Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 tipped for a major charging upgrade — iPhone Fold should take notes

One of the most frustrating things about the best Samsung phones is the batteries have been stagnant for a long time. Upgrades to charging speed and capacity have been minimal at best, all while the company's biggest rivals seem to be doing everything they can to push forward. But it seems those times are changing.

The Galaxy S26 series offered some battery upgrades, the most notable of which was the Galaxy S26 Ultra's increased 65W charging speed. Now reports suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could follow suit, leaving the long-utilised 25W charging speeds behind.

Considering the iPhone Fold is expected to launch before the end of the year, that change couldn't come soon enough.

Chinese regulatory filings spotted by Sammy Guru suggest that both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Wide Fold will be getting 45W charging speeds when they arrive later this year.

While 45W charging isn't quite as impressive as something like the Oppo Find N6, which offers 80W wired charging, it's still a big jump from the 25W charging speeds Samsung has employed on its foldables for several years.

Past rumors also suggest that the Z Fold 8 could feature a 5,000 mAh battery, up from the Z Fold 7's 4,400 mAh. Again, this is hardly ground-breaking in the foldable phone space, but it suggests Samsung will make a push for bigger batteries with its upcoming devices. Sadly, it seems the Z Flip 8 won't follow the example of its book-shaped sibling, with listings indicating it'll come with the same 25W charging speeds as before.

The iPhone Fold should be taking notes

Until now, competition in the foldable phone market outside China has been minimal. While Chinese brands have jumped headfirst into the foldable business, Chinese foldables aren't as easy to purchase in international markets. Especially in the U.S., which doesn't even get official releases for 99% of them.

With only Google and Motorola for competition, Samsung has been able to dominate the non-Chinese foldable phone market with ease — but that's going to change with the release of the iPhone Fold. Those two words alone should be enough to make Samsung mobile executives regularly wake up in a cold sweat. iPhones are popular, and the iPhone Fold could be the first foldable to offer some serious competition for the Z Fold lineup.

Which means Samsung needs to pull out all the stops to try and avoid losing the foldable crown.

At the same time, Apple needs to be aware of what Samsung foldables offer and how it can ensure the iPhone Fold doesn't turn into an unmitigated disaster. When the cost is almost double that of an iPhone 17 Pro Max, the iPhone Fold can't afford to be a mediocre first offering, and I hope that Cupertino hasn't just been focusing on what Samsung has offered in the past, instead of anticipating how Samsung might try to outdo the Fold before it even releases.

Of course, you do have to remember that Apple has a vested interest in China. Apple's market share was around 15% in Q3 2025, on par with Honor, Oppo, and Xiaomi, and only a few points behind Huawei and vivo. Given the strength of Chinese foldables, Apple is facing an uphill battle — one it won't win by focusing on Samsung.

Samsung foldables are essentially the bare minimum of what Apple has to offer with iPhone Fold, and the more upgrades Samsung foists onto the Z Fold 8, the more Apple needs to pay attention.

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