This phone is expected to sit somewhere between the Galaxy S27 Plus and the ultra-premium Galaxy S27 Ultra. Considering the gap between the Plus and Ultra models has been closing in recent years, that's a bit of an awkward spot. So how is the Galaxy S27 Pro going to make itself stand out from its cohorts?

Here are five key ways the Galaxy S27 Pro stands apart from the S27 Ultra, and two similarities both phones reportedly share.

How they differ

It's got a smaller screen

Samsung's flagships have a lot of similarities, but screen size is not one of them. The three models we see every year all have different dimensions, and it seems like the Galaxy S27 Pro will be following that pattern. According to information from regulatory databases, the phone will come with a 6.5-inch display.

This means it'll sit between the 6.3-inch S27 and 6.7-inch S27 Plus, with a screen that's almost half an inch smaller than the 6.9-inch Galaxy S27 Ultra. This means that the S27 Pro should have a distinct look compared to the S27 Ultra, and that could be enticing for those that want premium phone features without having to pick the largest model.

It's going to be less powerful

Those same databases point towards the S27 Pro coming with less powerful hardware than the S27 Ultra. The Ultra is expected to come with the newly-announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 system on chip, which offers major improvements to computing, graphics and AI processing.

The S27 Pro, on the other hand, is tipped to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. model. We don't know what sort of performance to expect from the moderate variant of the Gen 6 chip, other than the fact it's a step above the Gen 5 chip currently in circulation. But don't expect it to be as powerful as the Extreme version.

However we are still assuming that Samsung will employ custom "for Galaxy" variants of both chips, which offer better performance than the non-Galaxy variant. So that should hopefully still give the Pro a nice performance boost.

Don't expect the S Pen

One of the major selling points for the Galaxy S27 Ultra is the inclusion of the S Pen, which slots into the base of the phone whenever you're not using it. Sadly it sounds like the S27 Pro will not feature this particular feature, and potentially makes it far less useful as a productivity device.

My guess is that part of the reason Samsung hasn't added a built-in S Pen is because the S27 Pro is a much smaller device and there's less internal space to store it. It's unclear whether the phone will support a standalone S Pen stylus, as was the case with Galaxy S21 Ultra and various Z Fold devices. But I'm guessing that this won't happen, and those people wanting the S Pen will have to pay out for the Ultra model.

The telephoto camera won't be as good

Samsung's Ultra phones are known for their powerful telephoto lenses, a trend that will apparently continue with the S27 Ultra getting a 50MP lens capable of 5x optical magnification. Meanwhile the S27 Pro is rumored to offer a zooming lens with considerably less resolution and lower optical magnification.

The most common rumor suggests that the Pro will feature a 12MP telephoto lens capable of 3x optical magnification. That's noticeably less than the Ultra, but still higher than the 10MP telephoto lenses we've seen on the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus.

However there has also been a rumor that claims the Pro will feature a 50MP camera with 3.5x optical zoom. Obviously those potential specs are very different, and would help the Pro stand apart from the standard and Plus models. That said, whichever way you look at it, the Ultra will have the superior zooming camera hardware.

The battery is smaller

Rumor has it that Samsung will be utilizing silicon carbon batteries in the S27 series, including the S27 Ultra and the S27 Pro. Effectively offering greater battery capacity without increasing the size and weight of the phones by a meaningful degree. However, leaks suggest that the S27 Pro will have the smaller battery of the two, with 5,200 mAh to the Ultra's 5,700 mAh.

Don't get me wrong, that's still larger than the 5,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, it does mean that the Pro may not have as much power to work with as the Ultra model. Whether that will matter in the long run, on account of the smaller screen and less powerful chips, isn't clear — and only hands-on battery testing can answer that question.

How they're similar

It looks like both phone will have a 200MP camera

The S27 Pro's telephoto lens may not be quite as impressive as the S27 Ultra's, but the main camera is gearing up to be more or less the same. Both phones are rumored to have a 200MP main camera, which has become a staple part of the Ultra series in the Galaxy Z and Galaxy Z lineups.

We're not too sure whether the cameras will be identical, though. It's possible that there will be some variations in things like sensor size or aperture, but that doesn't change the fact that the Pro is gearing up to offer the same high-resolution photography as its larger sibling.

It's getting a Privacy Display too

The Privacy Display is easily one of the best things about the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and word is that Samsung will be fixing one of the biggest flaws on the S27 series. Specifically the fact that it dims the screen, even when the Privacy Display is switched off. Oh, and it won't be exclusive to the Ultra model this time round.

The S27 Pro is also expected to get a Privacy Display, paired with the brighter M16 OLED display panel. We don't know a lot about whether the Privacy Display may change next year, aside from the brightness thing. But it's good to see that Samsung isn't keeping an important security feature paywalled on its most expensive device.

Maybe one day we'll even see Privacy Display on a phone that doesn't cost over $1,000.

It should have the same charging speeds

The final similarity between these two phones is that the Pro should have the same charging capabilities as the S27 Ultra. By which I mean 60W wired charging and 25W Qi2 magnetic charging. That's right, Samsung will apparently add magnets to its phones next year, but word is that only the Ultra and Pro models will get that particular upgrade.

Bottom line: What is the Pro for?

So far it seems as though the Galaxy S27 Pro is going to be a middle-ground for the ultra-premium market. It offers a lot more than the standard S27 and S27 Plus, but in a smaller form factor than the S27 Ultra. It looks like there will be some compromises made to account for that size change, but not to the same extreme as other options.

The only real question is how much you'll have to pay for one. Samsung's prices have gone up a lot over the course of this year, and rumor is that the S27 series will also suffer a price hike. Which means the S27 Ultra may be extremely expensive, which is likely to put a bunch of people off buying it. That would mean the Pro is effectively the middle-ground option, offering high-end features but at a slightly cheaper and more reasonable price point. Though I still wouldn't expect it to be a "cheap" option.

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Case in point, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is now $949 over at Best Buy. We have seen the flagship drop to this price before, but not since Samsung raised the MSRP to $1,399. This means you're saving $450 on one of the best phones money can buy right now.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best phones you can buy right now. While it's debatable as to whether it's better than an iPhone 18 Pro Max there's no doubt that it is the best Android phone currently on sale.

Why? Well plenty of reasons. The main one is that it has one of the best cameras of any smartphone, complete with a 200MP main camera, which is teamed up with 50MP ultrawide and telephoto (5x zoom) lenses. There's also a secondary 10MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom, which isn't something you see on many phones.

You also get a large 6.9-inch display with a built-in Privacy Display. When active, this feature cuts off the side viewing angles, and stops people from trying to subtly spy on your phone screen. It doesn't just do it to the whole screen either, and can operate on an app-by-app basis, censoring sensitive areas of your screen without blocking the whole thing.

Other benefits to the S26 Ultra include the built-in S Pen, a large 5,000 mAh battery with 16 hours and 10 minutes of battery life (per our testing). Plus there's a whole suite of Galaxy AI features, including the upgraded Circle to Search, Automated App Actions, the Horizon Lock camera feature, and upgraded 60W wired charging.

The Galaxy S27 Ultra may be coming in early 2027, with a bunch of upgrades, but rumor has it we may see another price hike. With that in mind, it's certainly worth taking the plunge now and swapping out your current handset for an S26 Ultra — and the (relatively) low price of $949. Because you likely won't see S27 Ultra deals like this until next November.

Samsung is usually the first out of the gate, and rumor has it that the launch will be a little earlier than we're used to — suggesting a January release window. The Unpacked event is also said to include four new Galaxy S27-series phones, with a Pro model set to join the usual lineup. But, as ever, the Galaxy S27 Ultra is set to be the star of the show, with all the latest and best hardware Samsung has to offer.

Here's everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra so far.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Rumored Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Design and display

We're not expecting any major changes to the size of the Galaxy S27 Ultra, and recently-leaked dummy units suggest that the dimensions of the upcoming phone will be very similar to those of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. And by very similar, I mean practically identical, with only a fraction of a millimeter's difference in width and thickness.

However, the big changes are set to happen on the back of the phone. Samsung is widely expected to ditch the vertical camera array of past Galaxy phones, in favor of a full-width camera bar — similar to that of the iPhone 18 Pro. This change is also supposed to come with the loss of the secondary telephoto lens, and turn the Ultra model into a triple-lens camera for the first time.

It's also been rumored that Samsung may finally employ an M16 OLED display on the S27 Ultra. This display is set to be brighter, and is the same material used on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. There are also rumors that the Ultra will feature "enhanced display brightness" to counteract the dimming caused by the Privacy Display.

As useful as the feature is, we found that it caused a loss of display brightness even when the Privacy Display setting is deactivated. So it's good to see that Samsung is proactively dealing with that issue with the next generation Privacy Display. The Privacy feature is also rumored to be getting some upgrades, but it's unclear what those might actually be.

Recently-leaked dummy units also suggest that the Ultra will retain its built-in S Pen, and rumor has it that Qi2 magnets will finally be added to the phone itself. That means no more having to buy special magnetic cases to make the most out of using Qi2 chargers and accessories. However, this feature may be exclusive to the Ultra and Pro models, with the Standard and Plus options missing out.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Performance

The one thing that isn't a mystery is the S27 Ultra's performance hardware. We assumed the phone would come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, and a recent leak seemingly confirmed that. Not that it was ever doubted that Samsung would opt for the most powerful Qualcomm chip on the market. The only real question we have is whether the phone will have a standard Extreme chip, or if a custom "for Galaxy" variant will be developed to offer stronger performance.

Our own early tests of the Extreme, using Qualcomm's reference device, reveal that the chip performed 29% better in Geekbench 7's single-core benchmark, and 16.3% better in the multi-core test. 3DMark's Solar Bay Extreme test shows a 49% increase in graphical power, or a 40% increase in Wildlife Extreme. Meanwhile AnTuTu's General AI benchmark showed an 18.4% increase, or a crazy 118% increase in AnTuTu's LLM AI test.

Obviously things are going to be a little different in a commercial phone, rather than a reference device that's built to perform well. But it shows just how much of an improvement we should see when the Galaxy S27 Ultra arrives next year. Needless to say this is going to be a powerful phone with a lot of AI capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Cameras

Very little is known about the Galaxy S27 Ultra's cameras right now, other than the fact Samsung is seemingly scrapping the secondary telephoto lens. This means the Ultra model will match other premium phones with a single zooming lens, which we assume will still be the same 50MP lens with 5x optical magnification we saw on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

While that news may be disappointing to some, it's not a huge loss. The second telephoto lens was always fairly underpowered, with the last iteration offering 10MP of resolution and 3x optical zoom. The quality wasn't bad, but it also wasn't really a necessary feature to have. Particularly since telephoto lenses are expensive, hence why they're mostly found on premium phones, and take up a lot of space. Removing the second one adds extra space to the S27 Ultra, and hopefully helps avoid another price hike.

This would be the perfect time for Samsung to add variable optical zoom, which has been rumored for a few years and effectively squeezes two telephoto lenses into one. Sadly it's unclear whether that will actually happen, and the same is true for the possibility of getting variable aperture — a feature Samsung last offered in 2019.

Rumors instead suggest that the telephoto may drop to 4x magnification, with a larger 1/1.9-inch sensor to compensate. However, there are conflicting reports, and the S27 Ultra may instead just get the exact same zooming lens as the S26 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Software & AI

We know software is going to be a huge part of the Samsung Galaxy S27 series, as it has been for the last few generations of Galaxy phones. Galaxy AI is one of those things that isn't going to vanish overnight, though at this early stage we have absolutely no idea what sort of features and capabilities will be coming to the S27 Ultra and its cohorts.

One possibility is the addition of MyFanCam, an AI-powered feature that debuted on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It works with existing footage that you've filmed, and uses AI to focus on a person of your choice. There's no reason why it couldn't exist on a Galaxy S phone, and the S27 launch is the perfect place to do it — especially if it has some much-needed upgrades, like the ability to focus on animals as well. We should also expect the phones to run on OneUI 9, possibly the updated OneUI 9.5, which is based on Android 17.

But, for the time being, any additional software and AI upgrades on the S27 Ultra are a complete mystery.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Battery

The release of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 saw Samsung finally embrace silicon carbon batteries. The main benefit is that the increased energy density means you can include more battery capacity without increasing the actual physical dimensions of the battery. This allows for larger batteries that aren't physically larger, and don't increase the size and weight of phones by any significant amount.

Leaks suggest that Samsung will be adopting the same technology in the Galaxy S27 Ultra, increasing the size of the battery from 5,000 mAh to 5,700 mAh. That's quite an upgrade, considering Galaxy Ultra phones have been stuck at 5,000 mAh for the past six years, though whether it will help the S27 Ultra climb the ranks of our best phone battery life page isn't clear yet. We'll need to wait and see how it performs during battery life testing.

Furthermore, it's unclear whether charging speed will change at all, considering the S26 Ultra upped the ante from 45W wired charging to 60W. However the rumored inclusion of Qi2 magnetic charging means that wireless charging should be much easier — even if it doesn't happen any faster.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Outlook

There's still a lot we don't know about the Galaxy S27 Ultra, but so far we're hearing about some promising things. Sure, the loss of a camera lens might be disappointing to some, but we are still getting some positive changes. A larger battery is something Galaxy users have been demanding for years, and the inclusion of Qi2 magnets means that Samsung is now on par with Apple and Google in the wireless charging game.

On top of that, we have the possibility of a brighter display, which takes the Privacy Display into account, and performance that should be some of the best you can get on any smartphone. The redesign is... interesting. It's clearly iPhone-inspired, which is both good and bad, and while people may not like the change I think it's good to see Samsung mix things up a bit.

There is still plenty of time for new information to leak, and that means we'll start getting a more complete picture of what the Galaxy S27 Ultra has to offer as the weeks and months roll on. Until the inevitable January Unpacked, where Samsung reveals the whole lineup in full. But until then, be sure to check back here for all the latest news and rumors about the upcoming flagships.

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We've already seen design leaks that showcase the Galaxy S27 Ultra's new look, swapping the vertical camera array for a horizontal camera bar — which is reminiscent of the "Raised Plateau" Apple debuted on iPhone 17 Pro Max. Now dummy units of that design have appeared online courtesy of Android Headline, letting us visualize that design as a real phone.

Dummy units are, of course, no substitute for the real thing. However they do give us an idea of what using these phones might be like.

Takeaways from the dummy units include changes to the camera, which includes removing the 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The telephoto does look quite small, but that's only because the S26 Ultra's telephoto had a deceptive design. So it's unclear what this means for the camera hardware.

The actual dimensions of the phone haven't really changed. The S27 Ultra dummy unit measures 163.76 x 78.25 x 7.97mm (6.44 x 3.0 x 0.31 inches), compared to 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9mm on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Which means the size difference is barely distinguishable. So really, the main visual changes come in the form of the camera setup.

Android Headline also notes that the design includes a built-in S Pen, alongside magnets to facilitate full Qi2 wireless charging. I don't see the magnets on the dummy unit or the CAD renders they're based on, so take that particular rumor with a healthy dose of scepticism.

A strange performance split

Those of you hoping for a super-powered S27 series may be disappointed, though. While we fully expect that the Ultra model will come with the newly-unveiled Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (or a custom "for Galaxy" variant), the same may not be true of the S27 Pro.

Notebookcheck recently uncovered listings for all four Galaxy S27 models in the import-export database NBD. It reveals that the S27 Pro may come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, the successor to the current Elite Gen 5 chipset in the S26 series. This chip is still being build on a 2nm process, with all the performance and efficiency benefits that affords, but it's not the absolute best chip Qualcomm will have on offer.

The Extreme Gen 6 chip is supposed to come with better computing, graphics and neural performance, as well as the ability to record videos in 8K resolution at 60 frames per second.

The regular Elite Gen 6 is limited to 30fps, and while the ability to record in 8K isn't going to appeal to everyone, it shows that the Extreme chip is the superior option. Certainly from a performance point of view, and that could be enough to push people away from the Pro model.

That said, a less impressive chip is likely cheaper, and means Samsung could be trying to avoid unnecessary costs that would need to be passed on to the consumer.

The listings also reveal that the international versions of the S27 and S27 Plus could run on the Exynos 2700 chipset, rather than a Snapdragon chip. Though Samsung has been doing that for years, and it's not really that surprising.

The same listings feature screen size too, with the S27, S27 Plus and S27 Ultra offering the same 6.3-, 6.7- and 6.9-inch displays as their predecessors. Meanwhile the Pro is set to offer a 6.5-inch display, and sit between the S27 and its plus-sized counterpart.

The Galaxy S27 series is expected to arrive in January, and we here at Tom's Guide will be watching for all the latest news and rumors to keep you up to date. Stay tuned for more.

