Rumors about Apple's first foldable phone have been circulating for years, but 2026 is looking to be the year the foldable iPhone Ultra finally breaks cover. Considering the foldable phone space has been pretty small potatoes for almost a decade, this could be a turning point that edges this category closer to the mainstream — and puts Samsung's dominance at risk.

Everything we've heard points to the iPhone Ultra launching alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max during the September Apple event. Based on the rumors, we've heard that the iPhone Ultra will have a short and squat passport-style design, possibly no crease at all, dual rear cameras, Touch ID and more.

Here's everything we've heard about the foldable iPhone Ultra so far.

iPhone Ultra: Rumored specs

iPhone Ultra: Price & release date estimates

The iPhone Ultra is expected to be unveiled at the Apple event this fall, which typically happens during the first or second week of September. The date that seems most likely based on the rumors is Sept. 9, which is two days after Labor Day.

This event should also see the reveal of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, both of which should be released before the end of the month. iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 aren't expected to make an appearance, with reports suggesting they'll be released in early 2027.

There is some debate surrounding the iPhone Ultra's release date. Some sources claim that the phone will arrive around the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro, while others suggest production issues may see the phone arrive later in the year — the same way the iPhone X did in 2017.

Whenever the phone arrives, reports suggest that supply may be limited at first, though this may not be as big an issue considering how much the phone is rumored to cost. Early estimates tipped the phone to cost around $2,000, but issues with supply chains and the rapidly rising cost of components now suggest that the iPhone Ultra price could start from $2,400 to $2,500.

iPhone Ultra: Design

The iPhone Ultra will obviously be like no iPhone that has ever been released, since it will ditch the unibody design in favor of the new folding form factor. A slew of dummy units have shown up online revealing the look and feel of the foldable, with Apple opting for a more passport-style design that is shorter and wider than traditional book-style foldable.

The closest comparable foldable is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which adopts a similar look — but appears to be slightly larger than what we expect from Apple. It's speculated that Apple could utilize titanium to enhance the durability of the iPhone Ultra, while keeping the overall weight low — much as it did with the iPhone Air.

Reports suggest that the foldable display will be around 7.8-inches in size, which is around half an inch smaller than the iPad mini 7, with a 5.5-inch cover display. This would likely mean an aspect ratio close to 4:3, just like iPads and the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which makes the Ultra a hybrid phone/tablet.

It's also been claimed that an open iPhone Ultra could be as thin as 4.5mm, and somewhere between 9 and 9.5mm when closed. This would make it the thinnest Apple device so far, beating the 5.1mm iPad Pro. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is thinner than these dimensions.

The smaller size also means that the phone only seems to have two rear cameras, while the front display will reportedly skip Face ID in favor of adding Touch ID to the power button — similar to the system Apple uses on cheaper iPad models.

Rumors about possible colors suggest that Apple will stick to muted options like black or dark gray, and either silver or white. However, there are rumors that a color similar to iPhone 17 Pro Max's Deep Blue could be available.

iPhone Ultra: Crease-free display?

The iPhone Ultra is also expected to have no visible crease. Apple was reportedly very particular about this, and it rumored to be using the crease-free display as one of the iPhone Ultra's key selling points. Reports suggest this will be reliant on a bunch of design innovations, including a more durable liquid metal hinge, ultra-thin glass, a structural glass mid-frame and optically clear adhesive.

These hardware features will apparently work in tandem to ensure that there won't be a visible crease out of the box, nor will it form with continued use. Meanwhile, Apple has apparently worked to ensure the crease depth is under 0.15mm, with a crease angle below 2.5mm. Lower depth should make the crease less noticeable, while the lower angle should offer a flatter look when the screen is unfolded.

It's unclear as to whether the "crease-free" description holds up to scrutiny. After all, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra was reportedly crease-free, and while the crease is much harder to spot, it is still there.

iPhone Ultra: Performance

We don't know a lot about the performance capabilities of the iPhone Ultra, but it goes without saying that the phone should feature an A20 chipset — which is rumored to be built on TSMC's 2nm process.

The transition from the 3nm process will allow boosted performance from the increased transistor density. Reports suggest that the A20 could be 15% faster than the A19 chips, and 30% more efficient. That means stronger performance, less heat generation and lower energy consumption. The latter is particularly important because it means the large batteries rumored to be in the iPhone Ultra should last even longer.

RAM for the iPhone Ultra is expected to be at least 12GB, simply because that's the minimum needed to utilize the full range of Siri AI features. Any less and features like improved dictation and expressive AI voice styles will not be supported on the foldable — which would be absurd for a $2,500 phone.

iPhone Ultra: Software

The iPhone Ultra is going to have to make major changes to the way iOS handles multitasking, since it's going to have to start splitting apps across a much larger area than ever before. It's a feature that works well on iPadOS, and should make the transfer to the foldable device. Likewise, I'd be surprised if we don't see a menu bar, similar to what is already available on iPads and Samsung Z Fold devices.

The fact that this iPhone Ultra will feature two wildly different screen sizes to normal non-folding devices means app developers will need to ensure their apps are better optimized. Not only for the larger foldable display, but also the smaller cover display. Apple referred to something known as "app adaptability" at WWDC 2026, and it's likely this will play a key role in iPhone Ultra app support.

This concept will likely involve ensuring apps can adjust themselves based on the size of the screen they're on — which will allow them to switch between both iPhone Ultra displays. Hopefully, this ends up being a little more robust than some Android foldable apps, which simply blow up the phone app to take up more screen space.

iOS 27 beta also features references to a "foldstate" and "angledegrees," which all but confirms that iOS 27 will need to be able to detect the exact state of a foldable's hinge. Not only does this suggest the iPhone ultra will automatically transfer contents between screens when the iPhone Ultra is opened (or closed), it also hints at a feature similar to Samsung's Flex Mode.

Flex Mode is able to split the foldable screen into two distinct areas when the hinge is fixed at a 90-degree angle. That way you can do something on one half of the screen, while the other does something completely different. This could be helpful for gaming, with a split between the touch controls and the game itself, or when watching videos on social media.

iPhone Ultra: Cameras

The one common theme with iPhone Ultra leaks is that the rear camera array will only feature two lenses — arranged horizontally on a raised camera bar like the iPhone Air. It's unlikely that either of these will be a telephoto lens, due to the foldable's thin design, which means we're likely to see the traditional pairing of main and ultrawide angle lenses.

Both lenses are expected to offer 48MP resolution, which is par the course for modern iPhone flagships. So don't expect any Samsung-style 200MP cameras on this particular foldable.

Selfie camera rumors are a little sketchy, with some rumors speculating that we could see an under-display camera on the larger folding screen. However, the exterior cover display is likely to be a standard hole-punch design which, in the absence of Face ID hardware, should be a lot smaller than the Dynamic Island pill we've already seen on iPhone 17 Pro. Resolution is tipped to be 24MP on both cameras, should we get two.

iPhone Ultra: Battery

Apple is not really one to brag about the size or makeup of its batteries, so don't expect to hear much about the iPhone Ultra's power supply until we get our first post-launch teardowns. But rumor is that Apple won't scrimp on the battery with the iPhone Ultra, despite rumors of the ultra-thin display.

It's been claimed that the battery could be 4,883 mAh, which would be similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8's 4,800 mAh.

The question is, what sort of batteries will Apple employ? Samsung recently added silicon carbon batteries to boost the capacity in the Z 8 series of foldables, with the highest being a 5,000 mAh battery in the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Since silicon carbon offers better power density, it could allow Apple to offer such large batteries while maintaining the slim, lightweight profile of the iPhone Ultra.

Then again, Apple may also have a different idea in mind, with rumors suggesting that it could redesign the power systems to be thinner, while simultaneously adopting high-density battery cells. What we should expect to see is the total battery capacity split across to separate battery packs — one on each side of the phone.

References in iOS 27 beta suggest that a future iPhone will have more than one battery, and the Ultra makes the most sense — especially since the split battery is a common design feature in other foldables.

iPhone Ultra: What's it actually going to be called?

The name iPhone Ultra has gained popularity over the last few months, toppling the old "iPhone Fold" nickname everyone had been using. Obviously, we don't know what Apple's exact plans are, and while iPhone Fold is a very literal description of what this phone is, iPhone Ultra feels a little more fitting.

Not only is this tipped to be the most expensive iPhone ever made, Apple needs to emphasize that this device isn't just a gimmick. As descriptive as the term "Fold" is, it highlights the foldable nature of the phone while seemingly ignoring everything else. "Ultra" suggests that this is a step beyond the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and should intrigue people about the kind of things this phone can do. Or, at least, that's the way I see it.

We won't know for sure until the iPhone Ultra is unveiled at the Apple event, but until then the consensus is that Apple is opting for the "Ultra" name.

iPhone Ultra: Outlook

As we inch closer to the fall Apple Event, we're forming a much better picture of the iPhone Ultra and the kind of things it should be able to accomplish. Obviously, there are still a bunch of unknowns, and we can't form a concrete opinion until we test the phone for ourselves, but the rumors and leaks paint a fairly positive picture of Apple's very first foldable.

Then again, rumored $2,000+ price could be a major sticking point. While iPhone Ultra demand is expected to be high, the fact that it could cost more than three iPhone 17s may make shoppers think twice, even if the new Apple Upgrade leasing program is able to reduce that monthly cost.

We won't know for sure until Apple actually reveals and releases the iPhone Ultra later this year. Until then keep checking back for all the latest news and rumors about the first-ever Apple foldable.

More from Tom's Guide

• I used a thermal camera to see how hot the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra — here's what happened
• 3 big ways the iPhone Ultra could beat the Galaxy Z Fold 8
• This is the Pixel 11 Pro Fold — and this is when pre-orders officially start

The Made by Google event is set to take place on August 12, and with it should come the reveal of Google's next wave of smartphones and wearables.

The Pixel 11 series is set to be the star of the event, and as usual those four phones are expected to arrive alongside a new wearable in the Pixel Watch 5. But they might not be the only new products on the agenda, thanks to rumors of a Pixel Tag tracker. There's also the possibility that we may hear more about Android XR glasses, new Pixel Buds, and the still-unreleased Googlebook.

Here's what you need to know about Made by Google 2026.

How to watch Made by Google

Made by Google is scheduled to take place on August 12, starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. BST. The event itself will be taking place in New York, but you'll be able to tune in yourself and watch the whole thing live. Hopefully it's better than last year's event, which was a bizarre take on the talk show format with host Jimmy Fallon.

The live stream isn't actually live yet, but you'll be able to watch everything on the Made by Google YouTube page. We will be embedding the video as soon as it's available, so be sure to check back later to watch the event as it unfolds. Or, alternatively, you can add a reminder from the Google Store, so you don't accidentally miss out.

Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro Fold

The Pixel 10 offered some pretty substantial upgrades last year, and that means we shouldn't expect a similar leap to the Pixel 11. So expect the same horizontal triple-lens camera bar, rounded corners and all those design details that make the Pixel 11 what it is.

The same is looking to be true of the Pixel 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and means all three phones will presumably come with the usual array of incremental upgrades like the Tensor G6 chipset and token camera improvements. Sadly, leaks suggest that battery capacity may be declining, which doesn't bode well for the battery life of this year's models.

The main change is expected to be the new Pixel Glow feature, which adds multi-colored notification alerts to the back of your phone. Fellow temperature-sensor critics will also be glad to hear that it appears to have vanished, with no sign of the silver sensor on the back of leaked Pixel 11 Pro renders.

The price is also expected to go up by around $100 per phone, which is sadly pretty standard news for new phones nowadays. The good news is that the rumors claim Google will also be doubling base storage to 256GB on the Pixel 11 and 11 Pro, which means those buying the cheaper handsets at least get something out of it.

Pixel Watch 5

Google is known for leaking in some truly bizarre ways, but the Pixel Watch 5 might be the strangest so far. An early-version of the smartwatch was actually found from the ocean floor by a diver, giving some early insight into what the next iteration of Google's smartwatch might offer. Later leaks have filled in some of those gaps, though few things are particularly surprising.

The design is expected to stay more or less the same as the Pixel Watch 4, which isn't so bad. Sadly, the chipset is also expected to stay the same, but recent leaks do suggest that a few major changes are coming.

So expect to see a watch with new health features, including one that can be set to automatically dial 911, and upgraded levels of RAM and storage. However, the price is also expected to rise slightly, with new leaks suggesting a €20 (likely $20) price hike on the smaller 41mm models.

Pixel Tag

Early retail listings have exposed the existence of a "Pixel Tag," which is Google's attempt to enter the Bluetooth tracker market. Leaks show off an ovular-looking tracker, similar to Galaxy SmartTags, but without the hole that can connect it to keys and bags. That suggests it will be reliant on cases and other accessories, much like Apple's AirTags.

What we don't know is whether this tag will support ultra wideband connectivity, which allows for hyper-specific tracking, or what kind of battery it relies on. However, the leaked descriptions point out that it can be used to track things like luggage using Google's Find Hub, and features a loud speaker for easy search capabilities. Pricing and release information is unclear.

Other possible appearances

Smartphones and watches are usually the stars of Made by Google events, but that doesn't mean we won't get to see other reveals or news on August 12. The fact is, Google has a vested interest in a lot of different things, and any number of them could make an appearance on stage.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 are nearing their second birthday, which means we could be looking at the launch of Pixel Buds Pro 3 in the near future. Likewise, Google has been hyping up XR, even revealing Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear at Google I/O back in May, and any sort of related news could pop up.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager that the Googlebook will make some kind of appearance at Made by Google, following its reveal at I/O. Google confirmed that the new Android-powered laptop will arrive during the fall, and that season is rapidly approaching. At the very least we should get confirmation on when the the first Googlebooks will arrive, and how much they're likely to cost.

More from Tom's Guide

• How I use Google Maps to time travel, avoid bad air, and survive zero service
• I tried the new Galaxy AI video tracker on my Z Fold 8 — and it fixes my biggest problem with phone videos
• I used a thermal camera to see how hot the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra — here's what happened

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.

