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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxvsSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8

The short answer

Choose the Galaxy Z Fold8 for lower weight and the larger screen. Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max for video playback time. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,299 against £1,699). The Galaxy Z Fold8 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
£1,699Samsung 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

1 win for iPhone 18 Pro Max2 wins for Galaxy Z Fold82 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£400 apart at RRP

Verdict: Galaxy Z Fold8 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 26 h); the Galaxy Z Fold8 wins on weight (201 g against 249 g) and display size (7.6 in against 6.9 in). 2 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: battery capacity (5,391 mAh from GSMArena against 4,800 mAh from the maker) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and fast charging (60 W against 45 W) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. 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

iPhone 18 Pro Max · 163.4 × 78.0 mmGalaxy Z Fold8 · 123.9 × 81.9 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
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mmOfficial
123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7 mmOfficial
Weight
249gOfficial
201gOfficialwins this row

Galaxy Z Fold8 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
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
7.6inOfficialwins this row

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

ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
2868 x 1320Official
1848 x 2448Official
Pixel densityDiffers, but not ranked.
460ppiOfficial
403ppiOfficial
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 Flex TitaniumOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8
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
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
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
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
Main sensor resolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
48MPOfficial
50MPOfficial
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.48 to f/4.0 (variable)Official
f/1.8Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.28"3rd party
1/1.56"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisationOfficial
No dedicated telephoto lens; 2x optical-quality zoom from the 50MP Adaptive Pixel wide cameraOfficial
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
Battery capacity
5391mAh3rd party
4800mAhOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery per charge
No verified data
49.17hOfficial
Claimed video playback
43hOfficialwins this row
26hOfficial

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
No verified data

Connectivity

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8
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

Benchmarks

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8
AnTuTu benchmark
No verified data
28142513rd party

Misc

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

Google Mobile Services · Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) · 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?

On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 26 h (Samsung UK); the Galaxy Z Fold8 wins on weight, 201 g (Samsung UK) against 249 g (Apple UK) and display size, 7.6 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 26 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 5,391 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,800 mAh (Samsung UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.

Which is lighter?

The Galaxy Z Fold8, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 201 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 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 £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,299 against £1,699). Prices from iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple UK store; Galaxy Z Fold8: 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.