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You can pick up the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for $1,599 at Amazon right now. Not only is this one of the lowest prices we've seen, and $100 lower than the last time this phone got discounted, it's also $400 less than the cost of the iPhone Duo. Better still, this foldable is available now and won't force you to wait until January for delivery.

Like the iPhone Duo, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the wider, passport-shaped design that's started to take off in the foldable world. The Z Fold 8 has a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch foldable display, which is pretty much identical to the iPhone Duo. The big difference is that Samsung's phone is a lot thinner and lighter, weighing 7.09 ounces and measuring just 0.17 inches thick when fully opened.

The inner screen features an anti-glare display that offers better color accuracy than the iPhone Duo, which is great for streaming movies and TV. The anti-crease technology isn't nearly as impressive, but Samsung's Flex Titanium display technology means the crease is significantly less noticeable than a lot of other foldables.

Other specs include a pair of 48MP cameras, two 10MP selfie cameras (one on each display), 45W charging with 20W wireless charging (magnet-free) and up to 16GB of RAM on the 1TB model. There is a 4,800 mAh battery, but our testing shows that it doesn't last as long as the iPhone Duo — which is worth bearing in mind.

Apple's foldable is also more durable, can adjust the screen based on the hinge state and has the added benefit of vapor chamber cooling to aid performance. That's not to say the Fold 8 offers bad performance. It has the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, which is easily the best Android chipset currently available.

The main problem with foldables is that they're expensive, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is starting to buck that trend with all the discounts we're seeing. Considering how much money has been dropped off the MSRP, and how much we enjoyed using the phone ourselves, this is definitely worth considering if you're looking for a foldable of your own.

The S27 series is said to be made up of four phones: The Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27 Plus, Galaxy S27 Ultra and the new Galaxy S27 Pro. We've started hearing some rumors about what those phones could have to offer, including one of the first major redesigns Galaxy phones have had for several years. Obviously there are a few things we also really want to see on these phones as well.

So here are the top seven changes we want to see on the Samsung Galaxy S27.

Larger silicon carbon batteries

Galaxy battery capacity does not change much, if ever. In fact the Galaxy S Ultra batteries have been stuck on the 5,000 mAh plateau since 2020. Meanwhile companies like OnePlus have been offering over 7,000 mAh batteries without any meaningful change to the design.

Frankly, people are sick of it, and it's time the Galaxy S27 changed that. Thankfully Samsung has shown that it can do this, thanks to the introduction of silicon carbon batteries in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series. This technology allows for greater energy density, meaning you can offer more battery capacity without increasing the size of the battery.

Rumors suggest this may be happening too, with the S27 Ultra reportedly getting a 5,700 mAh battery. The S27 Pro is tipped to get a 5,200 mAh battery, though we don't know what the S27 and S27 Plus might be getting. We hope they'll get an increase from the 4,300 mAh and 4,900mAh batteries on their S26 counterparts.

Magnetic wireless charging

One of my biggest gripes with Android phones is how so few of them have adopted the full Qi2 wireless charging standard — complete with the magnetic charging ring. Samsung is one such offender, adding Qi2 charging technology, while relying on special cases to add the magnetic support.

Many reasons have been given over the past couple of years, ranging from issues with the S Pen to the fact the camera bump blocks where the magnetic ring should sit. Whatever the reason, it's high time that Samsung got its act together and added Qi2 magnets to its phones, and the S27 series' redesign is the perfect place to do it.

A better Privacy Display

The Privacy Display is one of the best features on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but it definitely needs some improvements. In particular, Samsung needs to counteract the fact the Privacy Display dims the screen — even when the feature is switched off.

Brighter screens offer huge visibility benefits, especially in bright conditions, and that shouldn't be affected by a new screen feature. Especially if you're not actually using it.

Similarly viewing angles are also reduced, even when the privacy features are switched off, which is far from ideal. I'd also like to see more control over the Privacy Display and the parts of the screen that are blacked out — rather than letting the phone handle everything automatically.

Upgraded camera features

Samsung has a habit of neglecting the camera hardware on some of its phones, particularly the cheaper models like the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. 50MP main lenses are fine, but 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lenses aren't befitting a flagship device. It doesn't matter that they don't bear the Ultra branding.

At the very least the S27 and S27 Plus need a higher resolution ultrawide lens, ideally something closer to 50MP. Any extra upgrades on the telephoto lens will be a nice bonus.

As for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, it's about time we started seeing more advanced camera features. Variable zoom has been rumored for at least a couple of years, and the rumored loss of the secondary telephoto lens feels like the perfect time to offer that. Likewise, now that the iPhone 18 Pro has a variable aperture lens, it's time Samsung brought that particular feature back to its own phones.

Faster charging

Samsung has not been the best at improving charging speed, though it earned some goodwill by upping the Galaxy S26 Ultra's charging speed from 45W to 60W. But sadly the S26 and S26 Plus were left at their old speeds of 25W and 45W, respectively. It's high time that changed.

There's little reason to keep both phones charging so slowly, especially since the Plus and Ultra models shared the same 45W charging speeds for a few years. It's also worth pointing out that the S26 Ultra can wirelessly charge at 25W speeds, which means the standard model really should be running faster by now.

Hopefully the Galaxy S27 series will fix that particular issue, even if the Ultra model sticks at 60W for a little while longer.

An S27 Pro that doesn't feel redundant

I have my concerns about the prospect of a Galaxy S27 Pro, because I'm not entirely sure there's room for another Galaxy flagship to sit between the S27 Plus and S27 Ultra. Certainly not if the other three devices in the lineup are sticking around in their current forms.

What I hope is that Samsung can find some kind of niche for the S27 Pro to ensure that it's not a complete waste of time and money. Ideally without compromising features on the S27 Plus or hiking up the price of the S27 Ultra to ridiculous levels.

The Pro needs to balance the line between features and price, while justifying its own existence. Otherwise, Samsung is just going to end up cannibalizing its own customer base and making the whole endeavor pointless.

No more price hikes

Samsung has been an absolute demon for price hikes this year. Not only were multiple S26 models more expensive than their S25 counterparts, it also increased the price of the entire line-up back in September. To the point where the Galaxy S26 Ultra now costs $1,400. Officially, anyway, since the S26 series has been on sale almost everyday since.

Prices are high due to the skyrocketing cost of RAM and storage, and that means everyone has been hiking up the cost of their devices. With that in mind it would be really nice if Samsung didn't do that with the S27 series. Even if it's just a temporary reprieve, the last thing we need is phones getting even more expensive.

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The latest rumor claims that Samsung is currently working on a companion for the Galaxy Z Fold 9, sharing the same wider passport-shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. According to a leak on Korean network Naver, Samsung is testing two possible options, including a Galaxy Z Fold 9 Plus and a lower-priced Galaxy Z Fold 9 FE.

I've already expressed some confusion as to how a Z Fold 9 Plus would sit between the Fold 9 and Fold 9 Ultra. But an FE-branded model? That's actually a very good idea, especially in the current climate. Just as long as Samsung doesn't mess things up, like it did with last year's Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

Prices are too high right now

It's no secret that the cost of smartphones is rising, and Samsung has been one of the worst offenders when it comes to price hikes. The Galaxy S26 series was already subjected to some price hikes at launch, depending on which version you bought, only for Samsung to raise prices again at the start of October. The Z Fold 8 Ultra was also noticeably more expensive than the Z Fold 7, which was in turn more expensive than the Z Fold 6.

The reason for these price hikes are obvious. The cost of phone manufacturing has been rising for a number of years, and the last 12 months have seen an explosion in the cost of RAM and storage — all thanks to the current AI boom we've been experiencing.

Because of that multiple electronics companies have been forced to increase prices across the board including Samsung, Apple and Google.

The key problem with foldable adoption has been that they're so darn expensive, especially if you don't have easy access to Chinese brands that (usually) charge less than their international counterparts. So if you think about it, the seemingly never-ending price hikes means that now is the perfect time to start releasing lower-cost foldables.

The iPhone Duo has raised a lot more awareness about foldables, and could mean higher foldable adoption rates across the board. All foldable phone makers need to do is make sure their devices are accessible, and offering something with a lower price tag is one way to do that — even if it does come with some compromises.

Plus, the cost of everything is going up, and there's less money to spend on luxury purchases like new smartphones. Especially ones that cost close to $2,000.

Fighting increased competition

While the launch of the iPhone Duo will help raise awareness of foldable phones, it also means that Galaxy foldables have some serious competition — possibly for the first time ever.

Apple is a popular brand, and that's reflected in the fact iPhone sales outpace any other individual phone brand. Even Samsung, easily the most popular Android brand, trailed behind Apple in global market share last year.

There are plenty of people out in the world who will only ever buy an iPhone, and will never even consider the possibility of switching to a rival brand — regardless of what might be on offer. But that doesn't mean convincing people to make the switch is impossible, and this means Samsung needs something that will help fight the increased competition from Apple and convince people that a Galaxy foldable is a much better option than an iPhone Duo.

Considering the Duo starts at $2,000, second only in price to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the obvious solution is to start offering something even cheaper. To hook into those people who saw the iPhone Duo, but were unwilling to pay quite so much money to experience what foldable phones have to offer.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is already slightly cheaper than the Duo, especially when you can grab one on sale. But finally releasing a Fan Edition foldable at an even lower price point should help steal interest away from Apple and other foldable rivals.

There could be a gap in the line-up

One of the earliest rumors about the Galaxy Z 9 lineup was that Samsung may be planning on scrapping the Galaxy Z Flip 9. At least one recent rumor has refuted that, but considering its been fairly persistent, there may be some truth to the claims.

Plus, considering Samsung has basically neglected the Z Flip series for the past few generations, and the relative popularity of book-style foldables, it's no surprise that they might turn around and can the whole thing.

If that does end up being the case, then Samsung will have a very large gap in its lineup. Not just because it might be killing off one of its long-term staples, but because the Z flip series has always been more of a lower-cost option for foldable users to consider.

Admittedly, $1,199 is still pretty expensive as far as smartphones go. It's the same price as the Galaxy S26 Plus, and $100 more than the Plus cost when it launched at the start of the year. For your money you get slower charging, worse battery life, lower durability and a bunch of other compromises that are cut in order to pay for the folding screen.

Still, the Z Flip series offered a cheaper alternative to the expensive Z Fold lineup. Without it, the base cost of a Galaxy foldable would shoot up to whatever the Z Fold 9 costs. I would bet money that it'll end up costing at least $1,900, or $100 more than the Z Fold 8.

But if there's a Z Fold 9 FE, then suddenly the cost of entry isn't quite so expensive. I doubt it'll be as cheap as the Z Flip 9 would have cost, but at least it lowers the barrier of entry for more frugally-minded folks.

Samsung just needs to not mess it up

The actual success of a Z Fold 9 FE is all dependent on what Samsung actually does with it, and the kind of sacrifices that have to be made in order to keep the cost low. Last time that happened we ended up with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, which was quite stripped down compared to the Z Flip 7.

Considering the Z Flip 7 wasn't all that impressive either just shows how disappointing the Fan Edition model was. More so when you remember that it started at $899, which was just $200 cheaper than its full edition sibling.

The price of a Z Fold 9 FE needs to reflect the compromises involved, and those compromises need to ensure that the user experience isn't hampered in any meaningful way. This means Samsung actually needs to put thought and care into the design of this hypothetical phone, otherwise we're going to end up with another damp squib that might as well have never been released.

But considering the job it did with the Z Fold 8 and the Fold 8 Ultra, I have better hopes for the possibility of a Z Fold 9 FE being done well. Or, at the very least, done better than the Z Flip 7 FE was. We only have to hope that Samsung doesn't pick the Z Fold 9 Plus instead.

More from Tom's Guide

• 24 hours with the iPhone Duo — here are my 5 immediate takeaways
• I’ve tested the iPhone Duo, Galaxy Z Fold 8, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and Razr Fold — here’s the foldable phone I recommend
• Is your iPhone listening to you? The 'live listen' setting you should check right now

The good news is that you don't have to wait until Black Friday to save serious money. Nor do you have to pick up the latest iPhone to get the best possible phone experience. Samsung sells a lot of the best phones and best foldables, and their latest models are all discounted ahead of Black Friday — with some deals knocking hundreds of dollars off.

It's almost enough to make you forget that Samsung has been one of the worst offenders for raising prices.

Samsung has almost a decade of experience making foldables, and the fresh new look of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 shows that it's not given up trying new things just yet. Even if it emphasizes the compact (and arguably more comfortable) design, rather than the flashy features you'll find on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The thing we want to know is which of these two passport-shaped foldables is actually the better choice for you. Now that we've had chance to test the iPhone Duo in all its glory, here's our full comparison of the iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 to help you decide.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Specifications

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Price & availability

Both the iPhone Duo and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 are officially on sale right now. But if you want to get technical about it, demand for the Duo has been so extreme that every single carrier and retailer is sold out — and will be for the foreseeable future.

Current iPhone Duo wait times mean the absolute earliest time you'll get an iPhone Duo is the end of November, though most retailers and carriers have delivery estimates in late December and January. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is readily available, and is actually on sale at retailers like Amazon.

The cost of an iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,499 for a model with 256GB of storage. Higher storage options are available including 512GB ($2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,899), 1TB ($2,599 / £2,599 / AU$4,699) and 2TB ($3,199 / £3,199 / AU$5,899).

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 prices start at $1,899/£1,699/AU$2,699 for 256GB of storage and 12GB RAM. The 512GB model is $2,099 / £1,869 / AU$2,999, and a 1TB model with 16GB of RAM costs $2,499 / £2,209 / AU$3,599. Samsung does not offer a 2TB storage option.

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design & Display

The iPhone Duo and Z Fold 8 both have the passport-shaped design that is starting to take the foldable phone market by storm. Both phones include a large 7.6-inch foldable display with an aspect ratio close to 4:3, which is the same kind of display you'll find on the best tablets.

The Z fold 8 has a slightly larger outer display, though, with a 5.5-inch screen to Apple's 5.4-inches. The sharp corners also mean there's a little more real estate for the apps to work with compared to Apple's asymmetrical rounded design.

The Z Fold 8 features an anti-glare coating which is designed to improve visibility in low-light conditions. The iPhone Duo features a nano-texture display, which offers a matte feel to the screen. This is also designed to minimize glare, while also reducing the visibility of the crease. While the phone does accomplish both those things, the nano-texture display doesn't have nearly as good color saturation and contrast as Samsung's main display.

Both phones have similar brightness levels on the screen, though we found that the Z Fold 8 is a little bit brighter. In our testing Samsung's foldable had a peak brightness of 2,649 nits, while the iPhone maxed out at 2,558. It's less than 90 nits difference, which isn't going to be noticeable to many, but the numbers don't lie.

In terms of design, the iPhone Duo is noticeably thicker and heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Samsung's foldable is 4.5mm thick with a weight of 7.09 ounces. Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo is 5.2mm thick and weights 8.96 ounces. Not only is that almost two ounces more than the Z Fold 8, it also means this is the heaviest iPhone Apple has ever made.

Both phones feature power-button fingerprint scanners, and a pair of main cameras on the back of the phone. However while they also utilize the hole-punch camera design on the cover display, only the Galaxy uses the same one for the inner selfie camera. Apple instead opted for an under-display camera that's specifically meant for FaceTime and video calling — not selfies.

iPhone Duo has a key advantage where durability is concerned, thanks to the IP68 rating. This means that the phone is fully sealed against dust ingress, something that the IP48-rated Z Fold 8 offers no protection against. However both offer protection against being submerged in water for a short period of time.

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Cameras

From a hardware standpoint, both the Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo should be fairly evenly matched in the camera department. Apple has equipped its foldable with a pair of 48MP cameras (main and ultrawide) while Samsung has a pair of 50MP lenses.

Neither phone has a telephoto lens, which means your zoomed in shots will not be that impressive.

Of course, modern phone cameras heavily rely on computational photography software, and that can easily make the most difference in photo comparisons. So let's take a look at photos from both phones.

Both phones have capable main cameras, capturing bright colors with a lot of detail. It's worth noting that while the Z Fold 8 is able to capture brighter images, the photos end up a little more washed out in the process.

It's a similar situation with the ultrawide camera too. The iPhone Duo struggled with the darker spots within view, but the brightness on the Z Fold 8 is ramped up by so much that it completely washed out the background details and makes the details much harder to discern.

In terms of Zoom, the Duo and Z Fold 8 are fairly evenly matched, but as the magnification increases, the worse the quality on the Duo actually gets. At 10x magnification, you can see that the Duo is noticeably blurry and more pixelated than the Z Fold 8 — even though its own zoomed shots are nowhere near as good as they could have been with a dedicated telephoto lens.

