Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8 and Z Flip8: Thinner Foldables and Agentic AI

Samsung's eighth-generation foldables arrived at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, and the company has reshuffled its lineup in a way that changes how you choose one. There are now three phones: the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, the first Ultra-branded foldable, a redesigned Galaxy Z Fold8 with new display proportions, and the Galaxy Z Flip8, which is thinner and gains a more capable outer screen. Samsung's launch write-up does not list prices or on-sale dates, so this article concentrates on the hardware and software details that the company did confirm.

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: the thin, big-screen flagship

The Ultra tag has meant top-end performance across Samsung's other phone families, and here it means the foldable that puts the most emphasis on productivity. Its headline number is thickness. Unfolded, the Z Fold8 Ultra measures 4.1 millimeters and weighs 215 grams, which Samsung says makes it the thinnest Galaxy Z Fold so far. Opening it reveals an 8-inch main display.

Samsung says it refined the folding experience by optimizing the magnets, hinge mechanism and display tension, and by adjusting the edge design so the phone is easier to open. A proprietary approach called Flex Titanium is credited with reducing the visible crease while improving durability. Creases are the most common complaint about foldables, so any claimed reduction is worth checking in person under different lighting angles before you pay.

Performance comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, paired with a 5,000mAh battery. If you want to understand how these chips differ from rival designs, our guide to phone chipsets from Snapdragon, Dimensity and Apple is a good primer.

Galaxy Z Fold8: a different shape

The standard Fold8 makes its change in proportions, not in raw thinness. It has a 5.5-inch cover screen with a 10:16 aspect ratio and a 7.6-inch main display that opens to a 4:3 ratio, which Samsung says suits movies and games. Turn the phone and it reads as 3:4, which the company says feels more natural for e-books and web pages. The idea is that a foldable used to feel like a phone that opens into a compromised tablet, and a friendlier ratio may address that.

The battery is 4,800mAh, and Samsung quotes more than 26 hours of video playback. At 201 grams it is the lightest Galaxy Z Fold to date. For anyone who has found earlier Folds heavy in a pocket, that is a tangible improvement. Samsung's tagline for this model is creating as well as consuming, and the showpiece is My FanCam, a Galaxy AI tool that lets you pick a person in a gallery video and reframe the clip automatically around them.

Galaxy Z Flip8: more to do without opening it

The clamshell Z Flip8 is 6.1 millimeters thick when unfolded and weighs 180 grams. Samsung says a stronger frame and a hinge made from a new high-strength material improve durability while keeping the slim profile. The main story is the outer FlexWindow, which now runs more apps. From it, you can browse photos in Gallery, chat through messaging apps and finish quick tasks without unfolding.

A feature named Now Brief brings the day's weather, schedule and important notifications, together with things like exchange rates and stock updates, into personalized cards. The camera has been tuned to suit the form factor as well. Camcorder Grip supports stable one-handed recording, Super Steady's horizontal lock keeps footage level while moving, and Dual Recording captures the creator and the subject in the same video, with a live preview on the cover screen so both sides can see the shot.

Agentic AI is the software theme

Samsung frames the whole generation around agentic AI, meaning software that anticipates needs and takes multi-step actions, not just responding to prompts. The company gives concrete examples:

• Gemini Notebook on the Fold8 Ultra lets you upload a PDF of meeting minutes or a recording of a presentation, produce a summary, then turn the same source into AI-generated videos, slides, podcasts or quizzes.
• Now Nudge notices when multitasking would help and opens Multi Window at the right time, for instance by suggesting you add dinner plans from a chat to your calendar and opening the Calendar app beside it.
• On the Fold8, you can share a photo of the Eiffel Tower with Gemini and ask it to book a nearby hotel. The agent finds options that match your criteria while you keep using other apps, and you approve only the steps that need confirmation.

The confirm-before-acting design is the detail to notice. Agents that spend money or send messages need clear checkpoints, and a good rule for any such feature is to see exactly what will happen before you approve it. For a broader explanation of the idea, read our guide to what AI agents are and how agentic AI works. And if you want to remember how earlier Galaxy AI features felt in daily use, see our look at the Galaxy S24 AI features that actually mattered.

Which foldable is for whom

The lineup now splits along clear lines. The Fold8 Ultra is for buyers who want the most screen and the most powerful multitasking in the thinnest body. The Fold8 is the model for people who prefer a lighter phone with friendlier proportions and are interested in creation tools. The Flip8 is the pocket-friendly option for those who care more about the cover screen and camera flexibility than about tablet-sized screens. If you are still deciding whether a foldable is right for you at all, our comparison of Galaxy Z Fold and Pixel Fold outlines the trade-offs, and the newer format we cover in tri-fold phones explained shows where the category is heading.

What to check before you buy

Because the announcement leaves out prices, storage tiers and release dates, wait for the full retail details and compare them against what you would otherwise spend. Also verify durability information, such as water resistance ratings, directly on the official spec sheet; the launch article does not spell them out. Try the crease, hinge feel and weight in a store if you can. And consider memory and storage carefully, because AI-heavy multitasking benefits from more of both, a point covered in our guide on how much RAM and storage a phone needs. If you already own a recent foldable, the improvements in thickness and weight are appealing but not urgent; if you are upgrading from an older phone, this is a strong generation to consider.