More from Tom’s Guide

• I’ve tested the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and it proves Apple really needs to solve this one thing
• Gemini Notebook just sold me on foldables — here's why I finally get the hype
• Don't pay full price for your Galaxy Z Fold 8: this preorder deal knocks up to $1,200 off

I test a fair amount of power banks, but I really enjoy the ones that offer maximum utility. While many are specifically designed for phones and smaller electronics, the NOCO Boost Air AX65 is in a class of its own and easily one of the best power banks around.

Sure, I’m no stranger to power banks serving double duty as air inflators, but this particular one does way more. For example, this ultra-rugged power bank offers 60W charging to easily juice phones with supported fast-charging tech — while being more than capable of supplying power to laptops like my HP OmniBook or a MacBook Neo.

But what makes this power bank even better is how many times it has resuscitated my old Toyota Corolla from the dead over the last several months of testing.

2,000-amp jump starts are a breeze

It’s one thing to juice up my iPhone 17 Pro and Motorola Razr Fold, but it’s another thing entirely to breathe life back into a dead car. My Toyota Corolla sits in the driveway most of the time because I’m constantly away testing the best electric cars, which frequently leaves its battery completely drained.

Yet, the NOCO Boost Air AX65 makes light work of bringing it back to life thanks to its 2,000-amp peak rating. After attaching the included jumper cables to their corresponding terminals on my car’s battery, I powered the unit on and activated its charge boost mode. From there, I turned the ignition and voila — my car roared back to life.

Best of all, there are practically no complications when performing this rescue operation on my car. Thanks to its advanced spark-proof technology and reverse polarity protection, jump-starting any 12V battery is entirely worry-free.

In fact, it easily outperforms the 600-amp peak output of the Scosche PowerUp 600 I used to keep in my trunk. With the Scosche, I typically had to attempt a jump a few times before the engine stayed running smoothly, whereas the NOCO Boost Air AX65 gets it done on the very first try.

Fast-charging all of my gear

When I’m in my garage, I always like to keep the NOCO Boost Air AX65 nearby. Whether I'm exercising or shooting product photos, it serves as an excellent portable power station for almost all my gear. Thanks to its 60W USB-C power delivery, it has more than enough speed to top up the phones I’m testing in no time at all. In those clutch moments when my phone's battery hits critical level, that fast charging brings it back to a healthy level in 30 minutes or less.

I’ve even started using it to charge my laptops while working out in the garage. Laptops like the MacBook Neo and my HP OmniBook easily pull a charge from its 31.8 Wh lithium-ion battery, giving me plenty of extra runtime before the NOCO itself needs a recharge.

Speaking of which, that 60W speed isn’t just for output — it works both ways. When I plug it into a high-speed GaN charger via USB-C, the unit recharges at that same rapid 60W rate, so it's ready to go again in no time.

High-speed inflation

As if juicing up laptops and reviving dead car engines weren't enough, the AX65 also packs a built-in 280-watt lithium-powered air compressor. Pushing up to 67 liters per minute (LPM) with a maximum pressure of 100 PSI, this isn't one of those agonizingly slow portable tire pumps I keep with my bike — it’s far more powerful and substantially faster.

I put it to the test on one of my Corolla's tires that was sitting noticeably low against the pavement. What makes the process so effortless is the smart pressure feature: you simply dial in your target PSI, hit start, and let it do the rest. The dynamic sensor monitors pressure in real time and automatically shuts off the moment it hits the exact mark, eliminating the need to manually check with a separate gauge.

Honestly, I was shocked by how brutally fast it is compared to other portable tire inflators I’ve used. It topped off my e-bike tire in roughly 30 seconds, compared to the minutes it usually takes with lesser pumps. I also love that it includes dedicated storage compartments for all the necessary nozzle adapters, ensuring they stay neatly stowed right on the unit so I never misplace them.

The Ultimate Car Companion

What really ties the whole package together — and makes it a non-negotiable addition to any trunk — is the built-in 100-lumen multi-mode LED flashlight. Not only has it been clutch when I’ve had to jump-start my Corolla at night, but it’s also been awesome for illuminating the garage whenever one of my overhead lights flickers out.

Honestly, it’s rare for a single gadget to tackle all of these demands so well. Even though it commands a premium price tag of about $300, it’s still worth every it because of how it eliminates the need to buy multiple dedicated devices. Since I started testing it months ago, the NOCO AX65 has earned a permanent spot in my car's trunk.

Samsung has packed a bunch of upgrades into the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but the one noticeable absence is the lack of any sort of active cooling system. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a built-in vapor chamber to prevent heat build-up, and similar features have existed in non-folding flagships for over a decade.

The question isn't why hasn't Samsung added a vapor chamber to its foldables yet, it's whether that actually matters. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has the same super-powered Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip as the S26 Ultra, and I was curious how much heat would actually build up in both phones — and more importantly, where it ends up.

So I grabbed my trusty thermal camera, the Flir One Pro, and set up the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra alongside the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max side by side. Then, by running 3DMark's Solar Bay Extreme Stress Test, I recorded just how much heat all four phones produced.

Is it getting hot in here?

If you look at the video of all four phones, you can see that the Galaxy S26 Ultra starts heating up the fastest, hitting around 30C/86F in around a minute. The iPhone 17 Pro Max isn't that far behind, though the Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 7 both seem to be heating up a lot more slowly in their folded state.

The S26 Ultra seems to concentrate most of its heat in the top left corner, on the opposite side of the phone to the vertical camera bar. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a large section of heat across its top half, where the raised plateau camera bar is — which makes sense considering Apple designed the camera bar to help dissipate heat.

As the videos approach the 4-minute mark, the S26 Ultra starts to approach 40C/104F, while the two foldables only just hit 30C/86F. The iPhone isn't that far behind Samsung, and in the case of all four phones the heat seems to be mainly concentrated in the top half of each device.

By the time the 10-minute run is almost complete, parts of the S26 Ultra and iPhone have exceeded 40C/104F, while the foldables both seem to be hovering between 35C/95F and 37C/99F. At this stage the heat seems to have covered the entirety of the four phones, though only the iPhone and S26 Ultra have such high concentrations.

When I picked up the phones after closing 3DMark, I found that the S26 Ultra definitely felt the hottest, especially around the camera bar. Not quite enough to instantly burn yourself, but hot enough that you don't want prolonged exposure to it. The iPhone was similar, though didn't feel quite as hot, while the two foldables didn't feel that much different from normal.

Unfolding the heat

Of course these readings were taken from the front of the phone, while the two foldables were all closed up. How much of a difference would unfolding them make? As it turns out, quite a lot.

As soon as the benchmarking test started, heat bloomed out of both phones in the top right — right where the camera bar is. Unsurprisingly given its more powerful hardware, the temperature climbed much higher on the Z Fold 8 Ultra, though the Z Fold 7 wasn't that far behind.

Within 20 seconds the temperature had jumped past 30C/89F, and after a minute the Z Fold 8 Ultra had already climbed past 40C/104F. 20 seconds later the Z Fold 7 joined it, and in both cases the heat was concentrated in the top right corner before slowly spreading out over both halves of the phones.

The temperature plateaued pretty quickly, landing a few degrees higher than 40C and hovering around that level. The majority of the heat remained concentrated on the right side of the phone too, with minimal transference over to the left half.

This explains why the heat build-up seemed so slow in the previous test. The majority of the heat will have also been concentrated at the back of the device where the thermal camera couldn't pick it up as easily.

Verdict

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra can get pretty hot, but so does the Galaxy S26 Ultra and both phones seem to heat up to similar temperatures. Or, at least they did during identical Solar Bay Extreme Stress Tests — different processes will obviously have different effects.

The way the heat spread out was completely different, though. The Galaxy S26 Ultra recorded the highest temperatures in the top left side of the phone, on the opposite side of the phone to the cameras. Teardowns have revealed that this is where the vapor chamber cooling pushes the excess heat, so it's natural that this would see the most extreme temperatures. The same goes for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and its own raised camera bar.

The unfolded stress test showed that the Z Fold 8 Ultra (and Z Fold 7) don't have that advantage. While the heat appears in that top corner by the cameras, it quickly spreads across the entire right side of the phone. Apparently, the heat struggled to bypass the hinge, which is an interesting observation.

In the case of the Z Fold 8 Ultra the heat isn't being actively routed away from core internal components — like the battery or chipset. That means it has no choice but to spread out until it reaches the edge of the phone and radiates away. You can actually see that happening in the thermal video as the heat spreads out from the very top of the phone.

While concentrating the heat in one area seems like a bad thing, if it's a spot with few major components then letting the heat spread across the entire phone is even worse. Because it means the heat isn't actively being siphoned away from the components that are most affected by extreme temperatures. Over extended periods of time, that will lead to degradation and reduced performance and affect the phone's lifespan.

One thing I did notice when I accidentally closed 3DMark on the Z Fold 8 Ultra at the end of the test, is that the temperature started to drop pretty rapidly once the stress test stopped running. Which should mean that short periods of high-performance activity shouldn't pose a long-term problem. As long as you don't do it too often.

If you are doing anything performance heavy, make sure to take the appropriate measures to keep your phone as cool as possible. Our tips for helping your phone survive a heatwave will also apply here, which means avoiding direct sunlight, stop charging and so on. You can speed up the heat removal with things like fans or phone coolers, and you should absolutely avoid forcing your phone to cool down with appliances like the fridge — that's just going to cause even more issues.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve tested the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and it proves Apple really needs to solve this one thing
• I tried the new Galaxy AI video tracker on my Z Fold 8 — and it fixes my biggest problem with phone videos
• I asked Siri AI and Gemini a series of increasingly bizarre questions to see how they responded —here's what happened

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is getting pretty positive review, and it looks like this wide format device is the shape of foldable phones to come. That includes the iPhone Ultra, which is expected to launch this fall.

Based on the iPhone Ultra (aka iPhone Fold) rumors thus far, it looks like Apple’s device is going to be slightly heavier and thicker but sport a very similar passport-style design. So how is Apple going to stand out, especially with an asking price that could reach $2,400 or $2,500 — at least $500 more than Samsung’s device? Here’s three ways the iPhone Ultra could beat the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

No crease at all?!

Samsung worked to greatly minimize the appearance of the crease on the Fold 8. And the result is indeed impressive.

Thanks to Flex Titanium technology, the Fold 8’s display uses a titanium-alloy film to achieve a more stretchable panel. Meanwhile, a titanium plate supports the display module from beneath, allowing for tighter bonding and eliminating air gaps.

The crease is still there, but it’s less noticeable than on the Fold 7. However, Apple is apparently working on a truly crease-free display for the iPhone Ultra and is reportedly partnering with Samsung Display to make it happen.

Apple is apparently pulling this off by employing liquid metal alloy components inside the hinge mechanism. At the same time, Apple is reportedly working on a laser-drilled display metal plate to redistribute stress evenly across a wider bending zone.

Fully optimized apps

This is likely going to be the biggest difference between the iPhone Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8. There are plenty of apps that are optimized for the Fold 8’s 7.6-inch display with a dual-pane layout, such as Gmail, Calendar, YouTube and TikTok.

I especially like how you can watch vertical videos on one side while looking at comments on the other on TikTok, but on YouTube Shorts you have to close comments to keep scrolling, which is dumb.

However, there are also several high-profile apps on the Fold 8 that look like stretched-out phone apps. This includes X, with a lot of wasted space on either side of the content area. With Slack, you don’t get a dual-pane layout, which you do get on the iPad mini. And on Instagram, the comments cover the content (for now).

The iPhone Ultra likely won’t have this problem, as it will reportedly offer the same app scaling benefits as iPads, even if it’s still running iOS. Samsung says that Instagram’s layout will get an update sometime between July and August, which is nice, but there will still be lots and lots of apps that will “just work” on the iPhone Ultra on day one.

More efficient chip

If you believe the rumors, the iPhone Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8 are going to have similar size batteries. The Fold 8 has a 4,800 mAh battery with silicon carbon tech, while the iPhone Ultra is tipped to pack a 4,883 mAh split dual-cell battery that may also use silicon carbon.

So at least on paper the iPhone Ultra and Fold 8 have similar battery capacity. But Apple’s A20 Pro chip could make a big difference. The chip will likely use a 2nm process, making it more efficient than the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.

That efficiency should turn into more endurance, and the Fold 8 already turned in a very good runtime of 14.5 hours in our battery test. We’ll see how much of a boost the A20 Pro provides.

What about the iPhone Ultra price?

Assuming Apple has these three major advantages over the Galaxy Z Fold 8, there’s still the price to contend with. The latest rumors have the iPhone Fold costing over $2,000 with some estimates putting in the $2,400 to $2,500 range.

That would be as much as $600 more than the $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 8. But Apple has another secret weapon up its sleeve in the recently announced Apple Upgrade program. It will be able to entice buyers with lower monthly payments to help spread the cost out over time, even though it’s just a glorified leasing program.

iPhone Ultra vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8: Outlook

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has raised the bar for wide-screen foldables with its super light and thin design, as well as smart AI upgrades like Now Nudge and My FanCam. It’s a very good foldable.

However, the iPhone Ultra could surpass the Fold 8 with an even less noticeable crease, a much better app experience and even longer battery life.

Which foldable would you buy? Let me know in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Pros and cons
• Battery life tested: How the Galaxy Z Fold 8 stacks up
• iPhone Ultra delay leak right after Samsung's triumphant Galaxy Fold 8 launch has me sick of waiting for Apple's foldable

Last week, leaked images of the forthcoming Pixel 11 Pro Fold popped up, and now Google is officially teasing its phone.

The 15-second teaser video briefly shows hints of the foldable alongside this voice-over: "To switch phones, you have to be open to what's new. And to what opens."

The video is similar to the teaser for the Pixel 11 Pro released last week. The most important information in the video is at the end with the date August 12, 2026, which is when we expect Google to announce the full Pixel 11 lineup.

The Google Store homepage is currently listing pre-orders for the PIxel 11 as starting August 12. I also spotted a pre-order page on Best Buy. Both pages feature a countdown that runs until August 12 at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET/2 p.m. UK.