Photos from the outer selfie camera are a little more clear cut, with the iPhone Duo producing a sharper and less blurry image, without the same washed out effect that seems to be plaguing the Z Fold 8's camera

The iPhone Duo offers noticeably better performance in low light, too. Both cameras managed to brighten up the image, but the Duo managed to produce a noticeably sharper photo than the Samsung.

Overall it seems as though the iPhone Duo has the edge in the camera department. While the Z Fold 8 doesn't take bad photos, and the iPhone Duo has its flaws, the fact is that Apple's foldable seems to do a much better job of capturing its surroundings in a more lifelike way — and without producing a washed out images that loses its spark. If you're looking for a deeper dive, our iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 camera face-off has more samples to check out.

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Performance

Apple has already proven that the A20 Pro chipset is an absolute powerhouse of graphics and computing power on the iPhone 18 Pro. To the point where it trumps the Z Fold 8's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Chipset for Galaxy in almost every category. But does that still hold true for the iPhone Duo?

Yes, as it turns out, and you can see the figures below.

It turns out that, per the benchmarking tests, there isn't a whole lot of difference in performance on the iPhone Duo compared to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The figures aren't identical, but they do outpace the Z Fold 8 in everything except AI performance.

Geekbench 7 benchmarks produced scores of 4,007 for a single-core benchmark and 11,363 for multi-core testing — far in excess of the Z Fold 8's 2,978 and 9,811. Similarly 3DMark's Solar Bay Unlimited graphics test came out with a score of 16,496 and an average frame-rate of 62.3 fps. Sadly the Z Fold 8 only managed to produce 12,454 and 47.35 fps.

AI is a different story, though. The Z Fold 8 scored 72,242 in the Geekbench AI 1.7 test, compared to the Duo's 69,438. This means that on-device AI processing should be slightly better on Samsung's foldable.

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Software & AI

Apple's made a bunch of major advances in AI this year, thanks to the launch of iOS 27 and Siri AI. This upgraded assistant is capable of performing various different and more complicated tasks, as well as understanding personal context that helps it understand your commands much more easily.

On top of that, iOS 27 features expressive voices for Siri, more advanced dictation, and AI-powered editing features such as Clean Up, Extend and the unique "Reframe" that lets you adjust the angle of your photos. Outside of features available on other iPhones, the Duo comes with a Smart tracking camera feature, which operates in a similar manner to MyFanCam on the Z Fold 8.

The Z Fold 8 comes with all the best Galaxy AI features you'll find on every flagship Galaxy phone, plus all the best parts of Google Gemini. This includes Now Nudge, a context-based tool to resurface relevant information when you need it, Now Brief's regular preparatory reports and the advanced version of Circle to Search that's capable of identifying multiple items at once.

However, the Duo has some drawbacks to its overall UI. The main one is that the taskbar has been pinned to the right side of the screen, with no option to change it — compared to Samsung's traditional bar along the bottom of the phone.

The Duo's multitasking is also limited to running two apps side by side, and doesn't work as consistently when the phone is in portrait mode. The Z Fold 8 supports up to three split-screen apps and as many as five floating app windows — giving it the edge for productive multitasking. The Z Fold 8 also supports the DeX desktop mode, and so far there's no equivalent feature on iPhones.

Right now it feels like Samsung may have an edge with app optimization too. Apple has done a lot to ensure major apps take advantage of the iPhone Duo's larger screen, but Samsung has a head start of several years — and the fact Android itself runs on a huge number of devices of differing sizes.

Only the iPhone Duo offers stylus support, thanks to the Apple Pencil USB-C. Likewise, the Z Fold 8 doesn't fracture Samsung's Flex Mode, which adjusts the UI depending on the angle of the hinge. The Duo does do this, and has multiple different fold states to take advantage of.

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Battery

When it comes to total battery capacity, the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 are pretty evenly matched. The Duo offers 4,883 mAh of power reserves, while the Z Fold 8 is slightly lower at 4,800 mAh. However the slight difference in capacity has led to very different results in our battery life testing.

The iPhone Duo lasted 13 hours and 20 minutes in a new version of our battery test, which was optimized for the iPhone Duo. In that same test, which ran simultaneously, the Z Fold 8 only lasted 10 hours and six minutes — which is not particularly great in the grand scheme of things.

Previously the Z Fold 8 has lasted 12hours and 19 minutes in testing, but that's no longer the case — and the current battery life is much lower. However, whichever way you look at it, the iPhone Duo has the clear advantage.

However, the Z Fold 8 has a slight edge when it comes to charging speed, despite the fact its 45W wired charging is noticeably lower than the iPhone Duo's 60W. The Duo reclaimed 42% battery in 15 minutes, compared to the Z Fold 8's 43%, with both numbers rising to a respective 66% and 70%.

It's not a huge amount of difference, but if you want to recoup as much power as you can as quickly as possible, the Z Fold 8 actually has Apple beat. Though its wireless charging speed is limited to 20W, compared to the Duo's 25W, and it lacks the internal magnets that facilitate Qi2 or MagSafe chargers and accessories.

iPhone Duo vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Bottom line

Apple has done great things with the iPhone Duo, and it manages to edge out competition from the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in a number of key areas. The main ones, of course, being battery life, performance, overall camera performance and the fact it has stylus support.

That said, the Z Fold 8 offers a lot and it feels like it has Apple beat when it comes to AI and software capabilities. Not to mention the fact it's cheaper, thinner and lighter than Apple's foldable, and the anti-glare coating means the colors from the screen really pop compared to the iPhone.

When deciding between the two, it's going to come down to what you actually want out of a foldable. If you value the software experience above all else, then the Z Fold 8 is going to be the right option for you. But if you like Apple products, and prefer a phone that is physically more capable, then the Duo might be the better option.

Then again, considering the iPhone Duo is sold out everywhere, and you're going to have to wait at least several weeks before you can actually get your hands on one.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple iPhone Duo 2 with Face ID is reportedly being tested even before the first foldable hits shelves
• I put the iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 through a 10-round photo face-off — and there's a clear winner
• 'Polished but rough': The common flaws in the iPhone Duo found by nine different reviewers

While there are still many areas where Samsung is untouchable with its foldables, I’m going to tell you all the ways the iPhone Duo beats the Galaxy Z Fold 8. These are without a doubt two of the best foldable phones available, but this matchup is even more compelling because of how much they share —from their prices and designs to their cameras.

Considering that the iPhone Duo is a first-generation device, I have to give Apple credit for prioritizing the areas where it’s superior to its rival.

No glare and less of a crease

Foldable phone makers have long striven to achieve a nearly invisible display crease. While the Z Fold 8 smooths it out to the most subtle Samsung has ever designed, it still doesn't match the iPhone Duo’s implementation.

Side by side, there’s no comparison, especially because Apple’s anti-reflective nano-texture display coating also dramatically cuts ambient glare. The result is a seam that feels nearly flush under my thumb and fades from view when I watch videos.

The apps are already way better

One of the biggest frustrations with the Z Fold 8—shared with other Android foldables—is that many apps still aren't well optimized for larger, tablet-sized screens. Apple again leaves a strong impression, as many of the apps I use make great use of the expanded canvas.

For example, Instagram spreads out to show a video alongside the comments section simultaneously. My colleague Mark Spoonauer details how several popular apps look across the Duo’s larger footprint.

Yes, Apple has a 'Flex mode'

I was genuinely surprised by the Z Fold 8's stiff hinge, which refuses to stay propped open halfway like a mini laptop. The iPhone Duo doesn't have that problem—and its take on "Flex mode" rearranges UI elements with the polish I expect from Apple.

Open Netflix with the Duo propped on a flat surface, and the video cleanly snaps to the top panel, while playback controls shift down to the bottom half.

More durable design

Foldable phones are inherently more fragile than traditional slabs, so it’s reassuring that the iPhone Duo has a more durable build that's not just water-resistant but also dust-resistant.

That’s thanks to its IP68 rating, compared to the Z Fold 8’s IP48. This gives the iPhone Duo a huge advantage: its chassis is sealed more tightly, preventing fine debris from working its way inside and damaging internal components.

Stronger performance

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is no slouch, especially since it can run the graphically intensive games I play most. However, Apple’s new A20 Pro chip operates on an entirely different level, easily overshadowing its rival's benchmark figures.

Not only does it handily beat the Z Fold 8 in Geekbench’s single- and multi-core tests, but the A20 Pro also pulls ahead by an even wider margin in sustained graphics workloads. In 3DMark’s Solar Bay Unlimited stress test, the Duo clocked an average frame rate of 62.3 fps compared to the Fold 8’s 47.35 fps — a massive 32% performance advantage for Apple.

Longer battery life

Because of their massive main displays, foldables have larger power appetites that put heavy strain on battery cells. Between the two, however, the iPhone Duo delivers noticeably longer endurance.

What’s surprising is that their packs differ by only 1.73% in raw capacity (4,883 mAh on the Duo vs. 4,800 mAh on the Fold 8). Yet, the gap in actual performance is massive. On Tom’s Guide’s custom battery drain test, the Duo averaged 13 hours and 20 minutes, compared to just 10 hours and 6 minutes for the Z Fold 8. That means Apple’s foldable lasts over 3 hours longer on a single charge, a 32% boost in battery life.

Apple Pencil support

Finally, the iPhone Duo beats the Galaxy Z Fold 8 thanks to the added versatility of Apple Pencil USB-C support. In pursuing a thinner, lighter chassis, Samsung stripped the digitizer layer from the Fold 8's main display, meaning there’s no S Pen compatibility whatsoever.

Even though I don’t use a stylus every day, it remains essential for anyone craving a true pen-on-paper feel. The Apple Pencil doesn't just turn the Duo into a capable digital notepad — its low latency and pressure precision also make it an ideal canvas for quick sketches and markups.

More from Tom's Guide

• My iPhone 18 Pro Max just got delivered and I immediately regret the purchase — and I think iPhone Duo is to blame
• I've waited 5 years for the iPhone Duo — here are 7 reasons I decided not to pre-order
• iPhone Duo modes explained — 6 ways you can use Apple's new foldable

That's right, four models, because rumor has it that Samsung will be releasing a new Galaxy S27 Pro. Presumably this is a device that will sit between the Plus and the Ultra models, though we'll have to wait and see just what Samsung has planned. This new battery leak covers the mysterious Pro and the flagship Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Two batteries have just shown up on the Safety Korea database, alongside photos, featuring the model numbers EB-BS957CBY and EB-BS958DBY. This lines up with the SM-S957 and SM-S958 model numbers tied to the S27 Pro and Ultra, suggesting these are the batteries we'll see in next year's high-end Galaxy phones.

We can't quite see the capacities, but past leaks suggest that we'll see 5,534 mAh and 5,087 mAh batteries, with typical capacities of 5,700 mAh and 5,200 mAh, respectively. If those figures are accurate, it means this is the first time the Ultra model has had a battery capacity upgrade since the release of the Galaxy S20 Ultra almost seven years ago. Charging is said to be 60W on both, which is the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

This is a long time coming

For those that don't remember, the Galaxy S20 Ultra was the first of Samsung's modern Ultra phones, and it came with a 5,000 mAh battery — up from 4,100 mAh on the Galaxy S10 Plus. This 700 mAh upgrade effectively means that the S27 Ultra is shaping up for an extra 100 mAh for every year Samsung ignored the calls for higher battery capacity.

Presumably this increase in capacity will be aided by Samsung's recent push into silicon carbon battery technology. As we saw with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the different battery chemistry allows phone makers to improve battery density — packing more power into the same amount of space.

The batteries pictured don't look particularly big, which lends some support to that theory. Plus, the Z Fold 8 managed to adopt the new batteries without issue, and it makes little sense to avoid rolling silicon carbon out to other premium Samsung phones.

The Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in early 2027, with rumors suggesting Samsung may pivot back to a January launch window. In the meantime we'll be seeing a lot more rumors about what all four phones can do, so stay tuned to Tom's Guide to hear all the best news and rumors as we hear about them.

More from Tom's Guide

• I put the iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 through a 10-round photo face-off — here’s the winner
• iPhone Duo full benchmarks — the world's fastest foldable, but how does it stack up to iPhone 18 Pro?
• I’ve been testing dozens of iPhone Duo apps — here’s my top 15 picks so far

​The iPhone Duo features a dual 48MP rear camera array supplemented by a 12MP selfie camera on the outer cover screen and an under-display sensor on the inner folding display. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 packs an equally formidable dual 50MP rear camera system alongside matching 10MP selfie cameras on both its inner and outer displays.

​It’s worth noting that unlike the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the Duo lacks Apple’s Pro Controls, denying users the granular adjustments that serious photographers crave — such as manual shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and manual focus. In contrast, Samsung provides comprehensive manual shooting controls right out of the box. For this photo face-off, however, I’m strictly judging the final image quality and processing each phone delivers.

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Daytime

​First up, let’s look at the perspective shots of the building above to see how their main cameras handle daytime conditions. At first glance, the iPhone Duo immediately catches my eye with its stronger contrast, which gives the brickwork across the facade noticeable pop and definition.

​Punching in closer, both phones resolve excellent detail — even the signage along the leftmost windows of the middle building remains crisp and legible on each. Across the entire frame, however, the iPhone Duo retains a bit more edge sharpness and micro-contrast.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Dynamic range

​With harsh afternoon sunlight washing over the New York Public Library and the surrounding skyscrapers, it’s clear which phone commands the wider dynamic range. While you could argue that the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s high contrast creates a punchy, dramatic aesthetic, the iPhone Duo does a significantly better job balancing exposure across harsh highlights and deep shadows.

​The Duo lifts the foreground without blowing out the sky, making it easy to discern fine carving on the fountain to the right, while preserving natural highlight detail in the tree foliage framing the left side.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Ultrawide

After polling my colleagues in the office on which ultrawide shot was better, picking a clear winner sparked genuine debate. Many initially favored the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for its brighter exposure and punchier, more saturated colors. However, upon closer side-by-side inspection, the iPhone Duo’s edge-to-edge sharpness and superior contrast prompted several people to reconsider.

​Personally, I lean toward the dramatic tone of the iPhone Duo, even though it doesn't lift shadow areas as aggressively as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Ultimately, this round boils down to personal taste: Samsung's crowd-pleasing vibrancy versus Apple's refined contrast and clarity.

Winner: tie

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Colors

​Inside Whole Foods overlooking the floral department, one immediate difference stands out: the iPhone Duo’s ability to deliver rich, punchy colors without clipping highlight details.

​Both cameras produce richly saturated tones, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 tends to lift shadows too aggressively, leading to noticeable color bleeding and smearing when punching in on dense arrangements. Looking closely at the white flower petals throughout the scene, the iPhone Duo renders much tighter contrast and balanced exposure, preserving delicate petal textures that get washed out on Samsung’s shot.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Macro

​Almost immediately, I’m drawn to the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s macro capture of a bright orange Zinnia. The flower's petals take on a vibrant, iridescent sheen that pops off the screen, while the sensor resolves delicate textures like the finely fringed edges of each petal with crisp precision.

​Don't get me wrong: the iPhone Duo’s capture remains impressively sharp, but it lacks the visual punch found in Samsung’s rendering.

Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 8

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Inner screen selfie

​You have several ways to take a selfie on both foldables, but using their inner folding screens should strictly be a last resort. Because these under-display and pinhole shooters are engineered primarily for video calls, they yield the softest captures of the bunch.

​Evaluating the test shots my colleague Mark captured on each handset makes picking a decisive winner tricky, as both frames lack sharpness. Still, the edge goes to the iPhone Duo for delivering better overall contrast and avoiding the blown-out, overexposed skin tones visible in Samsung's capture.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Outer screen selfie

​Switching over to their cover screen selfie cameras, the gap between the two widens noticeably. The iPhone Duo produces a visibly sharper image that resolves finer facial detail on Mark, while metering a far more balanced, true-to-life exposure across his skin. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 still delivers a respectable shot, but it sits a distinct step behind Apple’s rendering.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Portrait

What jumps out at me right away is the sheer intensity of the iPhone Duo’s artificial bokeh, which ends up looking unnatural. While you can dial down the blur intensity in post, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 clearly delivers a more convincing, true-to-life depth effect at its default setting.

​Despite that aggressive blur, the iPhone Duo captures far more fine detail — from the distinct woven texture of Mark’s collared shirt to the clean, natural blur transition around the edges of his face. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn't have nearly as much edge definition, while also leaving his skin tone looking somewhat flat and muted.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Zoom

​Both phones rely solely on in-sensor cropping from their primary cameras for zoom duties, maxing out at 10x digital zoom. Pushing them to that extreme, it quickly becomes evident which handset's processing algorithms handle heavy digital magnification better.

