One of the biggest complaints people have about the $1,899 Galaxy Z Fold 8 (myself included) is that it doesn't have a dedicated telephoto zoom lens. You're stuck with just a wide and ultrawide camera. There's just a digital zoom that goes up to 10x.
Meanwhile, the $2,099 Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra packs a 3x telephoto lens with a max digital zoom of 30x. So does having a dedicated optical zoom camera make that big a difference? To find out, I took both of these foldable phones out to shoot a series of photos at various magnifications. And while there's very little difference at 4x, you really start to notice the difference at 10x (in some instances). Here's the results.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Ice cream truck (4x)
At first glance there doesn't seem to be much of a difference in this shot of an ice cream truck. But upon closer inspection, the Fold 8 Ultra's photo has sharper text, especially around the words "Cups" and "Shakes." Overall, the image from the Fold 8 Ultra looks clearer versus the regular Fold 8, whose shot generally looks hazier.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Ice Cream Truck (10x)
Ironically, as we zoom in even further at 10x, the Fold 8 Ultra doesn't offer a clearly superior shot. The digital zooms on both phones struggle to make out the text beneath the ice cream options. For that, you'd either need better AI processing or a longer telephoto lens.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Times Square (3x)
For this shot I wanted to compare the true 3x optical zoom on the Fold 8 Ultra versus the 3x digital zoom on the Fold 8. And I have to say that the Fold 8 more than holds its own. Even upon close inspection I didn't notice much crisper detail from the Fold 8 Ultra. In fact, I prefer the slightly brighter exposure from the Fold 8, especially in the foreground.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Statue (4x)
I give the edge to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in this photo of the José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva statue in Bryant Park. The statue looks a bit sharper, and the string lights in the background are easier to make out. The Fold 8 Ultra's shot is fine but just not as crisp.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Statue (10x)
It's a different story at 10x zoom, as the Fold 8 Ultra pulls ahead. The shirt, tie and jacket on the statue all have more detail through the Ultra. The Fold 8's image is blurrier and loses some of the detail in the shadows.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Street Sign (4x)
I'm a bit torn when it comes to this photo of the Avenue of the Americas sign shot at 4x zoom. The text definitely pops more through the Fold 8 Ultra, both on the sign itself and on the Movie Nights sign to the right. However, the street sign post looks slightly better through the Fold 8.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Street Sign (10x)
Once we start zooming in further you can immediately tell that the 10x zoom on the Fold 8 Ultra produces sharper-looking text in the sign. All of the letters look crisper, though certainly not perfect. The Fold 8 struggles with a blurrier pic. The bronz pole for the lamp post has a lot more detail, too, especially in the ornamental leaves.
Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Street Sign (10x vs 30x)
Lastly, this shot shows how you can get really close on the street sign with the Fold 8 Ultra, which would require additional cropping on the Fold 8. And the Fold 8 Ultra comes out on top with more detail in the lettering.
Bottom line
My overall takeaway is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's telephoto zoom and longer digital zoom are indeed better than what you get from the Fold 8. Having a dedicated telephoto lens certainly helps, but the difference was not as dramatic as I was expecting. And to me this difference alone is certainly not worth paying an extra $200 for.
The Fold 8 Ultra has other advantages over the Fold 8, including a slightly larger display (8 inches vs 7.6 inches) and even longer battery life. But some may simply prefer the wider, shorter and lighter form factor of the Fold 8.
So, yes, the telephoto zoom matters. But I don't think it's a dealbreaker.
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