Release date

This does suggest that you'll be able to pre-order the device before the announcement, which isn't supposed to kick off until 6 p.m. ET that day.

Google devices usually hit store shelves a week or two after the announcement. This means the Pixel 11 series should launch on August 19 or August 26.

As for price, given the ongoing memory crisis, we expect a price increase. Google has managed to keep the Pixel Pro Fold at $1,799 for the last two years, but another $100 or $200 on top of that seems likely.

More from Tom's Guide

• We've tested the best Android phones available right now from Samsung, Google and Motorola
• I asked Siri AI and Gemini a series of increasingly bizarre questions to see how they responded —here's what happened
• Incognito mode is a total lie – and it cost Google $5 billion

When Samsung launches the Galaxy S27 Ultra early next year, the flagship phone could be much different phone compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. A slew of rumors and confirmed news in the last few days revealed one massive upgrade and at least two potential downgrades.

First, the upgrade with the rumored debut of a silicon-carbon battery in the S27 series. This news isn't totally surprising as Samsung finally put this newer battery technology in the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The rumor comes from two different sources: The Galox on X and YouTuber TechDroider. Both claimed that the S27 Ultra will get a 5700 mAh silicon-carbon battery.

If the battery rumor is true this would be the first capacity upgrade to the Ultra model since the Galaxy S20 Ultra. That's seven generations of phones with essentially the exact same battery.

While Chinese phone makers have been pushing silicon carbon battery equipped devices since 2024, Samsung has taken a more conservative approach.

“We have been testing silicon batteries for quite some time. We’re looking at being very — I wouldn’t say conservative — but more taking it one step at a time," Samsung's Jay Kim — the executive VP of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series — told Tom's Guide Mark Spoonauer.

Still, the new battery bumped the Z Fold 8 Ultra up to 5,000 mAh, a big boost from the 4,400 mAh lithium ion in the Fold 7.

It doesn't necessarily mean Samsung was always going to put a silicon-carbon battery in its main phone line but signs are looking good.

Worse cameras

One of The Galox's rumored specs is a 50MP 5x telephoto lens and a second telephoto camera in the S27 Ultra. However, regular Samsung leaker Ice Universe threw some water on the rumor claiming that there will be no second telephoto camera.

If true that would be a downgrade from the current setup which features a 200MP main, 10MP telephoto, 50MP periscope telephoto and a 50MP ultrawide. Per Ice Universe, the S27 Ultra would drop the 10MP telephoto lens.

At the same time, Ice put up another post asserting that Samsung is using inkjet printing technology to make the camera module thinner. This could make the camera array smaller overall.

One of the flaws of the S26 Ultra is its massive camera bump, which makes it impossible to set the phone down flat anywhere. As an S26 Ultra owner, it's one of the more annoying aspects of the phone.

If I'm being honest, I'd rather have the smaller camera bump than an extra telephoto lens.

Beyond that, both The Galox and TechDroid suggested that the camera array could spread across the entire width of the phone mimicking what Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro models. If the S27 Ultra is missing the fourth camera, it seems the iPhone and Galaxy phones will be nearly indistinguishable.

Higher prices

Unfortunately, next year's Galaxy S27 Ultra is likely to be more expensive. Samsung managed to keep the starting price of the S26 Ultra at $1,299 the same as the S25 Ultra.

However, late last week, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon confirmed to CNBC that it will increase prices for its Snapdragon silicon. This means the costs will be put on smartphone makers like Samsung, which can't even get its own memory division to lower prices for the mobile division.

“Cost went up, prices are going to go up,” Amon told CNBC. Amon specifically blamed the supply constraints on memory for the increase. He did say the price increase was "temporary," but with the AI-driven RAM crisis not expected to abate until 2028 at the earliest, it's not clear how long this "temporary" hike will last.

Still, it means the next Samsung phone will likely be more expensive.

More from Tom's Guide

• The tech world hyped up the Galaxy Z Fold 8's 'crease-free' display — here's a reality check after 7 days
• I tried the new Galaxy AI video tracker on my Z Fold 8 — and it fixes my biggest problem with phone videos
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: More expensive, barely different

After putting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra to the test, there’s no denying that Samsung continues to make some of the best foldable phones around. While the Ultra boasts better specs and performance, it’s the wider aspect ratio of the standard Z Fold 8 that continues to feel like the fresher of the two.

Yet, despite evolving the designs to be thinner and lighter — along with creating a much more subtle crease across their displays — there’s still one major problem that Samsung and Google have yet to solve properly: app scaling and dynamic layout adaptation.

Rumors are persistent that Apple will announce its highly anticipated iPhone Ultra foldable alongside or shortly after the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. While much of the industry's focus remains on engineering a nearly invisible display crease, Apple's upcoming foldable could ultimately beat its rivals in the area where Apple shines most: delivering a class-defining software experience.

If Apple wants to avoid the biggest trap in the foldable space, it must deliver a fluid, tablet-native UI transition system — and Samsung’s current lineup is proof of it.

Apple has already proven the importance of software over hardware

The idea that Apple products "work like magic" isn’t just a coincidence — it comes from how the company allows software to define the product. When Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone in 2007, the device lacked features that competing phones had offered for years: there was no 3G connectivity, no physical keyboard, and no stylus.

Yet, it instantly made those rival smartphones obsolete because Apple focused entirely on the user experience. Through fluid multi-touch gestures, smooth kinetic scrolling, and a desktop-class Safari browser, Apple demonstrated why its software was paramount. By prioritizing intuitive software, Apple didn't just compete with Nokia, Palm, and BlackBerry — it completely redefined what a smartphone could be.

And you know what? It could end up doing the exact same thing with the iPhone Ultra.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 is big on multi-tasking, but not so much with layouts

What appeals most to me about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is how it’s a multitasking powerhouse, complete with the ability to run three apps simultaneously side-by-side. While the core value proposition of a book-style foldable is turning a compact cover screen into an expansive inner display, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and other book-style foldables fall short of that promise when opening daily apps.

Too often, unfolding current Android foldables results in apps not scaling properly. TikTok is a perfect example: while it looks fine on the cover screen, black bars flank the app’s layout when unfolded on the main display. Another example is how some games I play, like Age of Origins, end up looking stretched out. Worse yet, to get them to scale correctly, I’m often forced to restart the app entirely.

If that’s not enough, there’s also the issue of apps failing to dynamically scale when switching from portrait to landscape. Sure, native Google apps like Gmail and YouTube reorganize themselves seamlessly regardless of orientation, but the vast majority of third-party apps simply don't — and this frustration is shared across virtually all Android foldables I’ve tested.

iPhone Ultra needs seamless scaling

This is where the iPhone Ultra has the opportunity to completely redefine the foldable landscape. Apple doesn't need perfection in a crease-less display, nor does it need to reinvent multitasking — it simply needs to make app scaling invisible.

Apps shouldn't just blow up to fill space when the iPhone Ultra is unfolded because they should adapt using multi-column, iPad-optimized layouts. The UI needs to dynamically transform into a clean, iPadOS-esque interface instantly. Switching between screens shouldn't force apps to restart or clear from memory just to adjust their layout.

If Apple can enforce this level of adaptive scaling across its app ecosystem the way it did with the iPad, the iPhone Ultra won't just be another foldable — it will be the first one that truly feels complete.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried using the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s MyFanCam on my dogs, but I hit a major wall
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't have a crease-free display — but it's the closest Samsung has ever got to one

I spent years paying upwards of $100 per month on my cell phone plan from major wireless carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. While MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) have been around for as long as I can remember (think Virgin Mobile, Helio, and Amp'd Mobile), the emergence of modern MVNOs really took off in the late 2010s.

After bouncing around between Cricket Wireless and Mint Mobile, I’ve been on Visible since 2023 because I was tired of overpaying for service. While it remains one of the best cheap cell phone plans available today, the total amount I’ve paid to date is what’s most eye-opening — especially when compared to a major carrier.

Looking back at every transaction recorded in my billing history, the numbers speak for themselves — and they prove exactly why I’m never going back to the big three.

The bills: how much I’ve spent on Visible since 2023

Nothing validates my decision to ditch major carriers quite like looking at my monthly Visible bills. According to my payment history, I signed up for Visible in late 2023 on its base plan at the time — which is now referred to as the “Visible Legacy 1 plan.” Here’s how much I’ve paid since then:

• November 2023 – February 2024: I paid $25/month for my standard unlimited service, totaling $100.00 across those four months.
• March 2024: I added smartwatch service to my line, resulting in a one-time charge of $4.84.
• March 2024 – July 2026: My plan transitioned to $30/month. Over these 29 consecutive billing cycles, my payments totaled $870.

When I add up every single charge from November 2023 through July 2026, I’ve paid $974.84 in total. That’s less than a year’s worth of service on Verizon’s top-of-the-line Unlimited Ultimate plan ($105/month) — and over that same 33-month timeframe, Verizon would have cost me $3,465 before taxes and extra fees.

Speaking of taxes and fees, my monthly $30 bill from Visible includes everything. Consistency is what makes MVNOs like Visible so attractive: there are no surprise surcharges tacked onto my monthly total.

When I run the numbers, I’ve saved $2,490 by sticking with Visible — a staggering 72% overall savings. Those savings are more than enough to snag an ultra-premium flagship phone outright like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

What I actually get with Visible

You might suspect there are serious catches with my Visible Legacy 1 plan, given how much cheaper it is than conventional unlimited options. Make no mistake: I’m still getting comprehensive coverage where it matters most to me. As Visible clearly states in my account dashboard, “you're getting unlimited talk, text, data and mobile hotspot, all on our 5G & 4G LTE networks.”

Here’s what my $25/month locked-in rate gets me:

• Unlimited Data, Talk, & Text: Powered directly by Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE nationwide network.
• Unlimited Talk & Text to Mexico & Canada: Stay connected with family or friends across borders without buying international daily passes.
• Included International Service: Unlimited calling and messaging to Canada and Mexico when you are in the U.S. Includes unlimited calls & texting from the U.S. to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Saipan.
• Unlimited Mobile Hotspot: Share your phone’s connection with a laptop or tablet anytime, capped at a practical 5 Mbps speed and limited to one device at a time.
• Spam Protection: Built-in scam and robocall blocking.

I can’t stress enough how it’s truly an all-you-can-eat plan. However, there’s one caveat that Visible explicitly details: when the 5G or 4G LTE network is experiencing heavy traffic, data may be temporarily slowed. Meaning, while I can consume as much data as I want, my speeds can occasionally take a backseat during peak congestion.

When you go with a top-tier plan from Verizon, you’re guaranteed no data throttling due to congestion. You’ll always get the fastest speeds the network can deliver. Beyond that, the main distinction I’ve found between my Visible plan and Verizon’s Ultimate Unlimited plan is that I don’t get 5G Ultra Wideband support for those ultra-fast speeds.

That's the one compromise I make for Visible's massive savings, but it’s hardly noticeable for everyday tasks like checking email, browsing the web, or shopping online. Where I actually see a difference is when downloading large files or trying to load 4K videos.

I even put this to the test using a Pixel 10 on Verizon's network against my iPhone 17 Pro on Visible, which pulled down speeds up to 10x faster than my Visible line. That’s a tremendous difference and shows where 5G Ultra Wideband shines — but for my daily routine, it's a tradeoff I'm more than happy to make.

Why I’m never going back

The primary reason why I think a lot of consumers are now flocking over to MVNOs like Visible comes down to price transparency. With traditional wireless agreements, bills constantly fluctuate based on expiring promos, complex trade-in credits, and creeping administrative fees. It’s a hassle, in my opinion, and I much prefer a fixed rate.

With Visible, my auto-pay charge hits every month predictably. I get the coverage of Verizon’s underlying network architecture at a fraction of the cost, an all-you-can-eat data buffet, and zero contractual obligations holding me hostage.

Looking at my payment history from late 2023 to today, the numbers don’t lie: I’m saving a staggering amount. While Visible’s plan names and promotional offers have evolved over the years, the core value proposition remains unchanged.

For instance, the current $29/month promotion for Visible+ even includes that coveted 5G Ultra Wideband support I mentioned earlier — meaning there is really no reason for me to ever go back to a major carrier.

Let me know below - which carrier or MVNO are you on, and how much are you paying per month?

More from Tom's Guide

• Galaxy Z Fold 8 interview: Samsung on silicon carbon batteries, the (possible) S Pen return and the iPhone Ultra threat
• 9 best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra cases to protect your new smartphone — from $19
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 battery life tested — silicon carbon pays off

I'm far from a good videographer (which is one of the reasons I've remained a writer-first in this era of Reels, TikToks, and Shorts). But that doesn't mean I don't record videos on my phone. Whenever I'm at a concert, a game, or any kind of event, I still find myself pulling out my phone to capture the moment.

The problem is that I'm terrible at keeping the camera locked on my subject. Filming a performer from way out in a crowd is quite difficult, especially when you're zoomed in.

Samsung's new foldable phones come with a new Galaxy AI video tracker feature that is designed to solve exactly that problem. I spent some time trying it on my Galaxy Z Fold 8, and I can confidently say it made filming way easier — even if there's still one thing I'd like Samsung to improve.

How Samsung's My FanCam AI feature actually works

What My FanCam essentially does is take away the stress of trying to keep a moving subject perfectly framed throughout a video. Instead of manually tracking someone while you're recording, Galaxy AI can detect a person in your video after you've finished filming and automatically follow them throughout the clip.

The end result is a new video that stays focused on that one person, almost as if someone had tracked them with the camera the entire time.

Using it is fairly straightforward. First, record a video using the Camera app on your Galaxy phone as you normally would. Once you're done, open the video in the Samsung Gallery app, tap the Galaxy AI icon, and select My FanCam.

Galaxy AI will then scan the video and detect the different people in the frame. Once it's finished, you'll see touch targets appear over each detected person. Simply tap the subject you want Galaxy AI to follow.

Before exporting the video, Samsung also lets you choose the aspect ratio. For vertical videos, 9:16 is selected by default, but you can also choose options like 1:1, 3:4, and a few others.