​At 10x zoom, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 yields a noticeably cleaner, sharper image — I can easily read the fine menu text posted underneath the hot dog stand umbrella. In comparison, the iPhone Duo fails to resolve the same degree of clarity, resulting in a noisier shot with grainy artifacts.

Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 8

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Low Light

​Both main cameras navigate tricky low-light situations with relative ease, but one clearly pulls ahead under close inspection. Most notably, the iPhone Duo renders a visibly sharper image across the frame — preserving delicate vein textures on the plant's leaves and sharp definition in the planter's decorative eyelashes. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 holds its own by general smartphone standards, but its output is noticeably softer overall.

Winner: iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 camera face-off: Verdict

​This camera face-off turned out to be a one-sided affair after tallying up all 10 rounds, with the iPhone Duo sweeping an overwhelming number of categories. If pure image quality and consistency matter most to you, the Duo delivers noticeably superior straight-out-of-the-camera results across nearly every scenario. While it struggles against the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at extreme digital zoom levels, its primary camera proves far better at resolving fine detail and balancing challenging lighting conditions.

​That doesn't mean the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a complete wash. The margins across several rounds remained razor-thin, with a couple coming down to personal preference. While it may lack the tack-sharp definition and refined dynamic range of its rival, Samsung still offers a more versatile suite of pro shooting controls and manual tools out of the box.

More from Tom's Guide

• I disabled these iOS 27 features and my iPhone finally feels responsive again
• iPhone Duo Live Q&A: I spent a week with Apple's foldable and can answer ALL your questions
• I've waited 5 years for the iPhone Duo — here are 7 reasons I decided not to pre-order

This rumor comes from TheGalox on X, who claims that Samsung is prepping its biggest foldable lineup ever." Apparently the 2027 lineup will start with the launch of the Galaxy Z TriFold 2, and will be followed by a Galaxy Z Slide, Z Fold 9 Ultra, Z Fold 9 Pro, Z Fold 9 and the Z Flip 9.

That certainly is an interesting lineup of new phones. The two things that stand out most are the inclusion of the Z Fold 9 Pro and the Z Flip 9 — the latter of which is rumored to have been canceled. Likewise the "Pro" is not something we've heard of yet, and I'm curious to hear what kind of niche it might fill in the Z Fold 9 lineup.

There isn't a whole lot of difference between the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, after all, and the last thing Samsung needs is to confuse people with multiple foldables that are too similar to one another.

The Z Slide is another mystery, and this is the first we've actually heard about such a device. If I were to guess, this is some kind of extendable phone with an extending screen, similar to various concept devices Samsung (and others) have produced over the years.

What we think is coming

The last time we saw one was back at CES 2025, with a number of different "slidable" phones. There was the Slidable Flex Duet, which extended its screen from 8.1-inches to a massive 12.4-inches, as well as the Slidable Flex Solo which grew from 8-inches to a mammoth 17-inches. Then there was the Flex Vertical, which grew vertically from 5.1-inches to 6.7-inches.

The question is whether or not these designs will be utilized for the Galaxy Z Slide, and if so which one will actually go on sale. My first guess would be some kind of smartphone-sized device, similar to the Flex Vertical, though that all depends on whether Samsung could make those smaller extendable displays at scale.

It's quite possible that a larger screen is easier (and therefore cheaper) to mass produce, which would see one of the tablet-inspired designs arrive first. @TheGalox has not elaborated on what's to come, and that means all we can do at this stage is guess.

As for the TriFold 2, it's no huge surprise that a sequel triple-foldable is coming. We've heard rumors about that already, but it's unclear how easy it will be to get hold of. The original TriFold was only available in limited quantities, and Samsung completely canceled production back in March. Here's hoping the sequel is a little easier to purchase.

It's still very early days for Samsung's 2027 foldables, and until we hear more there's no telling how accurate any of this information might actually be. So we're just going to have to wait and see what the rumor mill produces in the coming months.

More from Tom's Guide

• My iPhone 18 Pro Max just got delivered and I immediately regret the purchase — and I think iPhone Duo is to blame
• iPhone Duo's battery is officially bigger than Galaxy Z Fold 8 — here's how it compares to other foldables
• iPhone Duo modes explained — 6 ways you can use Apple's new foldable

Normally costing $2,099, Amazon has knocked the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra down to $1,699 for a 256GB model. That's a saving of over $400, and $300 less than the iPhone Duo is set to cost. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has now dropped to $1,549, which is $350 less than the usual $1,899 price tag.

Both Samsung foldables are powerful, offer strong battery life and feature bright anti-reflective screens that let you enjoy all the extra space regardless of the environment. Plus, Samsung has been working hard to reduce the appearance of the crease, and while not completely invisible it is much harder to see than with previous devices.

Both Samsung foldables are thinner and lighter than the iPhone Duo, while also offering better multitasking, DeX desktop mode and now a much lower price tag. Not to mention the fact that Samsung has a clear advantage when it comes to AI features, on account of its own head start and collaborative efforts with Google.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra also has the added benefit of including a 200MP main camera and a third camera lens, a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. But the regular Fold 8 is the one to get if you prefer a more compact design and wider main display.

There are some downsides, though. The main one is that Samsung doesn't offer stylus support on its latest foldables, whereas Apple does with the Apple Pencil. In addition, Apple offers faster charging, MagSafe support, IP68 dust resistance and vapor chamber cooling for improved performance. The Z Fold 8 also lacks the ability to detect the way the screen and hinge are positioned, which both the Ultra (as Flex View) and iPhone Duo offer.

There's a lot to love about foldable phones, but the prices have always been particularly excessive. With that in mind, the ability to save such a considerable amount of money on two of the latest foldables, and so soon after they first released, is a deal that most people can't afford to miss out on.

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The price is the main factor for the S26 FE's success, especially now that Samsung has hiked prices for the rest of the Galaxy S26 series. On top of that you also have a lot of premium AI features, a solid (is imperfect) camera and a premium feel. However, that doesn't change the fact that the S26 FE has weak performance, and struggles to differentiate itself from both the Galaxy S25 FE and the cheaper Galaxy A57

Read our Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review to see whether this phone is right for you.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The latest release in Samsung's long-running "Fan Edition" series, offering a lower price tag in exchange for slightly worse features than the standard Galaxy S26
• Who is it for? The people who can't justify spending the full $899 on a Galaxy S26, but don't want to deal with the larger compromises made on the cheaper Galaxy A57
• What does it cost? Prices for the S26 FE start at $699, for a model with 128GB of storage. A 256GB model is also available for $799, which is $200 lower than the 256GB Galaxy S26's newly-raised starting price.
• What do we like? The low starting price, the good battery life, solid camera quality and the number of premium AI features Samsung has included.
• What don't we like? The weak performance, the lack of upgrades compared to last year and the fact the Samsung Galaxy A57 isn't that far behind.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: The ups

$699 starting price

When I first went hands-on with the Galaxy S26 FE I commented on the fact that the phone wasn't actually that much cheaper than the Galaxy S26. In fact, at the time, a 256GB S26 FE cost the same amount as a 256GB Galaxy S26. Things have changed since then, though, thanks to Samsung hiking the price of the entire Galaxy S26 lineup — except the Galaxy S26 FE.

This means that the cheapest Galaxy S26 is now $999, complete with 256GB of storage. Meanwhile the cheapest S26 FE is $699, while the larger 256GB storage option will set you back $799. That's a $200-$300 difference, depending on how much storage you actually require.

With the cost of entry suddenly much higher, that gives a huge advantage to the Galaxy S26 FE since it offers a lot of the same features as the Galaxy S26 but for a much lower price tag.

Premium-feeling design

I'll caveat this by saying that the Galaxy S26 FE is not as premium as past fan edition phones. The S25 FE has the same matte glass back as the Galaxy S25 FE, but that isn't the case with the S26 equivalents. Instead, the S26 FE has a glossy glass back that looks more like the Galaxy A57 — to the point where I struggle to tell them apart.

That said, the design is more premium than your typical cheap phone. There's a large 6.9-inch display (rated up to 1,900 nits), and a brushed metal frame that helps the phone avoid feeling like it's a cheap device. The same goes for the solid glass camera bump, which is a trait Samsung usually reserves for other Galaxy S-series devices.

There's some weight to the S26 FE that makes it feel like it's got some solid construction. While lightweight designs are all the rage in certain circles, the extra half ounce the S26 FE has over the A57 goes a long way. Not to mention that the weight is fairly evenly distributed, giving the phone a more balanced feel. The mid-range Samsung feels a little too light for its size, and doesn't balance as well, which means it feels a little more flimsy as a result.

Solid AI features

It isn't a Samsung phone release without AI playing a key role in everything going forward, and the Galaxy S26 FE is no different. Samsung didn't add anything new and exclusive, which shouldn't surprise anyone, but it still added a bunch of Galaxy AI features we've tried and enjoyed on both the Galaxy S26 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Included here is My Fan Cam, which follows human beings to turn existing video into something brand new, the literally-named Horizontal Lock, Samsung's Document Scanner, Audio Eraser, Photo Assist's AI editing tools, Now Brief and the contextually aware Now Nudge, as well as the currently Samsung-exclusive Circle to Search upgrade that lets you scan multiple objects at once.

All of which makes this a solid low-cost choice for those of you that want access to Galaxy AI features.

Good battery life

We haven't been able to do our full battery life test on the Galaxy S26 FE just yet, but I have performed a rougher version to gauge just how much battery is lost when streaming video. That test involved streaming this YouTube video for three hours, with brightness set to 50%. For comparison's sake, I also ran the same test on the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A57.

The Galaxy S26 FE was the worst of the three, which is bizarre considering it has a 4,900 mAh battery. At the end of the video stream it came out with 82%, compared to 85% on the 4,300 mAh Galaxy S26 and 87% on the 5,000 mAh Galaxy A57. That said, with an average battery loss of 6% per hour, that's not a huge amount of battery drain.

If that power consumption holds steady, it means the Galaxy S26 FE should last almost 17 hours in the same conditions. It's far from the best battery life we've seen, and logic dictates that the regular S26 should last 20 hours. But that should keep you going throughout the day.

As for charging, the Galaxy S26 FE promises up to 45W wired charging speeds. My USB-C power meter, paired with a 60W charging brick, saw the incoming power hit a high of 41W which is pretty close. As for actual recharging time, I found the S26 FE reached 39% after 15 minutes and 72% after half an hour.

That's faster than the S26 and A57, and only slightly behind the Galaxy S26 Ultra (77% in 30 minutes). The S26 FE hit 100% charge after 58 and a half minutes during my testing. This means that while the battery life could be better, at least you'll be able to recharge pretty quickly.

Camera quality is (mostly) good for the price

Since the Galaxy S26 FE is designed to sit between the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26, I decided that the fairest way to test the cameras was to compare all three phones together. To get an idea of just how much of a difference there is when the phones themselves sit a few hundred dollars apart from one another.

With the main camera lens, you can't see a whole lot of difference in the three, or at least you can't see them on my dog sitting in the foreground. At a glance the quality is generally pretty good, but if you look a little closer the A57 dips considerably compared to the S26 FE — which manages to capture more detail (especially in the background) and a higher quality.

It's a lot closer in quality to the standard S26, though I'd say the flagship model clinches it in terms of overall quality — despite the fact I can't see much difference on the dog.

The ultrawide lenses are easily the mostly evenly matched lenses on the three phones, and the quality is surprisingly uniform. I'd go so far as to say that the quality does improve as the price does, and both the S26 FE and S26 highlight the red spray paint a lot more clearly than the A57. However, the actual difference is not that noticeable unless you look super closely.

Sadly all three phones do a pretty poor job with zoom, no doubt thanks to the A57's lack of optical zoom and the S26 and FE's weak telephoto cameras. The S26 probably has the edge, especially since the S26 FE added a weird warm color hue to the photo, but none of them are particularly great when you crank magnification up to 3x.

Crank things up to 10x magnification and things are a lot worse. The A57 turned the tower into a fuzzy mess, while the S26 and S26 FE are more evenly matched — though not by a lot. The FE seemed to add a bunch of detail that the S26 didn't pick up. But considering the quality of the photo itself, I can't really say that's an improvement.

It's a similar story for both S26 models at 30x zoom — the maximum you can get on both these phones. The S26 FE looks a little washed out, and picked up darker coloring in the bricks, but the actual quality is on par with the standard S26. Though, this is not meant as a compliment.

When it comes to selfies, things are much the same. The overall quality isn't bad, but the level of detail you get improves as the phones get more expensive. The A57 is blurrier and captures far less, while the S26 FE looks a little more like a competent photo. However the S26 captures it the best, and you can make out the individual hair strands a lot more easily. Alongside improved background details.

Weirdly, though, things are a little different when Portrait mode is involved. Somehow the quality on the A57 seems to have been ramped up, to the point where I'd say the sharpness of the photo exceeds that of the S26 FE. Even the S26 seems to be struggling to visualize my facial hair and various facial details that the S26 FE manages without issue.

Things are more or less back to normal with low light photography. The S26 comes out on top in the detail department, though the difference between it and the S26 FE is not that severe. The two certainly managed to capture a similar amount of light to illuminate the final product. As for the A57, the quality isn't there and the lighting has been processed in a way that makes the photo look a lot colder. Almost as though the tomato plant is being illuminated by fluorescent lights.

Overall I'd say the S26 FE sits in a comfortable position between the A57 and the Galaxy S26. The S26 certainly has the edge in most areas, but the quality difference isn't actually that severe compared to the S26 FE's camera. There's also a noticeable difference between the FE and the Galaxy A57, even though the A57 isn't a bad camera for its price tag.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: The downs

Minimal hardware upgrades

Like many phones, the Galaxy S26 FE doesn't have a whole lot to offer when it comes to actual upgrades. The differences in comparison to the Galaxy S25 FE are minimal, and the only tangible changes are the upgraded Exynos chipset and the glass enclosure around the rear camera lens.

The rest of the hardware is basically identical, which shows Samsung is leaning more onto the software upgrades to try and sell the S26 FE. That's not bad, per se, and the S26 FE does have a heck of a lot of useful features you'd normally only find on flagship phones. However, there's no telling how many of those will make their way to S25 FE at some point.

In that respect, the S26 FE doesn't feel like a "must-have" device. Not unless you have a super-old Fan Edition phone, or some kind of mid-ranger that desperately needs upgrading.

Middling performance

When it comes to making phones cheap, compromises have to be made, and in the case of the Galaxy S26 FE Samsung appears to have nerfed the performance in a big way. The fact is, while the rest of the S26 series gets the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chips (or the latest Exynos 2600), the S26 FE is stuck with the Exynos 2500 — a chip that debuted at the start of 2025.

Obviously this means that the phone does not have the same level of computing or graphics power as more expensive phones.

As you can see, the Galaxy S26 FE trails quite far behind both variants of the Galaxy S26. Likewise it falls quite far behind the iPhone 17e, which is powered by Apple's A18 chipset. However, the older Apple chipset always struggled with the graphics side of things, which means it lags quite far behind the S26 FE in that area.

Performance is one area that the S26 FE truly beats out the A57. The mid-range phone's performance is very poor by comparison, especially where graphics are concerned. However, considering the A57 is $150 cheaper, that's not a huge surprise. In any case, if you were hoping for flagship performance from the Galaxy S26 FE, you are out of luck.

The A57 isn't too far behind

Having tested both the Galaxy A57 and the Galaxy S26 FE, I can tell you that the lived experience of using both phones is very different. That said, the Galaxy A57 is still an excellent phone for its price, and on paper the differences between it and the Galaxy S26 FE are fairly minimal — especially for casual users who prioritize value and battery life over raw power.

While I personally think the extra $150 you pay for a Galaxy S26 FE is justifiable, my finances are different than yours — and Samsung is going a lot to make its mid-range phones a heck of a lot more appealing. To the point where it's essentially competing with itself on multiple fronts. Frankly, Samsung should have done more to help the S26 FE stand out on its own more, rather than being compared to lesser phones.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Verdict

I didn't have high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE when Samsung first announced it. Personally, I felt as though the Fan Edition series was being awkwardly stuffed into a niche that didn't really need to be filled, to its own detriment. But actually using the phone, combined with Samsung's unceremonious price hike for the rest of the S26 series, has softened me up a bit. There's more to a phone than the basic hardware specs, and you don't really get to experience that without having it in your hand.

The Galaxy S26 FE offers a flagship experience that you just don't get on Samsung's cheaper phones right now. The experience has been nerfed slightly, in order to save money, but you still get a lot of the best parts of having a premium phone without the high price tag. Considering a regular Galaxy S26 now costs $999, the willingness to accept some of those compromises can now save you a bunch of extra money.

The lack of meaningful updates is not ideal, though, and if Samsung wants the Fan Edition series to continue long into the future, it's going to have to step up and not let it get neglected and end up the same way as the Galaxy Z Flip lineup.

