The fight for the future of foldable phones is here

ANALYSISGadgetsGadgetsThe fight for the future of foldable phones is hereSamsung gears up for a challenge from Apple.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00A person records a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 smartphone at a Samsung Unpacked launch event in London on Wednesday. Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 23, 2026, 12:30 AM EDTBy Joanna SternWhat’s the difference between a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8 and Flip 8? Two fold, one flips and all three unfold your wallet. (Sorry.)Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Making fun of Samsung’s product names is an old tradition. But what the company announced Wednesday is genuinely new and far more consequential than its usual summer foldable refresh. Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone in September, and RAM-ageddon continues to drive up all consumer electronics prices. I spoke with one of Samsung’s top executives about Apple’s expected entry into the market and Samsung’s own seven-year head start. But first, let’s break down the differences among the three devices, so you don’t have to run the product names through a Samsung-to-human translator.New shapes. Sure, there are small differences among the three phones, but shape is the biggest. Galaxy Z Fold 8: The “all-new” Fold opens like a children’s book or a passport, revealing a wider main landscape display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Think classic Hollywood. It starts at $1,900. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: This one opens more like a tall pamphlet. It keeps the narrower, more vertical shape of Samsung’s previous Fold design. It also now has a ginormous battery. It starts at $2,100.Galaxy Z Flip 8: This one folds vertically, like the flip phones of the early 2000s. It starts at $1,200. All of these phones ship Aug. 7.The most interesting is the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 — or what Samsung probably should have just called the Fold Widescreen. (Seriously,...