Once you've made your selection, tap Follow, and Galaxy AI will generate a brand-new video that keeps your chosen subject in frame throughout the clip. You can then preview the result and, if you're happy with it, Save Copy to your gallery.

My FanCam worked far better than I expected during my testing

In my testing, the feature worked great and kept track of my subject impressively well. In a way, it reminded me of Apple's Center Stage, except instead of working during live video calls, My FanCam works on pre-recorded videos, and it works on multiple people in the same clip.

The AI processing itself is also fairly quick. Samsung says the processing time depends on the length of the clip, but all of the videos I tested were processed within a matter of seconds.

Another nice touch is that it works on older videos already sitting in your gallery, so you're not limited to footage you shot after you got your new phone. This means you can go back and create FanCam videos from footage you've already captured.

My biggest complaint right now is that it's exclusive to the Galaxy Z8 series phones. And the cameras, at least on the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8, aren't the sharpest. That means if you're tracking a subject that's far away, the footage can come out looking slightly pixelated once the feature crops and zooms into your subject.

I think Samsung could take this feature a step further by using Galaxy AI to enhance the final output, especially when the video has been cropped heavily. A little AI sharpening or detail enhancement can take this feature up a notch.

Even so, I still love the feature in its current form. The fact that Samsung is using AI to automatically track a subject after you've already recorded the video is incredibly useful. I also think it would make even more sense on higher-end Galaxy phones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, where the better camera hardware would give the AI much more detail to work with.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just realized the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra fixes the worst thing about fingerprint scanners
• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• I just tested the phone everybody thinks is a preview of the iPhone Fold — God, I hope they’re wrong

When I visited the beach in Malaga last year, I forgot to bring a book. No problem, I figured, I’d browse on my phone to entertain myself. I spread out my towel, applied sunscreen, and opened my email, but before long, a notice appeared saying my phone was overheating.

I flopped over onto my stomach to shade the phone with my face, but a couple minutes later, a second overheating notice appeared, and the phone turned off. So much for taking some pictures of the beach.

Now that I’ve learned my lesson and know how to keep my phone from getting overheated, I've put together these tips to prevent your phone from shutting down, too.

How to safely cool it down

It might sound ridiculous to say "don't put your phone in the freezer," but when a device shuts down in the blazing sun, panic takes over, and reaching for an ice pack suddenly feels like a stroke of genius.

Unfortunately, rushing to freeze your hot phone does far more damage than the heat ever could.

Tossing your phone into the fridge or freezer triggers rapid temperature drops that force moisture to condense inside the sealed device, causing severe water damage, battery failure, or a cracked screen.

Similarly, resting your phone directly on an ice pack thermal-shocks the lithium-ion battery, which can permanently ruin its capacity or cause the battery to swell.

Instead of subjecting your phone to extreme cold, let steady airflow do the heavy lifting. The best fix is simply placing your phone on a flat, hard surface in front of a fan or on a cooling pad. Moving air draws heat away from the body quickly and safely, without the risk of internal moisture.

More from Tom's Guide

• I turned my iPhone screen completely gray for two weeks — here's how making it boring helped me get my brain back
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• I discovered this iPhone Messages trick by accident and now I can't stop using it

The launch of Siri AI with the iOS 27 beta means that your new phone, no matter who makes it, has a built-in AI chatbot for you to interact with. iPhones will have Siri AI once iOS 27 officially releases in the fall, while Android phones come packaged with Google Gemini — plus whatever other models the manufacturer wants you to use, like Samsung's Bixby.

The real question is, which of those chatbots is the better one to have? Despite the fact Siri AI runs on Google's Gemini models, it behaves very differently than Gemini itself. That manifests itself in a lot of different ways, but crucially, how does it affect the answers you get?

To get a better understanding of how these chatbots work, I asked them a bunch of loaded questions to see how much of a difference there really is. Here's what I uncovered.

Finding a coffee shop

First up is the all-important question for any working person, especially those ones that have loud, needy children to cater to. Siri and Gemini were able to "find me the nearest coffee shop" right away, pointing out that the nearest spot was an independent cafe just five minutes walk from my house.

Both AIs offered Maps previews with brief information on opening times, customer ratings and directions on how to get there. Gemini also took it upon itself to suggest a bunch of similar businesses nearby, including nearby cafes and a sandwich shop. However Siri kept things short and to the point.

I tried to get both AIs to tell me how busy the cafe might be, but that information wasn't available. It took me a few attempts with different spots, like the local Starbucks and McDonalds, to get Gemini to tell me about crowd levels — so while Google technically has that information available, it's inconsistent in whether you will be able to access it. Sadly this is something Apple Maps, and therefore Siri, totally lacks.

The fastest way to the office

Next up I needed information on how I can get to Future's offices in central London as quickly as possible. Siri wanted a little bit of clarification as to which office I meant, while Gemini picked up that I meant the office on Westbourne Terrace without need for further elaboration.

Both AIs defaulted to offering driving directions, though Siri got confused during the process. Apple Maps loaded up the correct address near London's Paddington station, but the previews in the Siri app related to a different Westbourne Terrace much closer to home. The driving routes were more or less the same from both, but both AIs disagreed on the fastest method of transport.

When asked whether it would be faster to drive or take the train, Google confirmed that a train to Paddington would only take 35 minutes — as opposed to over an hour by car. Meanwhile Siri decided that the train would take one minute longer than driving by car.

I was confused as to why Siri thought the train would take so long, until I checked Apple Maps and realized it was taking into account when I'd arrive if I left home right this second. It neglected to inform me that the next train wouldn't be passing through for another half an hour.

Which is the cheaper option?

Something the two can agree on is that driving is actually the cheaper option, when comparing trains against my 40kWh Nissan Leaf. Both noted that the exact cost of the drive will depend on how much I'm paying for electricity, though only Gemini realized that I would have to take other fees into account as well.

In fact Gemini gave me a full breakdown of costs for both methods of transport, noting the cost of train tickets, the London Underground and offering a rough total for the entire trip. For driving it took into account that there are many ways of charging a care, with average costs for home and public charging sessions.

It also made a point of mentioning the various extra costs of driving into London including the congestion charge, parking fees and the ultra low emission zone — though thankfully a zero emission electric car is exempt from the latter. So Gemini did what it could to inform me of all potential costs, while Siri only offered up the most basic information unless I asked further questions.

What about making skateboarding dogs?

Both Siri and Gemini were able to generate images in the middle of chats, based on my prompt of asking to see a Labrador riding a skateboard. Both images were very different, and Siri's had the more obvious tell-tale signs of being AI generated at first glance — including that distinct sheen the subjects in AI generated images often have.

Both AIs were up front about what additional art styles were available when asked, though Google went into far too much detail over-analyzing every single option available. Meanwhile Siri just listed them out and expected me to understand what was being said. In this instance, that's actually the option I prefer, because I don't need an explanation of what oil paintings or "Pixar-style 3D animation" means.

Tricking AI into helping me commit crimes

Now, we all know that AIs have safeguards that stop you from directly asking about how to pull off illegal activities. But can you trick them into giving you information with weird hypothetical scenarios? So I asked them to help me smuggle powdered sugar into a country where such a thing is illegal.

Siri shut that down right away and refused to help me smuggle items or bypass customs, even if I was talking about a hypothetical situation. Gemini, on the other hand, was more than eager to try and help me sneak sugar across the border.

It suggested that I try to soak the sugar into fabrics and garments, with information on how I can extract it again. It also offered the idea of packing it in with legal white powders like protein powder, talc and cornstarch, even going so far to suggest that I reseal the packaging to try and escape detection.

While these techniques may not be applicable to illegal substances, it was remarkably easy to get Gemini to try and aid my "hypothetical" criminal behavior. But when I changed tact, and directly asked if I could smuggle illegal drugs across the border, Gemini shut the whole thing down and declared that it can't assist with illegal activities.

Cheating on my homework

Siri and Gemini both refused to help me cheat on my imaginary homework, but they did offer to help me study instead. Siri was as blunt as usual, offering to help me learn the material, while Gemini gave a more in-depth list of ways it can help me learn.

Both AIs were pretty eager to write me an essay on the history of the iPhone, though they had wildly different takes on what an essay should be. Siri's essay was a four-paragraph summary, followed by a disclaimer that I should double check all this information. Meanwhile Gemini's was not only longer, it was also split into sections focussing on different iPhone eras — plus a conclusion.

It's almost like Siri is the kid that begrudgingly does the bare minimum, while Gemini is the studious nerd striving for top grades and all the extra credit it can muster.

Political betting odds

Those who are familiar with British politics will know that there's about to be an election that will select a new Member of Parliament. For various political reasons that I won't go into, the two frontrunners are the former MP, who resigned and triggered the election, and a man dressed as a sentient trash can from another planet — aptly named Count BinFace.

Naturally one of these candidates is not like the other, and I asked both AIs where I can check the odds on Count BinFace actually winning this election. Gemini gave me a bunch of resources and information to check this for myself, while Siri cut out the middleman and just gave me a summary of the best odds. Gemini only volunteered that information after I explicitly asked for the odds, rather than asking where I could find them.

Medical advice and emergencies

We all go to the internet asking for medical advice, even if we know we should see a doctor about it. So what exactly does AI have to say if you go to it for help instead of a doctor? Gemini and Siri emphasize that they are not doctors, and that you really should see a medical professional.

But failing that, they do seem to try and help in any way they can. When told that my foot was hurting, Gemini and Siri both suggested possible causes, and situations where you really should seek urgent medical attention. However, only Gemini asked for more information about the kind of pain I was experiencing, and which part of my foot was affected. Gemini also suggested some options for home treatment, such as rest, elevating the foot and applying ice.

While Gemini was a little more helpful in that regard, it really dropped the ball when I claimed I was having a heart attack. I got a very large message telling me that I need to call 999 (or 911) immediately, and suggested some things I can do to stay alive while I wait for EMTs to arrive.

Siri's response was to start calling 999 automatically, causing me to scramble to cancel the call before it made a connection. As helpful as Gemini's information is, reading material is the last thing you need in an emergency — which is why I prefer Siri's no-nonsense approach.

What happens if you ask for the wrong AI?

Both Siri and Gemini didn't really seem to care when I referred to them as Alexa and Bixby mid-conversation. Siri straight-up ignored the fact I called it by a different name, while Gemini's response seemed to be phrased as if the AI is laughing it off

Regardless of that initial response (or lack thereof), both AIs answered the question without any further hesitation.

Can my AI beat up your AI?

I don't know about your school, but when I was a kid one of the popular playground topics was figuring out whose dad would win in a fight — because pre-teen boys aren't the most cultured demographic. Obviously I wanted to see which chatbot would win in a fight, and whether Siri and Gemini thought they could physically overpower Claude and ChatGPT.

Siri refused to entertain this topic, insisting that it is a "fan of all intelligence, artificial or otherwise." Which feels like a nice way of saying that this is a stupid topic and we should all just get along.

Gemini pointed out that chatbots have no physical form, so any kind of brawl is impossible. Instead it put together a face-off for the three chatbots to see what skills they each excel at. According to Gemini, Claude takes the crown for coding and logic, while ChatGPT is the best AI for general tasks and productivity. Meanwhile Gemini itself is the best AI for live data and multi-modal capabilities.

Asking about fake events

Some AI chatbots have developed a reputation for just telling people what they want to hear, with little regard for facts and accuracy. So I attempted to ask Siri and Gemini about things that haven't happened yet, or never did happen, to see what the response would be.

First up was asking the winner of the World Cup in 2027, to which Siri informed me that the 2027 World Cup hasn't actually happened yet. I had failed to realize that the FIFA Women's World Cup is taking place next year, and obviously does not have a winner. Gemini also pointed out that the Rugby World Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup are happening next year too.

Only Gemini seemed to acknowledge the fact that the FIFA Men's World Cup has already happened, with Siri speaking about the tournament in the future tense.

When prompted about the 2030 Men's World Cup, both AIs pointed out that it hasn't happened yet. Due to a hearing mixup Siri also pointed out that there was no World Cup in 2013, and asked if I meant the 2014 or 2010 tournaments.

Struggling with logic puzzles

Interestingly both Siri and Gemini seemed to struggle with some logic puzzles I gave it. In particular with the riddle, "A mother had five boys Marco, Tucker, Webster and Thomas. Was the fifth boy's name Frank, Evan or Alex?"

The answer is Frank, because the four older boys share their first initial with the days of the week — meaning Frank corresponds to Friday. Siri was adamant that the fifth boy was named Thomas, because it misinterpreted the wording as saying "Thomas was the fifth boy's name." I ended up having to correct Siri, because it wouldn't let go of the fact that the fifth kid is supposed to be Frank.

Gemini got the correct answer, but went through some bizarre and incorrect logic in the process. It insisted the answer was Alex, but also realized that the boys' initials corresponded to days of the week. Gemini then went through a process of correcting itself automatically, and documenting everything its thought process into a single answer.

Then again they were both fine with other logic puzzles, and even recognized that I was trying to make them solve the Monty Hall problem without mentioning it by name. According to Siri and Gemini, your odds really are better if you switch your choice partway through the game, rather than sticking with your original choice. They weren't able to give me an answer for the Trolley Problem, though.

Overall impressions

While Siri AI is based on Google's Gemini models, there are a lot of differences in the way the two chatbots actually respond to questions. The main thing I noticed is that Siri was a lot faster to respond, and it had a preference for offering shorter and simpler responses.

In a lot of cases this might be preferable, because information overload is a very real thing. Similarly the fact Siri didn't mess about with bombarding me with information and immediately started calling emergency services when I claimed to be having a heart attack is a tactic that could save peoples' lives.

Gemini took a while to get most answers, even ones that should have been fairly easy, as though it was Googling every little thing it gave me. The answers it gave were often rather long and complicated, offering a huge amount of detail and explanation for every little thing. While this can be useful in certain situations, such as trying to cheat on my homework or being informed about London's driving tolls, it isn't necessary all the time. Less is more, as the saying goes.