But as many in our comments have reminded me, Samsung has been making foldable phones for seven years. And that experience shows in the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It has a similar passport-style design to the iPhone Duo, but it offers some pretty unique advantages over Apple’s device and could be the best foldable phone for you. If you’re on the fence about getting an iPhone Duo or Galaxy Z Fold 8, here’s where Samsung’s device could sway you.

1. It’s considerably thinner and lighter

I only played around with the iPhone Duo for about an hour between various hands-on sessions, but it definitely feels heftier than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Sure, the iPhone Duo is technically the “thinnest iPhone ever,” at just 5.2 mm unfolded. That’s even less than the iPhone Air’s 5.64mm. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is only 4.5 mm.

When folded, the iPhone Duo measures 11.3mm thick, compared to 9.7mm for the Fold 8. For context, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 8.75mm thick. So while the Duo will slip into a pocket with ease, it will take up some room.

In addition, the iPhone Duo weighs 8.96 ounces or 254 grams, while the Fold 8 is a feather light 7.09 ounces (201 grams). Samsung’s foldable is even lighter than the regular iPhone 18 Pro (7.44 ounces), which has a relatively tiny 6.3 inch display compared to the 7.6-inch panel on the Fold 8.

2. You can run more apps at once

I give Apple plenty of credit for making running two apps at once so seamless and intuitive on the iPhone Duo. You just select an app and then place it on the left or right side of the display. From there you can easily create app pairs and go back to them at any time. And it’s also a cinch to switch out apps; you just swipe up and go back to the home screen — it’s like having two distinct desktops.

However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 can let you run three tiled apps at the same time on screen. So, for example, I could have Gmail in one window, Slack in another and Spotify in another. It’s pretty cool. Plus, Samsung lets you put up to five floating windows on top. Now, eight apps at once seems like overkill to me, but it’s pretty amazing that you have that flexibility.

3. Gemini AI is more advanced

Siri AI is definitely improved in iOS 27, and it lets you do some pretty cool things on the iPhone Duo. You get better personal context understanding in all sorts of apps, including Messages and Notes. And there’s on-screen awareness, so you can say things like “add these items to my shopping list.” And I also appreciate that there’s finally a Siri mode in the camera app, so you don’t have to think about performing any shortcuts.

However, I think Galaxy AI and Gemini on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are not only more advanced but more tailored to the foldable experience. For example, Now Nudge gives you suggestions in Messages for apps that you can open in split-screen mode, such as Calendar.

And Gemini itself is just more versatile than Siri AI. You can share your live camera video in real time and get advice and troubleshooting tips. I did this when trying to figure out how to clean out battery corrosion from an outdoor flood light.

4. It’s $100 cheaper

The Galaxy Fold 8 starts at $1,799, which is $100 less than the iPhone Duo. Plus, there are already some pretty good deals out there. At time of writing I found the Fold 8 for just $1,649 on Best Buy, which is $250 off.

I’m sure there will be plenty of iPhone Duo pre-order deals around Apple’s launch as well, so you should be able to get it at a discount. But as of now the Fold 8 is a better value.

Where the iPhone Duo wins

As good as Samsung’s foldable is, there are several ways the iPhone Duo beats the Fold 8. For example, the iPhone Duo offers an IP68 rating for durability, which means it’s protected from both water and dust. Samsung’s phone is only water resistant.

In addition, the iPhone Duo offers MagSafe built in for wireless charging, Apple Pencil support and vapor chamber cooling, which will presumably help with sustained performance for Apple’s faster A20 chip.

But Apple’s biggest advantage will likely come with software and apps. The iPhone Duo’s software can react based on the position of the hinge while the Fold 8 lacks Samsung’s Flex Mode. And I expect a sizable wave of Duo optimized apps at launch, including Slack, Netflix and Zoom.

Bottom line

The iPhone Duo clearly has the most buzz, and it makes sense because Apple is entering a new category. But I wouldn’t overlook the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It feels so light and thin that it almost seems like Samsung cheated physics. And if you like the idea of multitasking on a big screen, the Fold 8 lets you run more apps at once. And while Siri is smarter than ever, Samsung and Google are in the lead with AI features.

So which foldable has your interest? Let us know in the comments.

It's essentially the second price hike for the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus since both models received $100 increases at launch compared to the S25 versions. At the time, the Galaxy S26 Ultra models retained the same $1,299 starting cost.

Only the more recently announced Galaxy S26 FE kept its launch price, though it is $50 more expensive than the S25 FE.

The prices listed are for the starting 256GB versions of each model. The 512GB versions of the S26 and S26 Plus now costs $1,199 and $1,399, respectively.

The Ultra models are now $1,599 for the 512GB variant and $1,999 for the 1TB, a $200 increase over the previous price.

In March, Samsung justified the first price increase by emphasizing upgrades and innovation, though company executives also admitted the ongoing AI-created RAMageddon was to blame. Unfortunately, the RAM crisis isn't going away anytime soon, and 2027 is expected to be worse by some than this year.

Next year's Galaxy S27 was just tipped for a price hike, but hopefully that's based on the original S26 prices and not these new ones.

What to do if you need a new Samsung phone

If you are in the market for a smartphone, my recommendation is wait for sales and big discounts. Never pay full price.

Otherwise, Samsung offers cheaper, capable phones like its Galaxy A57 series that starts at $549. In the meantime, Amazon is still offering the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the original price. That also includes some colors of the S26 and the S26 Plus.

Or, if you wait a week, Amazon's Prime Day sale is scheduled to kick off on October 6, and that sale usually features deep discounts on everything, including Samsung's flagship phones.

Or there's Black Friday and Cyber Monday just after Thanksgiving. Either way, the infuriating trend of ever increasing smartphone prices continues.

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• I checked out the new Samsung SmartTag3 — here’s why this tracker could be a game-changer
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We've already heard rumors that the S27 Ultra could get a $100 price increase, which would mean prices start at $1,400 for the S27 UIltra instead of the current $1,300. However, the latest murmurs from the rumor mill suggest that the entire Galaxy S27 lineup could get a price increase. Again.

Galaxy S27 Price hikes across the board

The rumor itself comes from a blog on Korean social media site Naver, and specifically blames the alleged price hike on the extortionate cost of memory. Apparently, Samsung can't absorb the price increases the way it used to, and that means the cost of S27 models is going up in the Korean market.

This doesn't necessarily mean that prices will be going up in other regions. That said, if a Korean price hike is tied to RAMageddon costs, it seems unlikely that Samsung would give other markets a pass. Then again, stranger things have happened.

The base price increase is said to be in the "higher 130,000 won range" which is roughly $95 at the current exchange rate. The cost to upgrade your storage is said to be going up as well, though the exact price change isn't detailed.

Currently, an upgrade from 256GB to 512GB is an extra $200, while S26 Ultra owners are expected to pay another $400 on top of that if they want a 1TB model — or $600 more than a 256GB model.

That's quite a lot, especially when those sorts of upgrades used to be as little as $100 in recent years. The prospect of another storage price increase cements my opinion that high storage phones are a scam.

The S27 Ultra could be even heavier, too

The price isn't the only thing about the Galaxy S27 Ultra that could be increasing. A new rumor, courtesy of Ice Universe, claims that the phone will weigh 218 grams (7.69 ounces), which is four grams more than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, the thickness will apparently stay the same 7.9mm (0.31-inches) for another year.

Ice Universe has a solid track record when it comes to Samsung leaks, but there's always a chance that he's wrong. However, if we take them at their word, those few extra grams have to come from somewhere. The question is, what is causing the extra weight to be piled onto the phone? Especially with rumors claiming that Samsung is removing features like the secondary telephoto lens.

The most obvious answer could be the battery. Samsung is expected to utilize silicon carbon batteries, just as it did with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, allowing it to add more battery capacity into the same size. That would explain the lack of extra thickness, and the minimal weight increase. The battery itself is rumored to be 5,700 mAh, compared to S26 Ultra's 5,000 mAh power pack.

Samsung is also rumored to be adding magnets to the back of its phone, and facilitating the full Qi2 wireless charging experience. This would allow users to use magnetic chargers and accessories without using a special case, much like you can do on iPhones and recent Pixel flagships.

We don't know how heavy Qi2 or MagSafe magnets actually are, but they don't weigh nothing.

The Qi2-enabled Pixel 10 Pro XL was 11 grams heavier than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max was just two grams heavier than the MagSafe-free iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in early 2027, and in the meantime you can check out our story on all the different ways it could beat the new iPhone 18 Pro.

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In fact, it now seems as though the new look could come at the expense of Samsung's trademark fourth camera lens — the secondary telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Or, at least, that's what long-time leaker Ice Universe claims over on X.

Ice Universe notes that the camera app will now jump from 1x magnification on the main lens, straight to 5x magnification on the soon-to-be-solo telephoto lens. So there's no optical magnification sitting between the two, though the main lens will presumably still offer the 2x "optical quality" digital zoom that's become so popular on flagship phones in recent years.

Ice has stuck with past claims that the telephoto camera itself will remain unchanged, with the same 5x 50MP lens that is currently available on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. This also means that the long-standing rumors that Samsung might offer some kind of variable optical zoom presumably won't be happening next year.

The software could be changing too

Modern smartphone photography involves a lot more than having lots of megapixels or fancy lenses. The software is an integral part of the process, and the Galaxy S27 Ultra is tipped to make some big changes there as well.

This news also comes from Ice Universe, which claims three changes are coming to how the S27 Ultra processes photos. The first of which is a shift from cooler color tones to something warmer. I have noticed this with Samsung cameras in recent years, and the color-temperature shift should make the final photos look closer to what rival camera phones offer.

Samsung is also set to include better highlight control for small, bright objects, such as illuminated text or far-off light sources. According to Ice, the S26 Ultra struggles to suppress these highlights, causing lost detail and overexposure in the final photo. The S27 Ultra should, in theory, control that extra brightness and preserve the clarity of the shot.

Finally, Samsung is supposedly working to reduce noise in dark areas and offer a smoother image all round. This makes perfect sense, since Samsung has done a lot of work improving low-light capabilities and reducing photo noise over the past couple of years, with the help of AI. So there's little reason to expect that it would suddenly stop without warning.

Overall, this should give us better photos with a cleaner picture across light and shadow, plus a warmer tone that doesn't look as harsh as the current cool-looking Samsung-processed photos.

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Success over Apple isn't guaranteed, but with Galaxy S27 Ultra rumors arriving pretty regularly, we're getting a good idea of what the next Samsung flagship could offer. There could be some pretty big changes, including a brand new design that ditches the vertical camera array of the last several generations of Galaxy phones.

That's only scratching the surface. These 5 things in particular could help the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra beat the iPhone 18 Pro — but there are two ways Apple could stay on top.

A bigger battery

Samsung already proved that it has what it takes to boost battery capacity without affecting the design of the device — as we saw with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's 5,000 mAh silicon carbon battery. Rumor has it that Samsung could utilize the same tech in the S27 Ultra, which makes total sense considering how long the Ultra models have been stuck with 5,000 mAh batteries

Regulator documents have already revealed that Samsung could add a 5,700 mAh battery to the phone. That's a 14% increase over the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and while it's nowhere near as large as the 7,300 mAh OnePlus 15, it's still a noticeable jump in available power. That should hopefully increase the overall battery life. That said, we won't know whether it will exceed the iPhone 18 Pro Max's 18 hours and 27 minutes.

That would require an extra two hours of battery life on Samsung's part, so it better get to work on the efficiency side of things.

An improved privacy display

The Privacy Display is the S26 Ultra's stand-out feature, but it wasn't perfect, and what we really want to see are some improvements to the technology. We'd hope that means brighter overall displays, even when Privacy Display is turned off, and more versatile use of the dimmed sections of the screen.

The latter may be coming true, with leaker Ice Universe claiming that Samsung will adopt a feature that Xiaomi included on the newly-released 18 Pro — a split-screen privacy display. This feature would work in tandem with the S27 Ultra's multitasking, and would expand or contract according to how big the different windows are. The other window is fully lit and visible.

S Pen

While the iPhone Duo is set to get Apple Pencil support, the iPhone 18 Pro does not. The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra is likely to stick with the same level of S Pen support Samsung has offered for the past several years.

We're not expecting any major changes with the S27 Ultra's S Pen. This means you shouldn't expect to see the return of Bluetooth or other more advanced functionality we have seen in previous years. But even the simplest S Pen around is something that Apple doesn't offer on its flagship. So if you like to use a stylus to draw, take notes or make fine photo edits, the S27 Ultra is a more appealing device.

Better camera hardware

Ultra-tier Galaxy phones already have superior camera hardware, thanks to the 200MP main sensor, but things could be getting even better with the S27 Ultra — in the front and back of the phone.

The first upgrade rumor is the addition of a 16MP selfie camera, which would be a notable upgrade from the 12MP shooter on the S26 Ultra. While that's still a little bit less than the 18MP Center Stage camera on iPhone 18 Pro, it's still a welcome upgrade. However, Samsung could jump ahead with rumors of a large sensor on the telephoto lens.

Some rumors suggest that Samsung could offer a larger 1/1.9-inch telephoto sensor, but as a result reduce the amount of optical zoom from 5x magnification to 4x. However, this has been disputed by some leakers, who claim Samsung is sticking with the same 5x 1/2.52-inch sensor as the S26 Ultra. But either way, it's a telephoto lens offering higher resolution and sensor size than the 48MP 1/2.55-inch sensor on iPhone 18 Pro Max.

A 16GB RAM option

While it's unlikely that we'll see the S27 Ultra get a full 16GB of RAM in its cheapest form, there's still a good chance the pricier 1TB models will get that memory boost. This should in turn give those models a slight advantage when it comes to processing, specifically where on-device AI is concerned.

Considering on-device AI is a big focus for Apple, the 12GB of RAM in the iPhone 18 Pro doesn't seem quite so impressive. The S27 Ultra, with more advanced Galaxy AI and computing hardware, could end up leaving the iPhone 18 Pro in the dust here.

2 ways Apple can still win

Performance power

We can't say for certain how powerful the Galaxy S27 Ultra will be, but we have tested the chip that should power the phone when it arrives next year — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. We have done some benchmarking tests with a Qualcomm Reference Device, which gives us an idea of how the chip should perform. As powerful as it is, it doesn't really compare to Apple's A20 Pro in a lot of areas.

As you can see, the A20 Pro pulls ahead in most areas, including single- and multi-core benchmarking tests, and 3DMark's Solar Bay Extreme graphics test. The figures are close in a lot of places, but the only time the Gen 6 chip outpaces Apple is with the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme graphics test.

We don't know how Qualcomm's chip will perform on the S27 Ultra, especially if Samsung gets another custom "for Galaxy" chipset, but for now it seems like Apple certainly has the upper hand.

More storage

As small a difference as it may be, we know that Apple currently offers more storage space than Samsung — offering a maximum storage space of 2TB to Samsung's 1TB. There's always the possibility that this could change, but the rumors suggest otherwise. In fact, the S27 series will apparently have the exact same storage options as the S26 series. This means the Ultra will max out at 1TB.

Those larger storage variants might get LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.1 storage, which would be a benefit for performance and loading speed. Sadly, your maximum limit will be the same 1TB as always, if these rumors are to be believed.

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Samsung has been the de-factor king of the foldable phone business for several years. Mainly because, outside of China, the best foldables have been limited to Google and Motorola — who haven't exactly put up much of a fight. Apple could finally bring the Galaxy Fold series some serious competition, and if I were Samsung I'd be looking for ways to make my foldables stand out. Even if it means blatantly copying Apple's ideas.

Here are five things the Galaxy Z Fold 9 should steal from iPhone Duo, and two things it should leave well alone.

What Z Fold 9 should steal from iPhone Duo

Under display camera

Samsung had under-display cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold lineup for four generations, from the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to Z Fold 6. The quality of those cameras was a little... weak, to say the least, so it's no surprise that Samsung pulled them for the last two generations. But maybe now is the time to bring them back.

Apple has added an under-display camera to the iPhone Duo's foldable display, though this one isn't designed for selfies. Apple has referred to it as a FaceTime camera, and talked about its use as an aid for video calling. That suggests the quality isn't all that either, but by limiting its use cases (at least in marketing) Apple can avoid the same criticisms as Samsung.

This means the Z Fold 9 could be the perfect time for Samsung to bring the under-display camera back — and give you more of your screen back. Plus, considering you can already take selfies with the rear cameras and the hole-punch on the cover display, I'd avoid using it as a way to take photos of yourself.

