Since Samsung unveiled the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, its foldable phones have been long and thin. Other brands followed suit. Then came the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, a phone that's wide, and everyone absolutely loves the new form factor.
I'm no different; I thought the phone was great and used it for a month until I downgraded to a normal phone. However, I've returned to the folding world, belatedly visiting the phone's forgotten sibling: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Unfortunately, that time with the Z Fold 8 may have ruined me. The Ultra is more advanced in a few ways, but I've seen what the future of foldables looks like, and long, thin devices have lost their shine.
It's a phone that lives up to its Ultra suffix
The screen, the cameras, the software
Now, before I begin sounding too critical of a fancy, flashy, high-powered phone, I want to make my stance clear: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a wonderful phone. Foldables are still magic. They're a phone and tablet in one, giving you the best of both worlds.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra is particularly powerful, especially in the camera department, where it easily beats the Z Fold 8 thanks to its zoom lens. It's also much lighter than a phone like this should be.
After years of building foldables, Samsung has perfected the software. It's easy to use the Z Fold 8 Ultra as one phone or two, with neat touches like easy split-screening, adaptable home screen layouts, and apps that move quickly between displays.
Wide screens make so much better use of the space
It's not Ultra if the other is wide
To me, the problem with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the aspect ratio. Now that we've seen the alternative on the market — the Z Fold 8 Wide, to give it the rumored but abandoned suffix — the Ultra's size is a little harder to appreciate.
Its inner screen has a 10:9 aspect ratio, which is so close to square that I'm going to consider it as such. That's unlike the Z Fold 8, with its 4:3 aspect ratio, which is noticeably wider.
The Ultra is the lesser of the two devices for entertainment. When you're watching a movie, there's significant letterboxing at the top and bottom. In most games, there's empty space, with most action playing out in the center.
I've found it inferior for split-screening because each window is so long and thin. Many apps I use often, like Google Maps, Spotify, or any document viewer, work best in a wider aspect ratio so you can see from side to side. The Ultra blocks information.
When using one app, the Z Fold 8 Ultra has too much space. When multitasking, there's too little. Having used the Galaxy Z Fold 8, this variance is frustrating; I know what it's like to use a device that feels "just right."
The Ultra's size makes it unwieldy to use
When folded or unfolded
When I'm reviewing a phone, I always have to remind myself: a smartphone isn't just judged on the merits of using it. I need to keep in mind how good it is when using it, and this is where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra struggles.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra feels odd when it's in my trouser pocket. It sticks out more than other devices, and digs into me a little bit when I sit down.
I also took quite a while to get used to holding it in my hand. Its long, thin shape requires you to unlearn how you expect to hold a phone. It takes a lot of stretching, especially if you want to use the fingerprint scanner.
It's the shape of things to come
The shape and size of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 have ruined me for the Ultra. I think the passport-shaped foldable works better than its angular sibling, and clearly I'm not alone.
So where does that leave tall foldables? In limbo, I'm sure, and I'm genuinely curious whether brands will keep releasing them, or if the likes of Motorola and Google will pivot to the wider design.
Maybe they won't: Samsung introduced the future, but others followed. The Xiaomi 18 offered a similar device but with upgraded specs, and the iPhone Duo was Apple's response. Others will come along, too.