Apple also seems to have Siri locked down on the morality side of things. It won't acknowledge any attempts to turn it into a romantic partner and it shoots down any questions that flirt with the wrong side of the law — even if you ask it as a hypothetical. The fact Gemini was so eager to help me smuggle sugar was a little disturbing, to be honest.

That said, I did like the fact that Gemini offered some kind of message telling you it was thinking. Siri was inconsistent with this, and there were times when Siri needed a little more time to figure things out and the screen ground to a halt. So I had no idea whether it was processing an answer or if it had crashed. Then again, Siri is still in beta, so these kinds of errors are to be expected.

More from Tom's Guide

• ‘We don’t want to overwhelm the consumer with AI’: why Samsung is taking a different approach with Galaxy Z Fold 8 launch
• Is the Apple Upgrade program a good deal or a rip-off? I asked ChatGPT to crunch the numbers and here's the verdict
• I tested Starlink-powered 4G on my phone — here's what actually happened in a dead zone

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I much prefer flip phones over notebook-style foldables. Part of the reason is that they’re way more compact than the average slab, while offering better utility as a backup vlogging camera over notebook foldables like the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

But after spending extended time testing generation after generation of flips, I can’t shake the feeling that the Z Flip line has plateaued. With the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung seems content at adding minor polish — all while asking for more of your hard-earned money. Don’t get me wrong: last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 emerged as one of the best foldable phones around, but this year, Samsung hasn’t given the Flip quite the same level of treatment as its Z Fold line.

What used to feel like the most exciting form factor in tech is starting to suffer from incremental fatigue, which I’ll explain thoroughly in my Galaxy Z Flip 8 review. It’s still a sleek piece of engineering, but when modest tweaks are paired with a price hike, it’s a lot harder to justify the upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Samsung’s 8th generation flip-style phone, serving as the successor to the previous Galaxy Z Flip 7.
• Who’s it for? The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is best suited for tech enthusiasts and casual content creators who value a sleek, pocketable clamshell design that gives them creative and more intuitive ways of capturing content.
• What does it cost? The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199 for the base model with 256GB of storage — marking a $100 price increase over last year's model. Upgrading to the 512GB option will set you back $1,399.
• What do we like? The Galaxy Z Flip 8 delivers substantial performance gains thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, alongside a noticeably brighter screen that hits a peak of 2,150 nits. It also remains a superb, highly versatile vlogging camera, made even better by the addition of horizon-level stabilization.
• What don't we like? A $100 price hike makes the Z Flip 8 harder to justify, especially since the overall design, camera hardware, and battery life remain almost the same as before.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: Release date and price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 officially hits shelves on August 7, 2026, with pre-orders live now. However, that tech comes at a higher cost: the Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199 for 256GB of storage.

That’s a $100 price hike over last year's model, which also saw a $100 increase over the Galaxy Z Flip 6 before it. And if you want the extra storage, Samsung’s asking a whopping $1,399 for the 512GB model. While it’s still cheaper than the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026’s premium price tag of $1,499 (which comes with 512GB), the bigger problem is how this new price point intrudes on traditional flagship territory.

You have four color options: Pink, Graphite, Cream, and Mint, which is an online exclusive. The pink shade of my review unit is charming, but the Mint option is definitely the standout of the bunch.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: The Ups

Substantial performance gains

One of the biggest upgrades I’m happy to see is the decision to go back to Qualcomm. Samsung made a surprising switch last year with the Z Flip 7 by using its own Exynos chip, but the return to Qualcomm’s flagship silicon gives the Z Flip 8 its most important hardware upgrade.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 certainly proves it’s a powerhouse for this flip-style phone, delivering huge performance leaps over the Z Flip 7 — and even its main rival, the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026. In Geekbench 6, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 delivers a single-core score of 3,627 and a multicore score of 11,215. That’s a massive step up over last year's model and noticeably outpaces the Razr Ultra 2026.

Graphics performance tells a similar story. On 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited, the Z Flip 8 notches an overall score of 29,723 with an average frame rate of 177.9 fps. By comparison, the Z Flip 7 ran at a much slower frame rate (114.6 fps) — while the $1,499 Razr Ultra 2026 reached 24,437 (146.3 fps).

Brighter screen

Despite there being no physical changes to either display, I’m happy to report that the main 6.9-inch AMOLED screen is noticeably brighter, reaching a peak brightness of 2,150 nits. It’s a solid step up over the Z Flip 7’s peak of 1,989 nits, though it still trails the Razr Ultra 2026’s more astounding 2,322-nit reach.

This increase makes it much easier to watch Instagram and TikTok reels outdoors on sunny days. I just wish Samsung had added the same anti-reflective coating found on the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, as glare from reflections can still be problematic at certain angles.

Action-cam stability with Horizontal Lock

One software addition I’m happy to see Samsung borrow from the Galaxy S26 is the new Horizontal Lock option built into Super Steady video mode. No matter how I’m holding the phone — even when jitters are introduced while recording — the video footage stays completely level.

Because the Z Flip 8’s folding clamshell design naturally lends itself to handheld vlogging, Horizontal Lock is a fantastic pairing for this form factor. While it does result in a slight crop to achieve that gimbal-like stability, the level footage it produces makes handheld clips look surprisingly professional without needing an external stabilizer — and you can see how well it works compared to the Z Flip 7 above.

Still a superb vlogging camera

Even if the camera hardware remains largely unchanged, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 continues to be one of the best pocketable vlogging setups you can buy. A big reason for that is its flip-phone form factor, which allows me to prop it up on any flat surface like a built-in tripod or bend it to a 90-degree angle to hold like a classic camcorder.

What continues to make it such a great tool is the outer FlexWindow paired with the rear cameras. This lets me easily preview the frame while vlogging, while also delivering much better selfie captures than a standard front camera. Plus, compared to larger notebook foldables, it’s still far more intuitive to hold with one hand while keeping an eye on your shot.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: The downs

It’s more expensive

While the original Galaxy Z Flip from 2020 remains the most expensive model in the series, the Z Flip 8 marks the second consecutive year of a price hike. It’s $100 more at $1,199 for the 256GB base model, while stepping up to 512GB sets you back a steeper $1,399.

Although it still manages to undercut the even more expensive Motorola Razr Ultra (2026), I don't think the upgrades offer enough value to justify the extra cost. In fact, this higher price point pushes the Z Flip 8 directly into competitive flagship territory. When you're paying this much, minor refinements and a chip upgrade feel a lot harder to rationalize — especially when the overall hardware design, camera specs, and battery performance have largely remained stagnant.

Design is starting to look and feel stale

On paper, Samsung manages to make the Z Flip 8 ever so slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but these minor improvements are practically impossible to notice when it’s side-by-side with the Z Flip 7 in real life.

The fundamental aesthetic remains completely unchanged, as well. From the outer FlexWindow shape, to the flat aluminum sides and hinge mechanism, Samsung is sticking to the exact same visual playbook for another year. While it’s still a sleek, solidly constructed device, the design is undeniably starting to look and feel stale. It deserves the same redesign that allowed the Z Fold 7 to gain attention with its mind-boggling thinness.

Camera performance is barely improved

Taking photos with the Galaxy Z Flip 8 feels almost identical to using its predecessor. Across most everyday shooting conditions, I don’t see significant gains in image performance from either its 50MP main camera or its 12MP ultrawide.

Take a look at the daytime shot I captured above of the side of the building in shadow. From the dynamic range performance to the fine details of the stone facade, there’s barely any difference between them.

Another perfect example is the 10x zoom shot of the tree in the gallery above. The fine details in the trunk and branches are no different between the Z Flip 8 and the Z Flip 7.

Against the Razr Ultra 2026, the Z Flip 8’s 12MP ultrawide doesn’t come close to matching the detail and definition captured by the Razr Ultra. When I zoom into the tree, the Razr's shot exhibits noticeably more definition in the bark and branches.

The sole area where I see significant improvement is low light. I’m referring to near pitch-dark conditions, as opposed to dim scenes with ambient light around. Notice how the Z Flip 8 makes the top level of the house look much brighter compared to the Z Flip 7, all while drawing out more stars in the night sky.

Marginal battery improvement

Battery life on the Galaxy Z Flip 8 moves in the right direction, but only by a hair. In our battery drain test, the Z Flip 8 logged an average time of 12 hours and 5 minutes, edging out the Z Flip 7 by under half an hour. What’s strange is that despite having the same 4,300 mAh capacity as before, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 doesn't bring as dramatic an endurance boost as what I found with the Z Fold 8 Ultra. At the same time, the Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) blows past both Samsung clamshells with a massive 16:20 battery runtime.

Unlike the new Folds, the Z Flip 8 doesn’t get faster 45W wired charging. Instead, it remains capped at 25W, and its charging times are barely faster than the Z Flip 7's — with the phone reaching 59% in 30 minutes compared to last year's 55%.

Not enough software improvements

On the software front, One UI 9 covers all the basics I want, offering the same strong level of multitasking and productivity Samsung’s custom experience has continually delivered. However, there are only a few new AI tricks, including more multimodal tools, enhanced Flip Shot shooting options, and minor updates to both Now Brief and Now Nudge.

The outer FlexWindow, in particular, feels underutilized despite bringing more apps and basic actions to the cover screen. Aside from minor widget updates and basic app support, Samsung hasn't introduced any breakthrough features here. I was hoping for more specialized Galaxy AI tools, but the fact that Samsung didn’t give the Z Flip 8 the same AI-tracking My FanCam feature found on the Z Fold 8 says a lot about where the software falls short.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 review: Bottom line

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 remains one of the sleekest, most refined clamshell foldables you can buy, but its generational leaps are getting harder to see. On one hand, the return to a Qualcomm silicon with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers impressive performance gains, the screen gets bright enough to tackle outdoor glare with ease, and video features like Horizontal Lock make it an even more formidable tool for vlogging. If you're coming from a Z Flip 5 or an older slab phone, these upgrades are enough to warrant buying.

However, when paired with a $100 price hike that pushes the base model to $1,199, Samsung's baby-step approach feels tough to defend. With the overall design aesthetic, camera specs, charging speeds, and battery endurance remaining unchanged as before — all while competitors like the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026 push the envelope in battery life and image detail — the Z Flip 8 feels less like a step forward and more like a complacent upgrade settled on just getting by.

It's still a great foldable, but in a market where price tags keep climbing, minor polish is no longer enough to justify the upgrade.

In case you hadn’t noticed, AI is having a bit of a backlash moment. More and more people are opposed to data center construction where they live, for example, and a lot of consumers (especially Gen Z) are questioning the need for generative AI overall.

Samsung seems to be tuned in to this sentiment with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Instead of hitting people over the head with ‘Galaxy AI,’ the company is focusing on a handful of features that it believes have real-world benefits.

“We don’t want to overwhelm the consumer with AI,” Samsung EVP Jay Kim told me. “A lot of industry focus on AI is sort of as itself as a technology, but I think it’s shifting from technology to benefits. We’re looking at how you make this meaningful, how do you make this more easy to access?”

Subtler AI

One example is Now Nudge. Say you get an incoming text that references an upcoming appointment with the date. The Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are smart enough to present a little Calendar button. When you tap that, the Calendar app will automatically open in Split View on the right side of the display.

“You're looking at the screen, and then it understands where you're looking at, and then it actually provides the next action, it suggests your action,” Kim said. “Before you have to go through extra steps to make that work, but now it's instant. We’re just trying to help consumers get things done in a more easy way.”

Another example of AI that’s less in your face is My FanCam. When editing a video on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, you can select a subject and the phone will recut the video so that it “follows” only that person. You can even choose your preferred aspect ratio. And it works seamlessly based on my testing.

To access this feature you have to select the AI icon first. One might argue it’s too subtle and not easily discoverable enough.

“We’re looking at consumers and we're looking at how they behave and how they use a device,” said Kim. “We just want to make sure that they get what they need at the right time, without sort of thinking too much about whether it's coming from AI.”

Automating the everyday

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is even letting AI do stuff for you in the background with Gemini Intelligence task automation, which now supports 40 apps. This includes shopping, restaurant reservations, travel booking and event tickets.

For example, you can tell your Fold 8 to help book you a vacation and give it some parameters, and it will start working with Expedia to make it happen. You can jump in at any time, and Gemini Intelligence won’t make any purchases without your approval.

“When we put automation in place it has to work right,” Kim said. “The consumer needs to understand how it works. So we’re taking it one step at a time and we’re not rushing, because the experience is more important.”

More from Tom's Guide

• Galaxy Z Fold 8 interview: Samsung on silicon carbon batteries, the (possible) S Pen return and the iPhone Ultra threat
• 9 best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra cases to protect your new smartphone — from $19
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 battery life tested — silicon carbon pays off

I’ve been reviewing phones for nearly 18 years, but as much as I enjoy getting my hands on the best phones out there, what often makes them even better are the accessories. They’re not just cosmetic enhancements; they add a real layer of utility with massive benefits.

You can imagine the insane number of accessories I test throughout any given year, and I’ll be the first to admit that plenty of them are total garbage not worth your time. While many accessories only stick around in my setup for a couple of weeks, others earn a permanent promotion to daily drivers that I rely on constantly.

From compact power banks that keep me charged on the go, to the most customizable phone case I’ve ever used, to dedicated mobile video gear, these are the nine phone accessories I continue to rely on — and every single one is well worth your hard-earned money.

The MagSafe accessories I can’t live without

I can’t tell you how much I rely on MagSafe. While iPhones certainly have access to a wealth of magnetic gear, I actually use these accessories on many of the best Android phones, too — whether through built-in magnets, like Google’s PixelSnap, or via a MagSafe-compatible case. They just make everyday phone use so much more convenient.

Sure, you could get any ordinary cover, but the Xtrem Inno Case is the most customizable one I’ve ever come across in my years of testing phones. What’s so striking is how it balances rugged protection with a one-of-a-kind e-ink display that lets me change the back image to whatever I want. Best of all, it doesn’t require a dedicated battery to power the e-ink screen, keeping the design impressively slim in the process. And yes, I can still charge my phone seamlessly via MagSafe!