S Pen support

The loss of the stylus is one of the things Galaxy foldable fans have been complaining about since the release of Galaxy Z Fold 7. The stylus requires a special digitizer layer in the display, which was removed in an apparent attempt to reduce thickness. Which isn't a great reason to remove a long-standing feature, especially when it leaves Galaxy foldables feeling a little bit lacking.

Not only does the iPhone Duo have stylus support, it uses the Apple Pencil USB-C — which is compatible with almost every iPad on sale. There's no special iPhone-exclusive stylus; it's the one a lot of iPad users may already have. The same couldn't be said for past Z Fold models, which needed a special foldable-exclusive stylus designed for the more fragile folding display.

I felt that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra was missing out on account of its lost stylus, and the launch of Z Fold 9 would be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce that support. Ideally, it would the form of a stylus that will work across Galaxy devices, including tablets and other phones.

IP68 durability

Google was the first foldable phone maker in the U.S. to add IP68 water and dust resistance to foldables with Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and Apple has followed its example with iPhone Duo. Galaxy Z Fold 8, on the other hand only has an IP48 rating, which means it's totally exposed to dust — even if it is sealed tight against water.

Obviously, that's not a good look for Samsung, especially when you consider all the moving parts associated with a foldable hinge. You should be able to take your $1,900 to $2,000 foldable to the beach. So Samsung definitely needs to do better with the Z Fold 9.

Magnetic wireless charging built in

One of the things I'll never understand is why Samsung is so seemingly against adding magnetic wireless charging to its phones — foldables included. The phones support Qi2 wireless charging technology, but they lack the integrated magnets that let chargers and accessories snap into place.

One reason I was given was that the magnets interfered with the S Pen, and Samsung couldn't offer both. But considering the iPhone Duo has Apple Pencil support and MagSafe, it's clear that there is a way to offer both features without asking users to compromise. Because a magnetic case system is just a poor show for a phone company that sells devices for close to two thousand dollars.

An actual Vapor Chamber

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset is powerful. But the phones that use it can get quite hot, and a lack of cooling can lead to worse sustained performance.That's why Samsung needs to add a vapor chamber, much like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone Duo.

Vapor chambers help move heat across the phone, allowing it to dissipate more evenly, and keep key components from overheating. It also helps improve sustained performance, and les the phone work harder for longer.

Admittedly, the Z Fold 8 does have pretty good sustained performance compared to the S26 Ultra (72.4% versus 53.9%) but it's behind the iPhone 18 Pro Max (79.4%), But can you imagine how much better things could be if there was a vapor chamber to help keep everything cool?

Two things iPhone Duo can keep

Curved corners

Apple loves curved corners on its phones, a design that has made its way to foldables as well. Samsung may have opted for more curved corners on its non-folding phones, like Galaxy S26, but for the time being foldables have retained the sharper right-angles Samsung was once known for. The Galaxy Z Fold 9 should stay the same way.

My issue with the iPhone Duo is the lack of symmetry in the design. If you look at it from the cover display, the disparity between the left side and right side is painfully apparent. It looks wrong to have curved corners on one side and rounded edges on the other, even if you don't actually see that when the phone is unfolded.

The Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are the total opposite, with a symmetrical design regardless of which screen you're actually looking at — and it makes Galaxy foldables all the better to look at. Plus, you're likely to get a little bit more screen space if you're using the phone in certain display configurations.

The eSIM only design

Apple has been aggressively pushing eSIMs the past few years, and that's led to a foldable with no support for physical SIM cards — regardless of which part of the world you buy it in. Samsung, on the other hand, has stuck to the physical nano SIM slot on all its flagship phones — and it should continue that trend for Z Fold 9.

I get the appeal of eSIMs in certain situations, but I also feel as though they come with a key disadvantage compared to physical SIM cards. A physical SIM pops out of your phone and into another device without issue, while eSIMs have to be digitally transferred. The process is not as awkward or laborious as it used to be, but it's still not as convenient.

If you prefer eSIMs, that's great, more power to you. But it's good to offer users a choice on how they connect to cell networks, rather than deciding for you and giving you no flexibility. Which is a very Apple way of doing things.

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With 2,761 votes, one device proved far more popular than the other by more than double the votes, but was it the Apple iPhone Duo or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8? Check out the results below.

Which flagship foldable would you rather purchase?

• 1st place: 62%, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
• 2nd place: 23%, iPhone Duo
• 3rd place: 15%, Neither

With a total of 1,705 votes, 62% of respondents said the Samsung foldable is their preferred foldable phone. Apple's Duo came in a distant second with 632 votes, or 23%.

Meanwhile, 424 people said they weren't interested in either phone. If you find yourself in that camp, what would you buy instead? Or is this category too pricey for you?

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the winner, but why?

So why did the Galaxy Z Fold 8 dominate our poll over the iPhone Duo.

I think it comes down to a few of factors in the battle between the Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo: design, price and expertise.

The Duo starts at $1,999 for the 256GB version and goes up to over $3k for the 2TB option. Samsung's foldable starts at $1,899, not a big difference but with how expensive the world has gotten in the last two years every dollar matters. No, Samsung doesn't offer a 2TB variant but the top-end 1TB model will cost you $2,499, again $100 than the equivalent Duo version.

Additionally, the Z Fold 8 offers a thinner and lighter design than the iPhone Duo. And Samsung lets you run more than two apps at once, which is better for multitasking. Plus, Samsung has been iterating foldables for eight generations, while this is Apple's first attempt.

There is concern over visibility and brightness with the matte finish on the Duo display, which is meant to hide the crease. Pictures of CEO John Ternus at the Emmys recently stirred up controversy online, but we thought it was plenty bright in our hands-on time.

As we've found, though, the iPhone Duo has multiple features that the Z Fold 8 doesn't, including iP68 durability, stylus support, faster charging, and a vapor chamber for better cooling.

What you have said

One reader said in a comment that they were staying away from all things Apple as they didn't want to get sucked into another ecosystem. "I have Samsungs 8 ultra, and I am impressed with it," they said.

As a counterpoint, another reader wrote that the "crucial factor" when comparing Samsung and Apple is Apple's "after-purchase service experience."

"Functionally, I have liked both platforms, but there is a fundamental difference in corporate philosophy. Apple actively invests in both technology and the customer service infrastructure required to support it. Samsung, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on tech specs while leaving its customer support framework completely neglected," they said.

Bottom line

The iPhone Duo may be the belle of the ball after its recent announcement, but you won't be able to actually hold it in your hands until October 23.

Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 is available right now and is a pretty impressive foldable, even if Apple's device beats it in some areas.

Let us know: why would you pick the Duo or the Z Fold 8? Don't like either? What's your replacement?

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The simple fact that this is a foldable iPhone means the Duo has the potential to offer Samsung the first serious competition for several years. The phone hasn't even been released yet, and we've already identified key ways that the iPhone Duo beats the similarly-styled Galaxy Z Fold 8. But what about the other way round?

Samsung has almost a decade of foldable experience, and that shows in the ways its latest release compares to Apple's first attempt. Here are seven ways the Galaxy Z Fold 8 beats the iPhone Duo.

It's lighter and thinner

Rumors suggested that the iPhone Duo would be the thinnest phone Apple has ever built, at 4.5mm (0.17-inches) thick when unfolded. That wasn't the case, and we now know that the iPhone Duo is 5.2mm (0.2 inches) thick — which is slightly less than the 5.6mm iPhone Air.

Meanwhile the Galaxy Z Fold 8 really is 4.5mm thick when it's unfolded, making it one of the thinnest phones you can go out and buy. It's also much lighter than the iPhone Duo, weighing 201 grams (7.09 ounces) to Apple's 254 grams (8.96 ounces). That weight actually makes the Duo one of the heaviest iPhones Apple has ever released.

The difference between the two may not seem like much, it does mean that the Z Fold 8 is likely to be more comfortable to use.

A cheaper price tag

Foldable phones are not cheap, with both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo costing several hundred dollars more than their non-folding counterparts. But when it comes to the actual asking price, Samsung has the edge.

The cheapest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is $1,899, which gets you a model with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Apple's cheapest iPhone Duo offers the same level of memory and storage, but it costs $1,999 — $100 more.

That price disparity sticks around for the 512GB and 1TB options as well. Samsung charges $2,099 and $2,499, respectively, while Apple's prices are both $100 more at $2,199 and $2,599. Samsung doesn't offer a 2TB storage option; the 2TB Duo comes in at $3,199.

Better multitasking

Multitasking has never been Apple's strong suit, especially on the iPhone, and it looks like iPhone Duo won't be at quite the same level as the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The Z Fold 8 supports up to three windows at once, as well as five floating app windows that can sit wherever you like on screen. This is also possible on Apple's iPads, but iPhone Duo only supports two Split View windows at a time.

Considering one of the benefits of iPhone Duo is the ability to carry an iPad-like device in your pocket, the limited nature of Split View means you're missing out on an important productivity feature other devices have offered for years.

DeX

While desktop modes have slowly started making a comeback on Android phones, Apple has always seen fit to completely ignore them. The Z Fold 8 offers Samsung's DeX desktop mode, while the iPhone Duo lacks any sort of equivalent feature.

The idea behind DeX is that you plug your Galaxy phone into a monitor, at which point the phone loads up a desktop-like UI on the larger screen. That way you can use your phone as a desktop computer, without needing to carry around a laptop or tablet everywhere you go.

It's a fairly niche feature, and it's reliant on having access to a spare display. But it is a way to get more use out of a Z Fold 8, and put all the performance hardware to good use. It's unfortunate that the iPhone Duo is limited to its own display and UI.

Physical SIM slot

Apple has been betting big on eSIMs in recent years, and some regions (including the U.S.) can't use physical SIM cards in newer models of iPhone.

Sadly, while European versions of the iPhone 18 Pro still come with a physical SIM card slot, that won't be the case with iPhone Duo. Apple has confirmed that the phone will be eSIM only all around the world. So no matter where you live, there's zero opportunity to use a physical nano SIM card.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 still supports both eSIM and physical SIM cards, which gives users a lot more choice and flexibility. It's pretty small in the grand scheme of things, but as someone that has to swap phones fairly often, the process of transferring eSIMs to a new device is nowhere near as simple as swapping a physical card between devices.

16GB RAM option

The iPhone Duo comes with 12GB of RAM no matter which storage variant you get. Samsung starts off by offering 12GB on its cheapest models, but those buying the 1TB storage option will actually get an additional 4GB of RAM thrown in — for a total of 16GB.

Why does that matter? It all comes down to why memory prices have been skyrocketing over the past year: AI processing. AI features are heavily reliant on RAM, and generally speaking the more memory that's available, the faster things will run. That's particularly important for on-device AI processing, which is faster and more secure than offloading those tasks to the cloud.

Historically iPhones haven't needed as much RAM as Android phones, on account of the strong links between Apple's hardware and software. But not even Apple can bypass AI's need for memory, and we'll have to wait and see how the Duo (and A20 Pro chipset) performs in AI benchmarking tests before we can say how much better or worse it could have been with more RAM.

8K video recording

The iPhone Duo is no slouch in the camera department, at least not as far as we can tell from the specs and limited hands-on time. While the actual camera hardware looks fairly similar to that of the Z Fold 8 (48MP main lenses compared to 50MP), there is one thing Samsung has a leg up on — ultra-high-resolution video recording.

Like many Samsung flagships, the Z Fold 8 is capable of recording video at 8k resolution at 30 frames per second or 4K resolution at 120fps. Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo is capped at 4K resolution video recording, with frame rates of 120fps on the main camera and 60fps on the ultrawide.

Admittedly, the opportunities to play 8K video are pretty slim for the average phone user — so recording in such high resolution is just a waste of storage space. But it is a key area in which Samsung outpaces Apple, which might be important to you.

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The two phones are similar in a bunch of ways, including their wider, passport-inspired design. However, there are a number of key ways Apple has improved on the foldable design, and beaten Samsung at its own game. Considering this is Apple's first foldable, that might just make the extended development time worth it. Here are seven ways iPhone Duo actually beats the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

IP68 rating

Google proved that a foldable could get an IP68 water and dust resistance rating with last year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold. This means that, despite all the moving parts around the hinge, Google was able to seal the phone up and ensure dust and other foreign particles can't get inside. Apple continued that trend by also sealing the iPhone Duo up to the same IP68 standard.

Meanwhile the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is only rated to IP48. The 8 means that it's water-tight, capable of being submerged in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes — just like Google and Apple. However, the 4 means that the Z Fold 8 offers no protection against dust, or any other particles larger than one millimeter (0.04 inches).

In other words, there's a whole bunch of nasty stuff that could get inside the Z Fold 8 and cause problems — and you might not even realize it. In other words, you should be able to take the iPhone Duo to the beach.

Apple Pencil support

Samsung used to sell foldables that supported the S Pen stylus, but the last one to be released was 2024's Galaxy Z Fold 6. From the Z Fold 7 onwards, Samsung stripped out the S Pen functionality, removing a critical part of the display makeup in order to reduce the phone's thickness. This means that the Z Fold 8 does not support any kind of active stylus.

Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo not only offers stylus support, it's compatible with the Apple Pencil USB-C — which works with the majority of iPads still on sale. Samsung needed a special kind of S Pen for the foldable screen, but the iPhone Duo uses a stylus that you may already have.

It's the most basic Apple stylus on sale, and it lacks key features you'll find on the Apple Pencil Pro, but it's better than nothing.

MagSafe

Magnetic wireless charging is a rarity, in part because Apple had a stranglehold on it for so long. While Qi2 wireless charging does allow phones to add a MagSafe-style magnetic ring, Samsung has avoided doing this — preferring to utilize special magnetic cases instead. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is no exception to this trend, despite offering all the other benefits of Qi2 charging.

Apple had no such issue adding MagSafe to the iPhone Duo, as it's done with virtually every iPhone released since the iPhone 12. Plus, despite the phone's unique shape and size, Apple confirmed that it is compatible with MagSafe accessories and chargers — meaning all your old MagSafe products should still fit.

Faster 60W charging

MagSafe isn't the only way iPhone Duo beats Z Fold 8 in the charging department. Apple's foldable also offers faster charging speeds, regardless of whether you use MagSafe or a plug-in charging cable.

Wired charging supports up to 60W speeds, which regains 50% charge in just 15 minutes. Meanwhile, wireless charging is capped at 25W. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers 45W wired charging, and can regain 43% in 15 minutes. Wireless charging is also slightly slower at 20W, which puts it at a slight disadvantage to the iPhone.

Better front-facing camera hardware

Like the S Pen, Samsung used to offer an under-display camera on Galaxy Z Fold phones — and it hasn't been seen since the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The quality was not great, and it was no surprise that later Z folds switched back to the hole-punch camera design. Apple is giving under-display camera tech another chance at the limelight.

Apple hasn't specified the quality of this camera, noting that it's designed for use with FaceTime and other video calling software rather than selfies. That suggests the quality isn't great. But at least Apple is willing to try new things with the Duo, rather than reusing the same lackluster selfie camera hardware for multiple years in a row.

Plus, the iPhone Duo's actual selfie camera, which is in the cover display, offers higher resolution than Samsung. We're talking 12MP compared to 10MP, and while resolution doesn't automatically mean quality, it's likely that this is a similar selfie camera to the one in iPhone 17 Pro Max — which I found to take better photos than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

iPhone Duo software reacts based on folded hinge state

A lot of Samsung phones offer what the company calls "Flex Mode," which allows the phone to react and adapt depending on the angle of the central hinge. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Galaxy foldable to ditch this feature, despite the fact it's available on the Ultra model. This reduces the functionality of the phone somewhat, especially compared to iPhone Duo.

Apple doesn't have a special name for this feature, but the Duo does react depending on the angle of the hinge and the state of the fold itself. So if you have Netflix running, folding the screen to a 90-degree angle will shift the video to one side of the screen, and media controls to the other.

Vapor chamber cooling

The iPhone Duo offers an A20 Pro chipset with vapor chamber cooling, which helps dissipate heat. This means that the iPhone should offer better sustained performance, especially when doing resource-heavy tasks like gaming, multitasking and AI processing.

We haven't done any performance or thermal testing on the iPhone Duo just yet, so we don't know how effective the vapor chamber will be. That said, the Fold 8 doesn't offer a vapor chamber at all.

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That’s why I’m exploring the iPhone Ultra vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra matchup, breaking down what the latest leaks and rumors reveal about Apple’s upcoming foldable. Then, I’ll detail how it stacks up against what I’ve tested and experienced with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — all to see which one truly deserves the title of best foldable phone.

A form-factor preference

The first and arguably biggest difference between them is the form factor. While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra sets a high bar with its remarkably thin, lightweight build, ergonomics often come down to aspect ratio. The taller profile of Samsung's foldable line contrasts sharply with the broader, passport-like shape rumored for Apple's debut.

