Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra launches July 22 with new Wide model to rival Apple

Samsung is bringing three foldable phones to market on July 22 at Unpacked London, and for the first time, one of them will have a fundamentally different shape than anything the company has shipped before. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra keeps the tall, book-style design that Samsung has refined over generations. But the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide—the new device—folds like a landscape tablet, with a wider outer screen meant to feel natural in one hand and expansive when opened. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 rounds out the trio as the clamshell option. Samsung typically opens pre-orders on announcement day and ships roughly two weeks later, which would put these devices in customers' hands around August 7.

The Wide model is the story here because it exists to answer a specific problem: tall foldables waste screen real estate on video. When you watch a widescreen film on the current Z Fold 7, black bars frame the top and bottom. The Wide's 4:3 aspect ratio on both the cover screen (5.4 inches) and inner display (7.6 inches) means video content fills the space more naturally, much like a traditional tablet. That design choice also makes it Samsung's direct answer to Apple's iPhone Fold, which is expected to arrive in September. The Wide weighs 201 grams and carries a 4,800mAh battery with 45W charging. Its camera system is straightforward: a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 50-megapixel ultrawide, with no telephoto lens. Both the Wide and Ultra will run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, though the Flip 8 uses the Exynos 2600.

The Ultra is positioned as the premium option. It's thinner than the Wide—approximately 4.1 millimeters when unfolded—and weighs 215 grams, the same as last year's Z Fold 7. Samsung has significantly enhanced the screen resolution on the Ultra, suggesting a higher pixel density than the Wide. The camera hardware is substantially more capable: a 200-megapixel primary sensor with optical image stabilization, a 50-megapixel ultrawide (a major jump from the Z Fold 7's 12-megapixel ultrawide), and a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. This marks the first time the Fold series has come close to matching the Galaxy S Ultra's camera capabilities. The Ultra carries a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging and will not include an S Pen slot.

Color and storage options have been confirmed for all three models. The Z Fold 8 Ultra comes in Cream, Graphite, Green Shadow, and Violet Shadow, with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options. The Wide offers Cream, Graphite, Lavender, and Pistachio, also in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with additional online-exclusive colors expected. The Z Flip 8 is more limited: Cream, Graphite, Mint, and Pink, capped at 512GB maximum storage. One detail suggests Samsung is thinking carefully about durability: the Wide uses 60-micrometer ultra-thin glass on its inner display, 30 percent thicker than the 45-micrometer glass on the Ultra. Thicker glass should provide better resistance to drops and impacts in everyday use.

Pricing remains unconfirmed, and this is where uncertainty clouds the picture. Samsung is navigating a memory chip shortage that has driven component costs up, while also facing Apple's entry into the foldable market. The company raised prices on the Z Fold 7 in April—the 1TB model jumped $80 to $2,499.99, and the 512GB rose $80 to $2,199.99, while the entry-level 256GB stayed at $1,999.99. A similar strategy for the Fold 8 would mean the Ultra's base model holding at $1,999.99 while higher tiers climb, or the Wide serving as the budget option at around $2,000 while the Ultra reaches new heights. Samsung's popular double storage promotion—which gives buyers twice the storage for the same price—is expected to survive, though it may come with additional conditions or regional restrictions. In the U.S., Samsung ditched the free memory upgrade for the Galaxy S26 launch but kept it in Europe. American buyers instead received up to $900 in trade-in credit or $150 store credit without a trade-in, while Amazon offered its own double storage deal plus a $200 gift card.

Historically, Samsung discounts its flagships aggressively after launch. The Z Fold 7 saw hundreds of dollars in price cuts months after release, and the S26 eventually qualified for the double storage promotion in the U.S. even though it wasn't available at launch. Retailers like Amazon have proven willing to undercut Samsung's official pricing with their own aggressive pre-order packages. The takeaway for buyers is straightforward: the initial announcement price may not be the best deal available, and patience often pays off. What remains to be seen is how the Wide's new form factor and the Ultra's enhanced specs will be priced relative to each other, and whether Samsung can maintain margins while keeping prices competitive against Apple's inevitable entry into the category.