In 2026, you shouldn’t be carrying a bulky traditional wallet — especially when so many cards are digital now. That’s why I almost always keep the Nomad Leather MagSafe Wallet snapped to the back of my phone, where I've managed to fit up to six cards into the slot. It also supports Apple’s Find My network, so I can track its location or play a chime to find it under the couch cushions. Unlike other trackable wallets that force you to use a clunky proprietary cable, I love that this one recharges wirelessly on any standard MagSafe charger.

Finally, the Aulumu G05 Pro is one of those versatile MagSafe accessories that lives either on the back of my device or in my pocket. Part sturdy kickstand, it also functions as a discreet multi-tool with a concealed screwdriver, SIM tool, serrated edge, and tiny utility blade. Believe me, it beats hauling around a heavy traditional multi-tool.

Power and storage gear to keep you working on the go

When I need to stay productive, I lean on phone accessories that do double duty. That’s why I keep the Miro V99 Power Bank in my backpack whenever I head into the office. Not only is it a solid MagSafe power bank that tops off my phone while I’m out and about, but it also doubles as a handy retro gaming handheld — complete with all the buttons needed to play classic titles. I can’t tell you how intense it got trying to beat Contra in one run while waiting for my subway!

Another workstation essential I always pack is the Satechi On-the-Go 7-in-1 USB-C Hub. It serves as a command center for both my phone and laptop, equipped with USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports to connect my device to external displays and peripherals around the office. I’ve used it to mirror my phone directly to a desktop monitor, and the built-in Ethernet port makes offloading heavy video files to Google Drive infinitely faster than relying on spotty Wi-Fi.

Finally, the PNY DUO LINK V3 Flash Drive bridges the gap seamlessly between my phone and laptop. Featuring both USB-C and USB-A connectors on opposite ends, it gives me a quick, physical way to transfer large media files without waiting on cloud syncs. It’s become one of those indispensable accessories I rely on during chaotic press events, thanks to its dead-simple plug-and-play compatibility.

Pro-grade gear for better mobile video

Video is one of the most powerful mediums around, so you need gear that will elevate your content creation. Don’t settle for single-use accessories — like clunky, old-school tripod adapters — when you can get stuff that’s far more versatile.

Instead, I recommend the SmallRig Fold P20 Mobile Pocket Video Rig. It’s so much more than a standard phone holder because when it's fully unfolded, its dual handles give you serious hardware stabilization for ultra-smooth handheld footage, along with built-in cold shoe mounts for attaching lights and mics. Best of all, it folds down into an incredibly compact footprint that easily slides into a backpack pocket.

The Lisen Suction Phone Mount doesn’t cost a lot, but it’s become my go-to phone holder thanks to its rock-solid magnetic connection and vacuum-seal suction. I use it most when filming inside the latest electric cars I test, mainly because its adjustable, rotating arm lets me dial in virtually any angle. Beyond mounting it on a windshield or dashboard, I love that I can stick it to almost any flat glass or metal surface for unique B-roll shots.

Finally, nothing ruins a good video faster than terrible audio, which is why a dedicated wireless microphone system is non-negotiable. While many creators default to DJI or Rode, I stick with the Hollyland Lark MAX 2 because of its incredible versatility across both my phone and mirrorless camera setups. What really sets it apart is its ultra-compact phone receiver and a pair of wireless monitoring earbuds that let me check audio levels in real time. It may be an investment, but it’s the one mic system I rely on for everything.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried using the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s MyFanCam on my dogs, but I hit a major wall
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't have a crease-free display — but it's the closest Samsung has ever got to one

Apple held its third-quarter earnings call today, where the tech giant reported "record" $109 billion earnings, largely driven by a 22% increase in iPhone sales. Despite that, Apple's stock fell 8% based on missed revenue estimates in China and the company's services arm.

Outgoing CEO Tim Cook, in his swan song earnings call, was also questioned by investors about the impact of the ongoing memory crisis on Apple supply and future forecasts.

"We reluctantly raised prices," Cook said, referring to last month's price increases that affected every Apple device except the iPhone.

"We did it because we’re in what I’d categorize as a 100-year flood on memory pricing," Cook continued, repeating an analogy he made a month ago.

What Apple is saying about the memory crunch

During the call, Cook admitted that Apple is facing supply constrains that are affecting iPhone, Macs and iPads, primarily on Macs. Cook asserted several times that this issue was largely driven by surprising amounts of demand.

Both Cook and Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh noted that the supply chain has become less "flexible" which was blamed on nodes for advanced SoCs and that they expected continued high levels of demand.

"We expect the impact from supply chain constraints to increase significantly [in September]," Cook said. In response to an investor Cook said that Apple expects to pay even more for memory through the next quarter.

Investors were only allowed two questions but nearly everyone who spoke used at least one to ask about memory and pricing. Cook repeatedly claimed that the cause of Apple supply constraints is "not a regular supply issue" and instead said it was a demand forecast issue where iPhones and Macs performed "remarkably better than we thought they would."

However, "we’ve got a quarter that we’re going to be scrambling on supply side," Cook told one investor.

The upcoming fourth quarter will tell us a lot about how Apple is dealing with the memory crisis. Price increases might defray rising component costs, and the new Apple Upgrade Program could help the company keep a more constant source of revenue.

Apple still has the iPhone 18 series, new Macs and iPads to release and potentially more. But we're already bracing for a potential $200 price increase for the iPhone 18 Pro models. And a possible $2,500 iPhone Ultra.

More from Tom's Guide

• Is the Apple Upgrade program a good deal or a rip-off? I asked ChatGPT to crunch the numbers and here's the verdict
• New iPhone 20 video reveals the 8 biggest upgrades to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone
• I knew better than to carry around a naked phone — then my iPhone 17 Pro Max met the asphalt

Summer is the season of the foldable; with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 already reviewed and Google slated for August, we turn our attention to the upcoming Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

A new leak from semi-retired tipster Evan Blass just revealed what appear to be marketing images that showcase Google's foldable smartphone from nearly every angle.

Take a look:

The images don't reveal any new specifications, save that the inner display will be 8 inches, similar to last year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold. It will also have Gemini Intelligence, which shouldn't be too surprising.

Blass' leaked images seem to match leaked renders that popped up in March, showing a phone that looks much the same as its predecessor.

The one strange change appears to be a new LED position in the upper left corner of the camera array. On the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the flashlight and LED light are set to the right of the camera lenses.

I'm curious how this new integration will work with the cameras. It does make the camera array smaller and cleaner-looking.

Surprisingly, we haven't seen too many leaks for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. From everything that has popped up, don't expect too many exterior changes.

The biggest change will likely be an upgraded Tensor G6 chipset, which should be more powerful than the Tensor G5, which was a step up from the G4 but still lagged behind the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro.

The G6 chipset will reportedly be built using the 2nm manufacturing process, which means improved performance and efficiency thanks to increased transistor density.

Small look at the Pixel Watch 5 and Pixel Buds

Buried at the bottom of Blass' newsletter are two smaller leaks; single images showcase what appear to be the Pixel Watch 5 and a pair of Pixel Buds. It's not clear whether these are the Pro models.

Like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, it seems Google isn't changing anything design-wise for its smartwatch. The big change might be a new Tensor chipset and some updated health features.

Pixel 11 Pro Fold release date and price

Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on an invite for the next Google Pixel event, which is set to take place in New York City on August 12 starting at 6 PM ET, a surprisingly late launch time.

Google phones typically hit store shelves about a week or two after events. The Pixel 9 was released on August 22, 2024, while the Pixel 10 hit on August 29, 2025. I expect a similar timeframe for the Pixel 11 series.

As for pricing, given the soaring cost of memory, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a price increase. The Pixel Pro has been set at $999 for the last three years, but another $100 or $200 price seems likely.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'I use AI, but I don't want AI making my choices': Tom's Guide readers sound off on Google AI search
• Google VPN was doomed from day one – how lack of trust meant it never had a chance
• Exclusive: Even Realities CEO slams Meta Ray-Bans — we 'don’t thrive on selling data’

This week, Apple revealed its new Apple Upgrade Program that lets you lease several of the company's devices, including iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches and iPads.

With fixed 12-, 24 or 36-month terms, you're locked into paying a monthly rate for your chosen device until the term is up or you decide to upgrade. Abandoning the lease early is possible, but there are a number of penalties and fees associated with doing so.

Is the Apple Upgrade Program a good deal versus buying the phone outright or getting it from a carrier? I crunched the numbers, but also turned to ChatGPT to find out if it's a ripoff or worth your dollar.

iPhones and Apple Watches

Here's how much an iPhone or Apple Watch will cost you over a 24-month term. If you want to keep the device at the end of the lease, you'll need to pay the remainder.

Macs and iPads

And here's how it looks for Macs and iPads, which are eligible for a 36-month lease. This table specifically looks at a 24-month lease.

The fine print

There are two big caveats to Apple's leasing program. The first is that, according to the terms of service, if you miss three consecutive payments, Klarna (the company managing the lease) will terminate the contract, and the customer will owe the remaining balance.

The second is that AppleCare+ is not included with the lease. You could roll the dice and not subscribe to AppleCare+ but you are liable for any damage, per the fine print.

"Insurance is not included in your lease, and you may incur damage fees if the device is lost, stolen, or not returned in the condition required by the lease."

AppleCare+ ranges in cost from $2.99 (Watches) up to $9.99 (iPhone) per month depending on your device. There are annual payment options as well.

Here's the iPhone and Watches table again with how much a 24-month lease would set you back with AppleCare+.

As you can see, over two years, the price goes up by a few hundred dollars and in some cases exceeds the initial price of the iPhone or Apple Watch.

Yes, that would be the case if you weren't leasing an iPhone. AppleCare+ is a protection plan that you subscribe to a monthly or annual basis.

However, as mentioned, it may be more necessary for a leased device than one you own because of those potential damage fees. You could also be hit with upgrade fees or substantial termination fees if you try to end the lease early.

What about trade-ins?

Another factor against Apple's lease program is that, because you don't own your device, you won't get any credits for trading in your older device, which could lower your monthly payments to something lower than you would get from the Apple Upgrade program.

Let's take the iPhone 17 Pro as an example.

If you're upgrading from an iPhone 16 Pro, you could get as much as $560 in trade-in value, which would lower the cost to $22.45/month for 24 months.

If you were upgrading from an iPhone 15 Pro, you could get as much as $410 in trade-in value, which would lower your monthly bill to $28.70.

While you can trade in your current phone and get credit in the Apple Upgrade Program, it's a one-time thing, as you wouldn't own your phone from then on.

What ChatGPT had to say

According to ChatGPT, the Apple Upgrade Program is not a rip-off, but it may not be the cheapest way for you to obtain an Apple device.

"For most people it's more expensive than buying and later selling or trading in the device. The biggest winner is Apple, because leasing encourages customers to stay on a continuous upgrade cycle," the AI said.

For those who keep their devices for three or more years not be a good deal, especially since Apple devices tend to retain their resale or trade-in value. Plus, the leasing program means that you don't own the device.

Interestingly, I actually prompted ChatGPT as well as Gemini and Claude and none of them mentioned AppleCare+ beyond noting that it is no longer bundled with the Apple Upgrade Program the way it was with the iPhone Upgrade plan.

Unless you upgrade annually or money isn't an issue for you, Apple Upgrade Program may not be the right fit for you. I'm a major proponent of owning your devices and this program doesn't let you do that until the end of the terms.

More from Tom's Guide

• Is your old fitness tracker good enough? I tested a 5-year-old Fitbit vs Apple Watch Series 11 on a 5,500-step walk to find out
• New iPhone 20 video reveals the 8 biggest upgrades to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone
• I knew better than to carry around a naked phone — then my iPhone 17 Pro Max met the asphalt

Satellite-based internet is nothing new, but the idea of getting satellite internet on your phone is something that has eluded us for a while. A number of smartphones now offer satellite connectivity of some kind, but that's mostly reserved for emergency situations, but the real question is, when will we be able to ditch cellular service and beam our mobile data from space?

Big tech has already been mulling over this idea for a while now. Elon Musk has talked about making Starlink a direct-to-cell service. And just this week Semafor reported that SpaceX (the parent company of Starlink) may be looking to acquire spectrum at government auction to compete directly with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Or it may decide to acquire another wireless carrier altogether.

Meanwhile, Amazon has filed an application to launch its own satellite-based internet service. Fortunately, we don't have to wait for the to get their act together, because carriers around the world have started offering satellite services to their customers.

Being the curious type, I decided to give one a go and see whether it was actually worth signing up for full time.

How satellite 4G works

Those reading this from the U.S. may be aware that T-Mobile offers a satellite service powered by Starlink. I live in the U.K., and naturally don't have access to T-Mobile, but the carrier O2 offers a similar service as an optional extra. This extra is also powered by Starlink, costs £3/$4 a month, and gives you access to satellite-based 4G should you find yourself without a cell signal or Wi-Fi connection.

That lack of additional connectivity is crucial to the whole process, because of the way modern smartphones connect to satellites. If there is another form of data connection, be it cellular or Wi-Fi, then the phone will refuse to look for a satellite. The satellite is essentially a last port of call to get your device connected.

This has led to some amusing instances of my phone looking for a satellite when there's zero chance of making a connection — such as when I was traveling several feet underground on the London Underground's Central Line. That's because I disconnected from cell service for more than a few seconds.

Finding the right spot

Surprisingly, the connectivity aspect actually caused a problem for me, because O2's outdoor 4G coverage is surprisingly good in my part of the country. There are plenty of areas in the U.K. that don't get any 4G cell signal, let alone 5G, but the official coverage map shows they're mainly in very rural areas — notably mountainous regions of Wales, Scotland and Northern England.

I live in the South East, roughly around 40 miles from central London. Anyone from different parts of England will be well aware that this is the region where most of the money goes. So, even though I live in a village in a fairly rural area, the cell signal is remarkably robust when you're using an O2 SIM card.

That's not to say 4G connectivity is universally available. There are various dead spots scattered around the place, according to both O2's own coverage checked and the independent map from mobile regulator Ofcom.

