W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)
No verified data
COfficial
5 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for

Google Mobile Services · Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) · AnTuTu benchmark · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.

Questions

Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max better than the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra?

On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 27 h (Samsung UK); the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra wins on weight, 215 g (Samsung UK) against 249 g (Apple UK) and display size, 8 in (Samsung UK) against 6.9 in (Apple UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.

Which has the better battery?

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 27 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 5,391 mAh (GSMArena) against 5,000 mAh (Samsung UK).

Which is lighter?

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 215 g (Samsung UK) against 249 g (Apple UK).

Which has the brighter screen?

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

Which gets updates for longer?

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra gets security updates until July 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037, 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 18 Pro Max is £600 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,299 against £1,899). Prices from iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple UK store; Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: 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.