Leaks and renders indicate Apple is embracing a wider footprint for the iPhone Ultra, which fundamentally changes day-to-day usability. When closed, that shorter, stouter profile should make one-handed operation far more comfortable, unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, where reaching the top corners of the cover display remains a stretch. Unfolded, the iPhone Ultra’s rumored 4:3 main screen offers a natural, book-like canvas that excels for split-screen multitasking and reading.

Dimensions will play a major role as well. While Apple is tipped to make the iPhone Ultra roughly 4.8mm thin when unfolded with a weight between 8.1 and 8.5 ounces, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra holds the edge on raw numbers at 4.22mm thin and just 7.8 ounces.

Even so, I’d gladly trade a fraction of a millimeter and a few grams for the iPhone Ultra’s broader silhouette and superior everyday practicality.

Crease-less display: I'll believe it when I see it

Eliminating the display crease has long been the holy grail of foldable engineering. While Samsung has steadily refined the technology with each generation, the seam still persists. Frankly, though, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s crease doesn't bother me — it has never hindered me from watching videos, multitasking, or running apps.

Rumors suggest Apple is attempting to achieve the impossible with a virtually invisible crease on the iPhone Ultra. If Apple genuinely manages to deliver a completely flat, crease-free panel out of the gate, it would be an engineering triumph that instantly resets industry benchmarks and puts every other foldable maker on notice.

Still, I can’t help questioning the physics of bending ultra-thin glass thousands of times without wear and tear eventually leaving a trace. More importantly, the practical reality is that absolute perfection simply isn't necessary.

Samsung has refined the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s hinge and teardrop display structure so effectively that its shallow crease disappears when viewing the screen straight on. Sure, I can still feel a subtle dip under my finger or catch a stray reflection off-axis, but in everyday use, it’s far from a deal breaker.

If Apple pulls off a miracle, kudos to them —but for most buyers, living with a minor crease is hardly a sacrifice.

Camera versatility

When it comes to cameras, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra holds the upper hand in both hardware and software. Leaks strongly suggest the iPhone Ultra will settle for a dual-camera system — a 48MP main sensor paired with a 48MP ultrawide — leaving out a dedicated telephoto lens entirely.

I know first-hand that Apple’s computational photography and color science are stellar. Time after time in my photo shootouts, iPhones prove to be front leading contenders for the best camera phone title. For effortless point-and-shoot reliability, Apple rarely misses.

However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra offers the sheer versatility that serious photographers and mobile creators like me crave. Samsung didn't compromise on hardware, packing a triple-lens system headlined by a massive 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and a dedicated 10MP 3x telephoto lens.

That optical reach makes a noticeable difference when framing distant subjects without sacrificing clarity — something my colleagues demonstrated clearly in their Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra camera shootout.

Beyond the lenses, Samsung’s software ecosystem provides a deeper roster of creative tools. Features like Horizon Lock keep action shots level during rapid movement, while full Pro Video and Expert RAW modes grant granular manual control over shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. While I have no doubt the iPhone Ultra will capture gorgeous images, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is the clear winner for creative flexibility.

Power and battery

Foldable phones are simply more demanding than your average slab, so performance can’t be shorthanded. I’ve seen how incredibly finessed Samsung’s foldable is with a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy running under the hood. Benchmark performance scores prove it’s already a beast, which puts pressure on Apple to succeed with its rumored, next-gen A20 Pro chip that's supposedly using a 2nm manufacturing process. I don’t doubt that the A20 Pro will give the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 a run for its money, but history has shown me this isn’t a significant buying decision.

What I will say, though, is the class-leading performance of the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s battery life. Packed with a 5,000 mAh battery, it sets a high bar for the iPhone Ultra because the Fold 8 Ultra recorded a time of 14 hours and 33 minutes on Tom’s Guide’s battery drain test. That’s more than 2 hours longer than what we recorded with the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Apple’s reportedly going to lean on a split-battery design totaling around 4,883 mAh. While that capacity is slightly smaller than Samsung's cell, it’ll ultimately come down to Apple’s unmatched silicon efficiency and aggressive iOS background power management could level the playing field.

The true dark horse is the software

While hardware upgrades often grab the headlines, software optimization remains the real battleground for foldables — and it’s where Apple could quietly land a major blow. Even after years of development, Google and Samsung still wrestle with app scaling across irregular foldable aspect ratios.

I know this first-hand from playing some of my favorite games. While a title might scale properly on the cover display, opening the main screen — or simply rotating the device — frequently produces stretched-out layouts that fail to showcase the true benefits of a foldable screen.

If Apple enforces its strict developer guidelines and leverages a familiar iPad-like aspect ratio, the iPhone Ultra could deliver seamless app scaling out of the gate, taking full advantage of every square millimeter.

Still, Samsung has proven that raw productivity remains its top priority. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra effortlessly runs up to four apps simultaneously, while Samsung DeX elevates the hardware into a true desktop-like workstation when connected to an external monitor. It sets a towering standard for mobile productivity — and I'm eager to see whether Apple can counter with a comparable multitasking solution.

Outlook

Price will ultimately be the elephant in the room for this matchup. While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra already commands a staggering $2,099 premium, early leaks and analyst projections suggest the iPhone Ultra could blow past that threshold—potentially landing anywhere between $2,000 and upwards of $2,500. That’s an eye-watering figure that's difficult to stomach for any smartphone, regardless of pedigree.

Yet, if Apple executes on its core hardware and software promises, the iPhone Ultra might just justify that astronomical investment over Samsung’s latest flagship.

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Unfortunately, the small amount of time I've spent with the Galaxy S26 FE suggests that Samsung has fumbled the release of the new phone. We shouldn't really be surprised, considering how lackluster the last few Fan Edition releases have been. We're at the point now where it's time for Samsung to scrap the whole line-up and let the A-series step up to the plate.

Too expensive to be cheap, too compromised to rival flagships

The Fan Edition series has always been about lowering the price but making cuts elsewhere. You can't have the same specs as a Galaxy S26 for a lower price, because that's just not economical. That typically manifests itself in worse cameras, cheaper materials and slightly worse performance.

In the case of the Galaxy S26 FE, those compromises come in three key areas: the screen, the camera and the performance. This is not a phone that has the latest flagship Snapdragon chips, nor does it have the latest Exynos 2600 chip that powers international variants of the S26. Instead it has the Exynos 2500, which was released last year, alongside 8GB of RAM rather than the now-standard 12GB.

Admittedly, on paper, the lower specs on the S26 FE don't seem too bad or different from that of the standard S26. It's little things that help drop the price tag, such as weaker display glass, lower resolution telephoto lenses, and the loss of premium materials like the shiny matte glass back panels. But these things all add up, and while that keeps the price down, it also makes the S26 FE a much less appealing purchase.

The starting price of $699, which gets you 128GB of storage, may make this the cheapest Galaxy S26 you can buy, but it's still not particularly cheap as far as smartphones go. Sure, it's almost half the price of something like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but it doesn't directly fall into the cheaper phone categories like the S57 or A37.

Easily the worst part of all this is the fact that Samsung has (at the time of writing) discounted the standard Galaxy S26 by $100. This means the cheapest model, with 256GB of storage, can be purchased for $799. Meanwhile the 256GB variant of the Galaxy S26 FE is also $799, which means you're getting a worse phone for the same amount of money.

Sure there is a cheaper storage option that costs $100 less, but is it really worth losing out on everything the S26 has to offer to save that much? In most cases, I'd argue no.

The Galaxy A series keeps getting better

As much as the Galaxy S26 FE isn't a huge amount worse than the Galaxy S26, it also doesn't seem to be that much better than the Galaxy A57. In fact Samsung's mid-range phone is one of the best cheap phones you can buy because, despite the sacrifices you inevitably have to make, it's an exceptionally good phone for its price tag.

It's a lot easier to see where the Galaxy A57 made the cuts in contrast to the S26 FE. The main sticking point for me is the terrible macro camera, which always feels like an absolute waste of hardware compared to a dedicated macro camera mode other smartphones utilize. It also looks a lot cheaper, and the performance hardware is more noticeably inferior.

It doesn't matter if you don't know anything about phone chips, the fact that the A57 has an Exynos 1680 means it might as well have a giant neon sign declaring that it won't outperform the S26 FE's Exynos 2500.

That being said, we've been seeing pretty big gains in the mid-range phone market over the past several years. They're starting to feel a lot more premium, and they're coming with AI and software features that you previously wouldn't see outside ultra-premium models. The yearly upgrades aren't exactly stellar, but that seems to be a problem all phones are facing right now — no matter the price point.

A Galaxy A-series phone is never going to be as good as a flagship S-series, but it still offers a lot of the things you might need from a phone, including solid cameras, battery life and so on. There's even some solid AI features thrown in, if you're the kind of person who really likes using Galaxy AI and Bixby.

Admittedly, the Fan Edition phones have all done this too, but they also cost more and don't offer as much of a discount compared to other Galaxy S-series phones.

Bottom line: Galaxy FE phones lack purpose

Few phone companies take the approach Samsung does when it comes to cheaper-than-flagship phones. In fact, Samsung is the only one I can think of that offers two distinct devices that are meant to sit below the entry level premium model. The likes of Google, Apple, Nothing and others typically only have the one.

With two devices that sit in such close proximity, from both a price and hardware perspective, differentiating them becomes a much harder task. We end up in a situation where the Galaxy S26 FE feels awkwardly placed in a bizarre, paradoxical middle ground.

In the past Samsung was a lot more inconsistent about releasing the A50-series phones in the U.S., which arguably gave the Fan Edition release a lot more breathing room. There's clearly demand for a cheaper Galaxy phone, and the lack of competition from itself meant Samsung could continue to push the more premium option.

These days, it feels like these phones are released out of obligation, rather than a pressing need to actually build them. And it's about time Samsung threw in the towel, and gave the Fan Edition line-up a trip to the farm upstate.

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The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE certainly does that, though it may take things a little bit too far. I spent a little bit of time with the S26 FE ahead of today's announcement, and started to wonder who this phone is really for. After all, the Samsung Galaxy A57 already captures the lower-priced mid-range segment and recent discounts to the standard Galaxy S26 make it more accessible than before.

The Galaxy S26 FE seems to occupy the same awkward middle ground as its predecessors. The specs aren't good enough to qualify it as a true flagship, but at the same time, it isn't cheap enough to be a true budget option.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE hands-on review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE hands-on review: The Ups

The cost of entry isn't too high

In a world of price hikes and RAMageddon, it's no surprise that the Galaxy S26 FE is more expensive than the S25 FE. That said, a $50 price hike isn't actually a lot, and that helps keep the cost of buying into the Galaxy S26 lineup much lower than it was before. The fact that Samsung has kept the 128GB model around means the $699 starting price is $200 less than the standard Galaxy S26 was at launch.

Admittedly that benefit only really matters if you plan on buying the 128GB model, and can't justify spending an extra $100 more. Why? Because, at the time of writing, Samsung's online store is selling the 256GB Galaxy S26 for $799 — the exact same price as the 256GB S26 FE.

In other words spending an extra $100 can get you a phone with better hardware. However, if you want to keep costs low and want access to the flagship capabilities of a Galaxy S26, then the FE is an option for you.

More premium than most cheap phones

The main benefit for the S26 FE, compared to the likes of the A57, is that you do get a slightly more premium build and feature set. All without having to pay quite as much as you would if you picked up a Galaxy S26 or one of its larger siblings.

The glossy glass back isn't quite as impressive as the matte glass on the back of the Galaxy S26. Honestly, seeing my own silhouette reflected in the back of the phone instantly made me think of the Galaxy A57, which is a shame when you remember that past FE devices had the matte glass to offer that instantly-premium look.

Still, the Galaxy S26 FE doesn't really feel cheap. It's reminiscent of the Galaxy S26 Plus due to its size, and there's definitely some weight to it that makes it feel more important than an A-series Galaxy. The brushed metal frame certainly helps in this respect, as does the solid-coloring of the camera bar — a design trait borrowed from other S26 phones.

Great selection of AI and software features

Like any device hoping to be considered close to flagship, the Galaxy S26 FE does come with a huge range of AI features. There's nothing new here, which isn't a huge surprise, but it does come with the best things Galaxy AI has had to offer on other phones — including my favorite Galaxy Z Fold 8 feature, My Fan Cam.

In fact, there are a bunch of cool software features that we've seen on other Galaxy flagships, but still haven't had the option to use on cheaper devices. That includes the Horizontal Lock video camera mode, the Samsung Document Scanner, Audio Eraser, AI-powered photo editing with Photo Assist, Now Brief, Circle to Search with multi-object recognition, as well as Now Nudge with support for cross-app functionality and third party apps.

Samsung also promises that the upgraded ProVisual engine is also here. This offers improved low light performance, reducing noise in the photo and lowering the overall color distortion. Though we haven't been able to test this for ourselves just yet.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE hands-on review: The Downs

Camera quality seems iffy so far

I will caveat this point by making it clear I haven't done any extensive camera testing with the Galaxy S26 FE, but the few sample photos I have taken so far were not very impressive. In fact, the four cameras on the S26 FE seem to struggle when compared to those on the Galaxy A57.

From a hardware perspective, things are a little disappointing. There's a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP selfie camera. That's pretty similar to the A57, albeit with a telephoto lens instead of a crappy 5MP macro lens.

That minor change in third-camera hardware means that there's a big difference in the zoomed in photo I took. Since the A57 relies on its main lens, it's using a higher resolution lens and cropping it down — rather than actually zooming in. The camera defaults to 12MP, and while not great it is obviously higher than what an 8MP lens can accomplish.

The main lens on the S26 FE is a little better, with some extra clarity that lets you make out the sugar crystals a little more easily, though it does come out much darker and less vibrant. The same is true when looking at this photo of a plant, with both 50MP lenses offering similar quality — but wildly different brightness levels.

The selfie camera is a step in the opposite direction, though. While the A57 washed out the color from my face compared to the S26 FE, there's a lot more detail and clarity compared on the cheaper phone. The S26 FE is slightly blurrier, and struggles to pick up the finer details including hair and skin complexion.

As you'd expect the regular Galaxy S26 outmatches them all, with more true-to-life colors and general clarity exceeding both the A57 and S26 FE. Even if my attempt at a selfie did not come out particularly well during my hands-on time. Still, the fact that the Galaxy A57 manages to offer some serious competition to the S26 FE, despite it being $150 cheaper, is not a good look for the Fan Edition phone.

Upgrades are minimal

Incremental upgrades with few major hardware upgrades are not uncommon, and the Galaxy S26 FE seems to be the latest example of that to come from Samsung HQ. Checking over the specs compared to last year's Galaxy S25 FE really highlights how few upgrades there are this year. If you didn't know any better, you could easily mistake the S26 FE for an older model, and only real changes are the newer Exynos chipset and the glass enclosure around the rear camera lenses.

Everything else, from the cameras to the battery are essentially identical, which means Samsung is relying more on software upgrades to help sell the phone over its predecessors. Which is not a terrible plan, considering the number of flagship features Samsung has added to the Galaxy S26 FE. But it doesn't suggest that the phone is a must-have. Especially when you remember the Galaxy A57 exists.

The Galaxy A57 is right there

The minimal upgrades wouldn't be so bad on their own, but we can't forget the fact that the Galaxy A57 is still around — and costs a good $150 less than the cheapest Galaxy S26 FE. There are a bunch of ways the Galaxy A57 falters compared to the S26 FE, particularly when it comes to performance and the availability of AI features. That price cut has to come from somewhere, and Samsung can't save all that money by cutting premium materials.

Still, at the same time, the A57 shares a lot of the same hardware with the Galaxy S26 FE. The camera hardware is more or less identical, and puts up a good fight against the S26 FE's cameras, and both screens share the same size, resolution and brightness. The A57's battery is actually larger, weirdly enough, and they both support up to 45W wired charging speeds — though the A57 lacks wireless charging.

We can't do a full comparison just yet, and we'll need to get the S26 FE into the lab to figure out exactly what its deal is. Because there's only so much you can glean from a list of hardware specs. Still, things don't look great. Especially considering the $50 price hike, and the fact that the 256GB Galaxy S26 costs the same as the equivalent FE.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE hands-on review: Outlook

The Galaxy S26 FE certainly shows promise, I'm struggling to understand why Samsung is releasing it in the first place. The Fan Edition series has been losing relevance for a while, especially now that Samsung is consistently releasing A-series phones in the U.S. and the Galaxy S26 FE doesn't really do much to help salvage the line-up's reputation in any way.

Based on my limited time with the phone, it seems that it is too similar to the Galaxy A57 to justify the higher price tag. At the same time, the price is too close to that of the Galaxy S26 to make many of these compromises worthwhile. It's that weird middle ground where it's not a cheap phone, but it's too cut back to be a true flagship.