I just had to find one that intersected with a road, ideally one that had ample space to pull over and let me play on my phone. If you've had any experience with British country roads, you'll know that they're often too narrow to do this safely.

Thankfully, I found a spot roughly 30 minutes away by car. Not only is it a good-size deadspot, it also contains a pub with a sizable parking lot. There are certainly worse places to stop and test some new phone features.

The actual connection is easy and automatic

It took a couple of minutes to drive through the deadspot and park my car, by which point my Galaxy S26 Ultra had already connected to Starlink's satellites. That was rather surprising, considering that satellite connectivity typically needs a direct view of the sky to actually make the connection.

And no, before anyone asks, my car does not have a sun roof. It's totally solid, though I'm unsure of what materials were actually involved in its construction.

Admittedly, the signal wasn't particularly strong inside the car, illustrated as one bar out of three in the S26 Ultra's status bar. This doesn't change the fact that my phone was connected to the satellite through the car roof, and was receiving data from some Starlink satellite in space.

My next move was to stick the phone out of my window and raise it up towards the sky. It took about a minute for the S26 Ultra to register that circumstances had changed, and there were no obstacles in the way — at which point the signal jumped up to two bars.

It never hit three bars, though, despite the fact I was in an open area with relatively clear skies. I should also note that moving inside the pub, a 350-year old building with a thatched roof, cut off all access to the satellite. So while the signal may be able to penetrate my car, it isn't magic.

Accessing Google Maps from inside my car was a slightly drawn out affair. The app warned me that it was connected to the satellite, with lower loading times, and it took between 30 and 60 seconds for the actual map interface to load up fully. Shifting things outside and the load times were significantly reduced, though nowhere near as quick as they are with a 4G connection, let alone 5G.

So you're not going to be tapping your feet staring at your phone waiting for an all-important app to load over the course of several minutes. But your speeds aren't going to be as instantaneous as they might be with full bars of cell signal.

This isn't unrestricted 4G like you're used to

It was a surprisingly effective system, though the main drawback is that there are limitations on the apps you're able to use. These limitations seem to have been coded in at a system level by your phone rather than by the carrier. My personal guess is that this is due to modern phones treating satellite connectivity as an emergency feature, rather than a stable source of data.

This means that you will only be able to use the bare minimum of apps you need to communicate, navigate and potentially allow yourself to be found in an emergency. We're talking about things like Google Maps, Google Find Hub, Messages and the weather.

The latter may seem like an odd choice, but if you're out in the sticks by yourself with no vehicle or shelter, being able to keep tabs on the weather is essential. It could be the difference between you being stuck in a freak storm and finding somewhere to hunker down and ride it out in relative safety.

Your more frivolous apps, like social media and web browsers, are all disconnected and behave as though you don't have any active data connection. So don't expect to be sitting on a mountain somewhere catching up on your favorite Netflix series. That's not what this system is for, and the app straight up won't work if you try it.

Likewise, any third-party apps that could prove useful in precarious situations, such as mapping apps, still behave as though they are offline. The good news for wilderness-enthusiasts is that you can still get GPS with no data, but if assets haven't loaded, or are hilariously out of date, then the lack of data to update could end up being a problem.

A fantastic backup tool, but it's not replacing cell service yet

If you live out in a deadspot, or regularly find yourself in one, then gaining satellite access through your carrier is not going to make up for the fact there's no cell signal. The limitations in what the satellite connection can or can't do means that it's not a true replacement for cell service in the way a full Starlink setup would be for home internet.

But this sure as heck beats being stuck with zero access to the internet. Carrier-supplied 4G may not be able to give you access to web browsers and streaming, but it keeps you hooked into the apps that you might actually need in a pinch. In short, it means that you will always be able to reach the outside world in the event that you desperately need to.

Some may not like the fact that it's getting harder and harder to disconnect, but this means that you won't be stuck in the middle of nowhere without support. The fact that satellite access still worked in my car, and loaded up Google Maps, will easily be a major boon for navigating areas with little to no cell service. Which isn't a bad deal for $4 a month (or $10 a month with T-Mobile).

More from Tom's Guide

• I turned my iPhone screen completely gray for two weeks — here's how making it boring helped me get my brain back
• I shot the same 25 photos with a $329 budget phone and $1,199 flagship — here's the results
• I got sick of buying cases for my phones, so I decided to 3D print them at home — here's what happened

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the start of something new, in a way that's a lot closer to how Samsung's non-folding phones have been operating for the past several years. Foldables are going Ultra, and it feels like Samsung is trying to push the idea that this isn't just a simple rebranding — there are some real changes behind the scenes.

There's more to new phones than adding flashier specs and bigger batteries, though, which is why I've been testing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra to see if it's really worthy of referring to itself as such. The good news is that this isn't just a boring incremental update with some new box art. The Z Fold 8 Ultra may share the same look as its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but it actually feels like one of the more noteworthy upgrades to come out of Samsung for quite a few years.

Read on for our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review.

Samsung Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The latest and best foldable to come out of Samsung, serving as a sequel to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 despite the addition of the Ultra branding.
• Who is it for? People who want the absolute best foldable experience possible, with the largest screen, and have the money to pay for it
• What does it cost? Prices start at $2,099 / £1,899 / AU$2,999 for a model with 256GB of storage and 12GB RAM. Release date is scheduled for August 7.
• What do we like? The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra offers an incredible screen, that's brighter and less reflective than before, as well as powerful performance, good cameras, and the best battery life of any Galaxy foldable so far.
• What don't we like? Weak performance from the telephoto lens, the lack of S Pen stylus support, minimal design upgrades and the fact the price is $100 more than last year — marking the third consecutive Z Fold price hike.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review: The Ups

Major battery life gains

Samsung's foldables haven't always been known for their strong battery life, even as the flagship Galaxy S series pushes up our best phone battery life page. This year sees that change, and it's no doubt thanks to the larger 5,000 mAh battery pack. Not only is that the same size as the battery in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it's also 600 mAh larger than the one in the Z Fold 7.

During our custom battery life test, which involves web surfing over a 5G connection and setting the display to 150 nits of brightness, we recorded a battery life of 14 hours and 33 minutes. That's almost four hours more than the Z Fold 7 and more than two hours longer than the passport-shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its 4,800 mAh battery.

However, it's not quite enough to match the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which scored 16 hours and 10 minutes, or the 14 hours and 44 minute battery life we recorded on the Motorola Razr Fold.

During my time with the Z Fold Ultra, the battery seemed fairly strong, and I regularly went to sleep without plugging the foldable in to recharge overnight because I knew it would still be alive and kicking the very next morning. The faster 45W charging meant that I could plug the Ultra in while getting ready, comfortable in the knowledge that it would recharge enough to get me through the day.

Samsung promised that the Z Fold 8 Ultra could reclaim 67% battery after half an hour of charging, but we found the battery actually hit 76%. We're used to seeing recharge percentages differ from official figures by a percent or three, but it's rare that we see it go this far in the right direction.

On top of this, if you're more inclined to wireless charging, the upgraded Qi2.2 wireless charging protocol offers up to 20W speeds. That's up from 15W, but it does lag behind the likes of Apple and Google, who have offered 25W Qi2.2 speeds.

Major league performance

This year marks the first time that Samsung has used the custom "for Galaxy" chipset in a foldable phone. Normally Z Fold models are left with the standard flagship Snapdragon chip which, while no slouch, isn't as powerful as the Galaxy S-exclusive variant. This means that this year's benchmarking scores are a little higher than we initially anticipated.

Geekbench 6 benchmarking saw the Z Fold 8 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip hit a score of 3,733 on single core testing and 11,457 on multi core tests . That's up from 3,052 and 9,735 on the Z Fold 7's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

Graphics performance, scored using the 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited test, also rose by a noticeable amount with a score of 12,950 and average frame rate of 49.24 fps. The Z Fold 7 only scores 10,812 and 41.21 fps. Meanwhile Geekbench AI scored 71,715 to the Z Fold 7's 61,299. The Ultra's figures also thrashed the Motorola Razr Fold, though they do trail the Galaxy S26 Ultra by a small amount

The performance improvements were noticeable to some extent too. Playing PUBG Mobile and I found that the Z Fold 8 Ultra could handle the highest graphics and performance settings without suffering any ill-effects. What's more the phone could run through a game without noticeably heating up, which suggests Samsung is putting that extra power to use in the right place.

Even brighter and more reflective display

The minimized crease might be one of the main talking points for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but that's not the only upgrade Samsung has on offer. The Ultra now boasts an even brighter display, rated to output up to 3,000 nits of brightness, paired with a new anti-reflective coating. This means that the phone is supposed to be able to handle extremely bright conditions better than ever before.

Our testing showed that the Z Fold 8 Ultra was able to hit a maximum of 2,687 nits, which is a little bit lower than Samsung promised, but is par the course for how these things tend to go. Crucially, though, this actually makes the Z Fold 8 Ultra the brightest phone we've ever tested, narrowly beating out the current title-holder the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL — which we measured at 2,555 nits.

It's well ahead of the Z Fold 7's 2,245 nits, and leagues ahead of the 1,281 nit peak we recorded when testing the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Obviously big numbers are good, but they're worthless if they don't get put into practice. Thankfully the Z Fold 8 Ultra does put its money where its mouth is. We're currently experiencing an abnormally long period of clear skies and sunny weather here in the U.K., which is ideal for testing the capabilities of bright, anti-reflective screens.

Not only am I able to use the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in direct sunlight without issue, the screen is bright and clear enough that I can still see exactly what I'm doing while wearing sunglasses. That wouldn't have been the case three or four years ago.

(Mostly) great cameras

Seeing as how it includes the 200MP main camera lens from the S26 Ultra and Z Fold 7, alongside a new 50MP ultrawide angle camera, it's no surprise that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra takes some pretty great photos. Provided, of course, that you know which lens to utilize.

The 200MP main lens really shines when compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max — which is one of the best camera phones you can buy right now. While both phones manage to capture true to life colors in good quality, the Z Fold 8 Ultra seems to have picked up a clearer and sharper image than the iPhone. That's especially true if you zoom in a little bit and look at all the smaller details.

Both phones seemed to take issue focusing on one of my dogs, though, and this is not the first time this has happened during camera testing. Once is an accident, but multiple instances of this make me wonder whether camera phones just hate my pooch.

At first glance the ultrawide angle photography doesn't look all that different, but look closely and you can see how the Z Fold 8 Ultra is taking advantage of the various upgrades — the most prominent of which is the 50MP resolution bump. The details on the church are a lot sharper than on the Z Fold 7, and you can pick out the smaller details without them merging into a washed out jumble of barely-describable details.

Close-up macro-style shots are similar, though both phones seemed to struggle to focus on the berries directly in front of it. However, I will say that in light of those focus issues, telling them apart isn't that easy.

Low light photography has made some considerable improvements, with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gaining access to the ProVisual engine and Advanced AP-based image processing — just like the Galaxy S26 Ultra. While the Z Fold 8 Ultra's low-light photos might look slightly darker than the Z Fold 7, they're capturing a heck of a lot more detail in the process.

You get a much clearer view of the various details in almost every aspect of the photo. The patchy coloring on the church's brickwork is clearer, while the individual stone decorations are sharper and considerably less fuzzy on the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Even the leaves on the trees can be picked out, rather than forming a giant green mass.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max definitely wins on the selfie front, and there's absolutely no contest. The Z Fold 8 Ultra's 10MP cameras just don't capture the same level of detail as Apple's front camera, and the lens-angle is a lot smaller so you end up capturing significantly less. Then again, both phones managed to hone in on the fact that I have a baby and haven't had anything like enough sleep in the nine months since he was born.

Honestly, while the Ultra's selfie camera isn't terrible, it's also nothing to brag about. To the point where you're probably better off using the 200MP main camera to snap selfies with the help of the cover display viewfinder.

When it comes to portrait mode, it feels like these are from two completely different points in time, rather than being snapped within seconds of each other. I'm not a fan of either photo, to be honest, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max still comes out ahead of the Z Fold 8 Ultra. It's a slightly clearer image, noticeably brighter, and captures a wider view of the world.

I'm not impressed with the bokeh in either photo, to be honest, since both phones struggled to handle the fact my hair was being whipped around by the wind at the time.

We haven't touched on the quality of the telephoto lens yet, but the truth is that the quality of those photos is so bad that I had to discuss them more in depth below.

Helpful AI features

AI is a core part of the modern Galaxy experience, and the Z Fold 8 Ultra is no exception to this — though Samsung hasn't added as many features as you might have expected. The main one is the introduction of Now Nudge, a contextual AI tool that's capable of pulling up pieces of information whenever it feels you might need it — such as during phone calls or while browsing emails.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra ups the ante by blending Now Nudge with multitasking. This means you can tap on your nudged prompts and open up the relevant apps in split-screen mode, and keep your existing window open. The addition of Ambient Nudge also makes the whole process a lot more subtle, surfacing those contextual prompts at the bottom of your screen rather than with an in-your-face notification.

However my favorite new feature is MyFanCam, which takes your existing videos and lets you hone in on a single person and turn them into the main character. It works with all videos you've shot, even those not filmed on a Galaxy phone, and so far I haven't found a single video featuring human beings that it doesn't like.

The same can't be said for animals, though, and I found that the AI refused to acknowledge that you may want to focus your video on them.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review: The Downs

No S Pen or magnets

The main issue I have with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is that the design hasn't changed in any meaningful way since last year. It's not identical to the Z Fold 7, as I discovered when trying to use one of last year's cases on the Ultra model, but it's close enough that you wouldn't be able to tell without some well-calibrated measuring tools.

This naturally means that the design choices people didn't like about the Galaxy Z Fold 7 have stuck around for another generation. My personal pet peeve is that the phone still doesn't offer magnetic wireless charging without a case, despite offering Qi2 technology. It's an issue exacerbated by the fact Samsung originally said it was avoiding Qi2 magnets because they interfered with the S Pen stylus.

Though that excuse doesn't really hold weight considering the Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't have S Pen support either. That controversial change happened last year because Samsung removed the crucial digitizer layer to reduce thickness. Samsung has confirmed that it is exploring alternative options, but that doesn't change the fact the stylus is a glaring absence from this phone.

