GoKawiilSanuj Bhatia / Android Authority
It’s not a secret anymore. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 series has arrived, and, as expected, Samsung has split its book-style foldable lineup into two this time. There’s the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the standard and wider model, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which serves as the direct successor to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 (albeit with the added Ultra moniker).
We appreciated last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 a lot, thanks to its much slimmer design and wider cover screen. And while Samsung has made some meaningful changes on top of that this year, my hands-on time with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra still left me wanting a little more.
Here are six things I think Samsung got wrong with its Ultra foldable.
What's the biggest omission from the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra? 10 votes No S Pen 50 % Old telephoto camera 20 % No Qi2 magnets 0 % Higher price 20 % It's heavier than the regular Z Fold 8 10 %
The Ultra costs $200 more for a phone that barely feels new
Paul Jones / Android Authority
Let’s start with the most obvious one: the price. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra now starts at $2,100, which is $100 more than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. While a price hike would be easier to swallow if the phone felt like a major upgrade, that’s not quite the case here.
The reality is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra looks and feels a lot like its predecessor. You get the same overall design language, a similar footprint, and much of the same in-hand experience.
Sure, there are meaningful upgrades under the hood, like the larger 5,000mAh battery and the improved 50MP ultrawide camera, but Samsung has also dropped the base RAM configuration to 12GB. Overall, it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re paying more for something that barely feels new.
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