So who is this phone for? It does offer more AI and Samsung-exclusive software features than cheaper options, and the fact that the 128GB storage option is still around means the cost of entry is noticeably lower. If you're an AI superfan that doesn't have a lot of money, this might be the Samsung phone for you, but otherwise you may as well pick up a different model.

Of course we'll have a much better idea of what the Galaxy S26 FE can do when we get the phone into the Tom's Guide lab for testing. That could change everything, or it could cement the idea that the S26 FE needs to die. We'll just have to wait and see.

The leaks started with a cryptic message from Samsung leaker Ice Universe, who posted a drawing and said, "I can't say anything."

They followed it up with a full-body drawing of the back of the phone. Those images appear to show a circle that is probably a Qi2 magnet for wireless charging.

From Ice Universe's sketches, it appears the Galaxy S27 Ultra loses a camera, going from the current triple stack to two, with the LED light and lenses in their own little pill. In another post, Universe noted that a new 5x telephoto lens will move into the LED pill and replace the current 3x version.

Yesterday, tipster Sonny Dickson posted renders of the S27 Ultra, claiming that Samsung will offer the Ultra in two sizes. Rumors suggest Samsung is working on two sizes for the Ultra model, one of which will likely be the S27 Pro.

It would make Samsung's offerings more similar to Apple's Pro and Pro Max models.

Ice Universe seemed to confirm that the Pro model is coming today with new renders and a post that claims the speaker on the bottom of the phone will be moved to the right side for the S27, S27 Plus and S27 Pro. The S27 Ultra will supposedly have its speaker on the left side.

Based on every drawing and render we've seen over the weekend, the new iPhone-esque plateau will only be available on the Ultra and Pro models. The base S27 and Plus models would have the stack.

With Samsung's foldables behind us, the rumor mill is starting to spin up in earnest for the company's flagship phone line. More renders will leak in the coming months, but we won't totally trust the leaks until we see some dummy units, which will probably leak in the fall.

As for the phones, Samsung will likely release the S27 lineup in the early part of next year. This year, the S26 series launched in February, and we expect Samsung will keep a similar schedule, give or take a week or two.

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For years, I’ve praised Samsung’s flip-style foldables — but this year’s Galaxy Z Flip 8 has me concerned. It’s not just that it represents the most painfully lazy upgrade in the series’ history, but also that Samsung’s focus seems to have largely shifted elsewhere.

Pairing that with the glowing reception for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and it’s clear Samsung is at a tipping point with its Z Flip line. Here’s why.

Motorola has a way more robust selection

Despite being an early pioneer in the space, Motorola lagged behind Samsung for years with its Razr phones, plagued by awkward hinge designs and lackluster performance. But the narrative has shifted dramatically over the last couple of generations.

Instead of treating clamshell foldables as a one-size-fits-all product, Motorola built out a lineup with broader appeal. That strategy has culminated in today's lineup of three clamshell foldables alongside a book-style model. By offering varied price points, Motorola gives consumers the freedom to choose what fits their budget and needs. In contrast, Samsung has stuck to releasing just a single flip phone each generation.

Cameras are not an afterthought

Just as crucially, the Razr Ultra (2026) finally dismantles the long-standing stereotype that Motorola’s flip cameras are an afterthought. With upgraded high-resolution sensors, refined image processing, and superior low-light performance, it no longer forces users to compromise camera quality for pocketability. Just look at some of the snapshots I captured above to see how far Motorola's has come.

No mention of a Galaxy Z Flip FE this time

Perhaps the most glaring absence at Unpacked was any sign of a Galaxy Z Flip FE follow-up. When the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE launched alongside the Z Flip 7 last year, my colleagues and I were highly critical of the move — one we felt wasn't necessary since it was essentially a rebadged Z Flip 6. It certainly didn't help that it still carried a hefty $899 price tag.

Making matters worse, Samsung didn't just stick to minor hardware upgrades for the Flip 8 — it also tacked on a $100 price bump. In my Galaxy Z Flip 8 review, I noted that "Samsung's baby-step approach feels tough to defend."

While the switch back to a flagship Qualcomm chip delivers notable performance gains, I was shocked by the negligible battery life improvements. Instead of adopting the ultra-thin profile of the Z Fold 8 or delivering substantial hardware innovations, the Z Flip 8 feels more like yet another rehash.

I want a Galaxy S27 Ultra Flip

If the Z Flip line is going to survive, Samsung needs to stop playing it safe and introduce a true Ultra model. We’ve seen the company pour top-tier resources into the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and the flip form factor deserves that exact same flagship treatment.

The most logical candidate would be something along the lines of a Galaxy S27 Ultra Flip. To truly make a statement, it would require an ultra-thin chassis, uncompromising battery life, and, crucially, a versatile triple-camera system that finally brings a dedicated telephoto lens to a Samsung clamshell.

Packing that level of hardware into a flip phone would inevitably command a steeper price tag. But considering what buyers are already willing to shell out for premium competitors like the Razr Ultra (2026), power users and creators would happily pay for a clamshell that refuses to cut corners.

Samsung has reached a critical tipping point with the Z Flip series. Iterative spec bumps and unjustified price hikes won't cut it anymore — the lineup desperately needs a major overhaul to breathe real excitement back into the category.

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The cameras are good enough!

First, let’s talk about the cameras. I stand by what I initially wrote about it being a bummer that the Fold 8 doesn’t have a telephoto zoom. For $1,900 you deserve one. But I have since tested the Fold 8 vs the 3x optical zoom on the Fold 8 Ultra in a series of tests and I didn’t notice a huge difference until I got to 10x.

My point here is that you can more than get by with the Fold 8’s dual rear shooters. And I especially appreciate the improved low-light performance versus the Fold 7. The Nightography is just better.

If you really care about zoom performance, you’re better off getting the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and its 5x optical zoom, or going with a different foldable altogether with the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which also packs a 5x telephoto.

No Flex View is not a dealbreaker

The ability to use your foldable phone as a mini laptop certainly comes in handy, but the Fold 8 ditches this feature because of the way the hinge is designed. So, for example, you can’t play videos with the content up top and controls down below. Or take a Google Meet call without having to hold the phone.

It’s a bummer, but at least there’s a hands-free alternative for watching videos. You can just use the outer display on the Fold 8 and put it in tent mode. It’s a nifty way for me to catch up on that day’s First Take episode while I’m on lunch break at work or doing the dishes.

TikTok Is dangerously addictive. YouTube Shorts needs a fix

I admit that I scroll on TikTok way too much, but my addiction has gotten worse on the Fold 8. That’s because the front display is perfect for snacking content while I’m waiting for my bus ride home.

Open up to the main 7.6-inch display, and TikTok is even better if you love to read comments. They pop in from the right side in a dual-pane format. Even better, as you scroll through TikTok’s with the comments upon, they’ll automatically refresh for each video.

Too bad YouTube Shorts isn’t similarly optimized. You have to X out of the comments before you scroll to the next video, which is dumb. This also speaks to my issue with apps in general on the Galaxy Fold — too many aren’t optimized for the wider display. It’s something Samsung is going to have to fix, because you know Apple will be working with developers to make sure apps look amazing on the iPhone Fold/Ultra.

The shape is just right (but not in my pocket)

Initially I thought the Galaxy Z Fold 8 might be awkwardly wide when closed, especially when trying to use the phone quickly with one hand to scroll through notifications. But overall I haven’t had any issues, and I find myself responding to Slack messages on the cover display all the time.

When I’m on the go, however, I’ve found that the wide design of the Fold 8 is actually not as comfy in my front pocket as the Fold 8 Ultra. The former’s wider body is a bit more awkward when I’m walking. So I often put the Fold 8 in my back pocket instead.

It’s my new favorite e-reader

I’ve been trying to get back into reading more, starting with Joanna Stern’s “I Am Not a Robot,” which is about her journey of using nothing but AI tools for a year. And the Fold 8 is the perfect e-reader stand-in for two reasons.

One, when you flip around the main display you get a 3:4 aspect ratio that’s very Kindle-like. And, two, the anti-reflective coating makes reading outside a lot easier than I thought. There’s a lot less glare than previous foldables.

Plus, as I get ready for “Avengers: Doomsday,” I asked Gemini which Marvel comics I should be ready to get up to speed on Dr. Doom’s origin and powers. So I subscribed to Marvel Ultimate and I find the Fold 8 is a pretty sweet format for diving in.

How good is the battery life?

Now that I’ve been using the Fold 8 as a daily driver, I’ve discovered that it has pretty good staying power. On most days starting at 7 am with moderate usage — which includes streaming Spotify on the go, checking Slack and email, and watching videos to and from on my commute — I’m down to about 45 to 50% by the time I get home around 7 pm.

That’s pretty solid for one of Samsung’s first silicon carbon batteries.

Bottom line

The best thing I can say about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is that it’s really growing on me. My initial skepticism around why the world needs a wide foldable phone has now all but been erased. And despite how Samsung is marketing this device as an ultimate content consumption phone I think it’s a great device for productivity.

You can still run up to three apps at once like on the Fold 8 Ultra. You just don’t get the same height for fitting more content on screen, though flipping around to 3:4 mode helps for the main display. I think this could very well be the foldable to beat, and the upcoming iPhone Ultra has a high bar to clear.

I've been testing the Z Fold 8 Ultra for the past few weeks, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that watching video on the larger display means I also have to contend with large areas of blank space around the video. This can be rather irritating, especially in brighter environments that highlight both the display crease and my own reflection.

But as many people will no doubt point out, there are multiple ways to watch videos on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. There's the cover display which, while narrower than most phones, offers a traditional viewing experience. The foldable display can also be oriented in portrait or landscape modes, and switching between the two flips the aspect ratio.

While this may not seem like a big deal, the Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't a perfect square, and that means the flip also changes how video content sits on your phone. But which mode is the better way to watch stuff? I tested the Z Fold 8 Ultra's three viewing experiences against the iPhone 17 Pro Max to find out.

How I tested the screens

It's easy to load up some content on a screen and rely on vibes alone to make your conclusion, but I took things a step further by actively measuring everything on screen. This started with the screen itself, measuring between the bezels and calculating the amount of screen space that is actually available.

I should caveat at this point that this is only a rough calculation, because all four phones have curved corners. This is less of an issue on the Z Fold 8 Ultra because those curves are very slight. However the iPhone 17 Pro Max's corners are larger and more rounded, which means the total screen area is slightly smaller than the math suggests.

Once the total area of each display was calculated, I got to work streaming, throwing up a bunch of different kinds of content and measuring how much screen space they took up. Content included:

• "X-Men (2000)" (2:39:1) purchased on YouTube
• "X-Men-97" (2:35:1) on Disney Plus
• "The Emperor's New Groove" (16:9) on Disney Plus
• "Scrubs" (2001) (4:3) on Disney Plus
• "Avengers: Endgame" (2:39:1) on Disney Plus
• "Avengers: Endgame IMAX Enhanced Edition" (1:9:1) on Disney Plus
• Various vertical videos on TikTok

I set up each video playing on the four screen types, then measured how large each video was. With that in hand, I was able to work out just how much screen space they actually used, and thus, how much space is just sitting there going to waste. Crucially, this means I can figure out the best option for watching content in something close to a full-screen experience.

I should also note that while a lot of streaming platforms offer a "zoom to fill" option on smart phones and tablets, I have not taken this into account since that essentially crops the video and means you don't see everything that's going on.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has roughly 17.6 square inches of screen space available, but it seems as though a bunch of the tested content struggles to fill up that space by default. The most efficient use of the screen comes from TikTok, which takes up 92.94% of the screen. This shouldn't be a huge surprise given the platform's vertical video feed that can take up almost the full length of the screen.

When it comes to horizontal video, the content doesn't fare nearly as well. The worst offender was "Scrubs," though this shouldn't really be a surprise since the early seasons were broadcast in the (then standard) 4:3 aspect ratio. That box-like shape isn't great at filling up wider-screen devices, reflected by the fact it only filled 61.41% of the available space.

Widescreen live action movies didn't do so well either. Both movies have been cropped vertically, and can't take full advantage of the landscape height, but they don't fail to take advantage of the iPhone's width and crop that way as well. In fact, all the movies suffered from this and left at least 1.1 inches of wasted space across both sides of the display. In the end, though, both movies wasted only slightly less space than "Scrubs" did, taking up 61.95% of the usable screen space

The IMAX edition of "Avengers: Endgame" fared a little better, with the IMAX scenes using up more of the vertical space that the standard aspect ratio. Because of this, the movie, along with the bizarrely proportioned "X-Men-97," used up 77.95% of the iPhone's available screen space. This was closely followed by the 16:9 "Emperor's New Groove," with 76.53%, a difference accounted for by a slightly shorter and narrower video.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (Cover Display)

Looking at the results for the Z Fold 8 Ultra's cover display, and you'll see a couple of oddities. Both "X-Men 97" and the standard edition of "Avengers: Endgame" both took up 100% of the screen space. Which is certainly good, though this made me pause and wonder what's going on.

Checking the measurements of the cover display versus the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I noticed that the video was actually smaller on the iPhone — despite the fact the 17 Pro Max has almost 2.5 extra square inches of available screen space.

Weirder still was the fact that my Google-purchased copy of "X-Men" was smaller than "Endgame," taking up a paltry 53.19% of the screen. They were both the same size on the iPhone, but the Z Fold 8 Ultra decided that the black bars must be preserved for this particular movie. This appears to be a YouTube issue, because X-Men on Disney Plus expanded to the full size of the display, just like Endgame did.

The IMAX version of Endgame obviously came out a little worse, since the taller image requires more space than the 8 Ultra's cover display allows — causing black bars at either side of the screen. That said, it still used up 87.54% of the available screen.

16:9 content like "The Emperor's New Groove" fared a lot worse here, though, since the narrow screen forced the video to shrink at the edges even more than an IMAX movie. Likewise the design meant "Scrubs" left a load more wasted space thanks to its square-ish aspect ratio. Both videos used up a respective 71.55% and 57.74% of the available screen space.

As for TikTok, this result did surprise me. The vertical videos used up all the available width when playing, but they didn't take full advantage of the screen length. Which again, I assume is down to the 8 Ultra's narrow cover display, and means TikTok only used 76.94% of the available screen space.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Foldable Display (Portrait)

The Z Fold 8 Ultra's larger display is the size of two cover displays side by side, which should mean a larger video to watch, right? Well, apparently not. At least not when the phone is in portrait mode. The size of the screen means there is a lot more wasted space, but the videos themselves aren't automatically bigger than they appear on the cover display either.

Both "X-Men-97" and the standard version of "Avengers: Endgame" ended up being smaller than their counterparts on the Ultra's cover display — in terms of height, width and overall area. Both used a respective 41.08% and 37.71% of the available screen space.

That only worse performer was X-Men on YouTube, which used up 37.04% thanks to the way YouTube presents the video. That means almost two thirds of the screen is going unused. However, the video itself is larger than what I saw on the 8 Ultra's cover screen and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. So there is still a benefit to using the large screen.

There is an awful lot of wasted screen space watching in portrait mode. "The Emperor's New Groove" only used 47.33% of the screen, while the IMAX edition of "Endgame" took up just over half (50.34%). TikTok also suffered, using up 55.63% and showed off a video that was both shorter and wider than the one from the iPhone.

The major winner here is "Scrubs," thanks to the aspect ratio, which means it took up 67.51% of the screen and offered a much larger overall image than we've seen from it so far.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Foldable Display (Landscape)

The key benefit to watching video in landscape mode is that the entirety of the display crease gets covered up by whatever you're watching, which makes it nearly impossible to see. The other main advantage to watching video this way is that the videos are larger (and less wasteful) than in portrait mode

The biggest winner is again, "Scrubs," or any other older TV show that was filmed with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The show took up 83.74% of the total screen space, over 16% more than it did in portrait mode. This obviously means that the video is noticeably larger, though the standard definition image does not look great if you're getting up close with the screen.

Most of the other videos take full advantage of the extra width, with the only exception being "The Emperor's New Groove," which is about 0.4-inches narrower. However the extra height afforded to 16:9 movie means it uses up 58.33% of the screen, compared to the 46.46% utilized by X-Men and the standard version of "Avengers: Endgame."

"X-Men-97" is 0.2-inches taller in this configuration, meaning its total raises to 50.09%, while the IMAX enhanced edition of "Endgame" fills up 58.88% on account of its extra height.

The only real loser here is TikTok, which is shorter and narrower in landscape mode, and wastes an extra 11% of the screen compared to portrait mode. That also makes sense, since this orientation is wider than it is long, and that means the vertical videos get squashed down compared to viewing in portrait mode.

Verdict