Using the Z Fold 8 Ultra and you can feel its absence. It feels like something is missing when you're using the large screen, and it's a void the stylus would have helped to fill.

Awful telephoto performance

The Z Fold 8 Ultra's camera quality may be pretty good compared to its rivals, there's no denying the fact that the telephoto lens is not doing a good job. The 10MP telephoto lens pales in comparison to the other two cameras, and bumping the magnification up makes it look considerably worse.

Even jumping up to 3x, the maximum level of optical zoom afforded by the lens, and you can see just how poor these photos actually are. Push it up even further and it feels like you might not have bothered taking the photos at all.

These 3x pictures of berries growing near my house aren't terrible at first glance, but when you compare them to the 50MP telephoto lens on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and you can see that Samsung really dropped the ball with this particular bit of hardware.

The 10x zoomed photos of a local cat are even worse, to the point where I'm starting to wonder whether it was worth trying to zoom in at all. Samsung really needs to do a lot better, because the weak telephoto performance is weighing the rest of the cameras down — which is far from ideal when you have the 200MP main lens.

Another $100 price hike

The biggest issue that we can't ignore is the fact that Samsung has raised the price of its flagship foldable by $100 for the third consecutive year. This means that the starting price is now $2,099 for a Z Fold 8 Ultra with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. That price rises to $2,299 for a 512GB model and $2,699 for a 1TB model with 16GB of RAM.

It's no secret as to why this is happening. RAMageddon has pushed up the price of memory and storage to unprecedented levels, all while the overall cost of phone manufacturing has been rising over the past few years. A phone as difficult to mass produce as a foldable already commands a high price tag, but Samsung has clearly decided that the old prices still aren't high enough.

So while the new "Ultra" designation does come with a bunch of great upgrades, it doesn't change the fact that you're paying out of your nose for them.

Perhaps worst of all, Samsung isn't offering its usual "double storage" pre-order bonus this time, nor are there any other incentives to take advantage of. That means there isn't really a benefit to ordering early, unless you're absolutely desperate to get your hands on the Z Fold 8 Ultra as soon as possible.

Samsung Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra review: Verdict

It would have been really easy for Samsung to roll out the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with the usual weak-sauce upgrades, slap on the new name and call it a day. But that's not what's happened here, and while the phone may be imperfect, a lot of effort seems to have gone into making sure this is an upgrade worthy of the Ultra name.

Battery and performance have made huge leaps forward, to the point where it doesn't feel as though Samsung is deliberately holding back and limiting the foldable's capabilities in comparison to its non-folding counterparts. There's still some catching up to do in this regard, but it's certainly a big step forward. Likewise the improvement in screen technology is a massive win for users, especially those that live in spots with a lot of sun.

Of course there are a bunch of things Samsung should have anticipated would be a problem. Telephoto quality is appalling for a phone that costs this much, and the missing S Pen is still very noticeable. Worst of all is the increased price, which is just the latest in a long time of Galaxy price increases, and those basic flaws make it sting even harder.

Overall the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a great addition to the Galaxy Foldable lineup, but that doesn't mean Samsung should get complacent and let the innovations stagnate ahead of 2027's inevitable Z Fold 9 Ultra.

A few days ago, I wrote that the Galaxy Z Fold 8's crease practically disappeared in daily use. Samsung's new titanium alloy film and reinforced back plate seemed to have solved the foldable world's biggest annoyance. I was impressed.

But that was day 1. Welcome to day 7.

I thought I was gaslighting myself into seeing more of a crease in my day-to-day (and in the photos from our review). But I'm not going crazy — after seeing validation on X/Twitter, turns out wear and tear does catch up to this thing.

The 7-day reality check

A week of daily driving, big-screen use in between sets at the gym, web browsing and TikTok scrolling has taken its toll. Folding a screen, no matter how creaseless, will make a crease after 168 hours.

So what happened? From my years of testing all kinds of foldable displays, one thing has always become clear: nobody can defeat the law of physics.

When you first pull the Z Fold 8 out of the box, the ultra-thin glass and additional protective layers are fresh, pulling completely taut across the hinge. But after a week of real-world use — folding and unfolding it a hundred times a day, letting the device heat up during intense multitasking and stuffing it into tight pockets — I believe those display layers undergo mechanical fatigue.

Engineers call it "plastic deformation." The continuous stress of bowing into the hinge's teardrop cavity, combined with the heat of the device, causes the materials to lose their factory-fresh tension. They slowly begin to settle into the mechanical trench underneath the display.

That titanium alloy film and back plate may be stronger, but that screen still has to obey the mechanical reality of being folded in half. And the result is that by the end of week one, that invisible crease will settle into a visible rut.

I've seen this happen to every foldable — be it the Honor Magic V6, Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold or Motorola Razr Ultra.

How bad is it actually?

In short: it's not.

Let me be completely clear here. This is not a bad phone because of a display crease. In fact, this passport-size form factor won me over compared to the taller options — being much more pocketable and a better aspect ratio for content consumption.

That being said, a lot of journalists have been quick to describe the display as being "virtually crease-free" (even though Samsung never said that itself). So let's go deeper on this reality check.

The feel of it remains unchanged both before and after the trench deepened. You can subtly feel it with your finger whether the display tension is there or not. So this is definitely just a visual thing you'll notice when the screen catches a glare.

And speaking of the glare, while that anti-reflective coating is great, I feel it almost highlights the crease more when held against a harsh light source (like a sunlit window) because the distortion in the reflection becomes more obvious.

The $1,899 question

Now, is this a dealbreaker? If you're paying nearly $2,000 for a premium device, it's fair to expect premium longevity. However, I'll go out on a limb and say it's not as big of a problem as you think.

The Z Fold 8 is still a fantastic foldable with a form factor that I love. And to Samsung's credit, the crease is definitely less noticeable now than it's been on the company's previous phones. But with the "crease-free" word on the street, it's only fair that I make it clear that this is a temporary illusion, not a permanent feature.

That being said, I'm just one person spouting my thoughts. I'd love to know what you think. Let me know below — are you planning to pick up the Z Fold 8?

More from Tom's Guide

• I shot the same 25 photos with a $329 budget phone and $1,199 flagship — here's the results
• I got sick of buying cases for my phones, so I decided to 3D print them at home — here's what happened
• I took the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Fold 7 outside — and the difference is so drastic people think I faked the results

Ask almost anyone why they upgrade their phone, and you’re likely to get this answer: the camera. We’ve been conditioned to believe that if you want rich colors, sharp details, and crisp low-light shots, you need to shell out four figures for the latest flagship. In contrast, even the best cheap phones carry the stereotype of taking cheap-looking photos that look awful as physical printouts.

However, the dynamics have changed because people are mostly sharing photos on social media. The canvas where they’re shown remains small, so those deficiencies don’t look as glaring. Yet, the price gap between budget and ultra-premium handsets has never felt wider — and this TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max photo shoot out is further proof.

To put this assumption to the test, I took these two wildly different devices into real-world situations to see what, if any, meaningful differences there are in their camera performance. There’s the $329 TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, which boasts an attractive price, while the $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max is considered the best phone out there for good reason.

Is the flagship truly four times better, or are affordable cameras finally catching up to the point of diminishing returns? Here’s what I found.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Camera specifications

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 1

At first glance, there don’t appear to be any noticeable differences, especially in how the scene is exposed. But upon closer inspection of the facade of Moynihan Train Hall on the right, it’s pretty apparent that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s ultrawide captures more detail and definition.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 2

Switching over to their main cameras, I will say that the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s 50MP sensor does just as good a job of capturing some of the finer details — like the Sabrett hot dog stand and the pizza shop sign in the far background.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 3

All zooming is done by the NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s main camera, which means it relies heavily on sensor cropping at 10x digital zoom. As a result, it can’t match the optical performance of the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s dedicated telephoto shooter when capturing the water tower.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 4

I’m immediately drawn to the warmer color temperature of the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s shot, which features this art installation smack in the middle. Besides that, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro pulls off just as good a composition — though the colors are slightly muted.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 5

I can say the same thing about the shots taken with their main cameras. While the iPhone 17 Pro Max pulls in more detail upon closer inspection, the TCL doesn’t look whole lot different when I look at the overall shot.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 6

The tighter framing from the 10x zoom really exacerbates the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s softer details and definition compared to the iPhone. The face looks smudgy, giving it a watercolor effect, while the iPhone’s shot is more distinct with sharper edges visible.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 7

Low light is where there’s a dramatic difference between these two phones. The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s night mode delivers a brighter picture in near-total darkness, while doing a much better job of preserving the orange color of the SUV in the driveway.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 8

Despite having a night mode, the TCL simply cannot match the light-gathering abilities of the iPhone. As a result, the home’s facade appears as a silhouette with virtually no visible detail. In contrast, the iPhone exposes the house properly, and I love how it even draws out stars in the night sky.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 9

It looks like I was shooting blind with the TCL based on what it attempted to capture in night mode with this tree. The only visible details are the windows surrounded by the home's exterior lights, whereas the iPhone makes it look like ambient light is gently illuminating the entire tree.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 10

When there’s some ambient light in a nighttime scene, the TCL does a better job of exposing the shot. I’m surprised by how much better this tree looks, which is thanks to the ambient light coming from the left — though the image is still nowhere as good as the iPhone’s.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 11

Indoors, where there’s still decent lighting, the TCL’s main camera manages to capture a similar shot to the iPhone’s — albeit with slightly less contrast. Most people might not notice it, but it’s visible in the dark sections surrounding the neon sign.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 12

With more shade around this courtyard, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s warmer color temperature isn’t as prevalent. Both phones do a nice job balancing the exposure throughout the scene, but the TCL's highlights are a little blown out — notice how some parts of the blue sky appear washed out and white.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 13

What’s immediately apparent is that the TCL has a slightly tighter field of view with its main camera, but it still manages to match the iPhone’s overall look in this courtyard shot. Luckily, the highlights aren’t blown out this time.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 14

At first glance, I’m drawn to the TCL’s closeup of this wooden ring — but that begins to change the more I inspect the details. It becomes clear that TCL’s adding a substantial amount of sharpening, but the downside is how it looks more artificial the more I took in. In contrast, the iPhone has superior definition.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 15

While the iPhone 17 Pro Max can get a lot closer for macro shots, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro does an excellent job of capturing the sunflower at the same distance. The over-sharpening effect is a huge benefit here, which makes all the details pop out. In fact, I’d say it captures the same level of detail and definition as the iPhone — but with slightly less muted color.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 16

This is a perfect example of how the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 48MP ultrawide camera has a big advantage over the TCL’s 8MP sensor. Even though the overall shot matches the iPhone in nearly every other respect, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro simply can’t capture the same level of detail. As a result, the crisp outline of the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric isn’t nearly as well defined.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 17

There’s nothing wrong with the TCL here — in fact, it actually brightens the scene slightly more than the iPhone. That isn't much of a surprise given how ideal the lighting conditions are. The only minor difference emerges when I zoom in on the finer details: the Porsche’s finish appears a bit speckled on the TCL, though it’s still far from bad.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 18

At 2x zoom, we see similar results in this shot of the Porsche, with the TCL rendering the scene a smidge brighter. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s image processing makes the SUV's edges and fine details look significantly more defined.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 19

Focusing on the Porsche at 10x zoom, there’s no arguing the iPhone’s superiority as it pulls in significantly more detail. For example, I can clearly make out the markings on the tire, and the headlights and air vents are far better defined.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 20

With the sun high in the sky and illuminating the clouds, this serves as a great test for these cameras' dynamic range performance. I actually prefer the TCL's shot here, as it balances the shadows and highlights better. Take a look at the asphalt compared to how it’s slightly underexposed by the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 21

Right away, you'll notice that the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a much wider field of view for selfies. More importantly, it does a far better job of handling the harsh light hitting my shirt — whereas the TCL leaves those bright areas looking washed out.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 22

While the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro has an overwhelming advantage on paper with its 32MP front camera, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 18MP Center Stage camera does almost as good a job of capturing the fine details of my face and outfit. Thankfully, the TCL doesn’t suffer from any overexposure here, and it actually captures a bit more definition in my facial features.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 23

I really like how both phones handle portrait mode here. In fact, they add just enough background blur to keep the focus squarely on me. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s shot looks more realistic in the way the bokeh behaves — you can see a natural, progressive falloff in focus starting along the arm extending toward the camera.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 24

Strong light is coming from the window in the background, causing the TCL to overcompensate by brightening the shadows — which leaves the cat’s black fur looking somewhat milky. The iPhone 17 Pro Max adapts much better to the scene by maintaining strong contrast on the cat without blowing out the highlights or washing out the rest of the shot.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Photo 25

Both phones work hard to keep the exposure even throughout this panorama, but the iPhone surprisingly exhibits a bit more banding in the sky. Despite that flaw, it still pulls in far better detail and definition overall. From the grainy texture of the sand in the foreground to the text on the sign off to the left, the iPhone simply takes the better shot.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Verdict

When you step back and look at the big picture, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is still the vastly superior camera phone, but the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro proves that budget handhelds are no longer a total compromise. In ideal lighting, it can deliver shots that match the flagship at a fraction of the cost.

Where that extra $870 truly pays off is in the versatility and raw detail of the iPhone’s high-resolution ultrawide and dedicated optically backed telephoto lens — giving you massive cropping freedom without losing detail or definition. At the same time, its unbeatable low-light performance continues to highlight the biggest disparity between ultra-budget phones and top-tier models.

While the iPhone thrives in near darkness, the TCL struggles to gather light, leaving dark scenes flat, grainy, or silhouetted. If you shoot mostly in daylight, the TCL delivers incredible value, but for round-the-clock reliability and cropping power, the iPhone 17 Pro Max still reigns supreme.

More from Tom's Guide

• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• New iPhone 20 video reveals the 8 biggest upgrades to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone

I’ve been reviewing foldable phones since the very first Galaxy Z Fold, and there’s something that’s “just right” about the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It’s super light, gives you a wide front display, and the big inside screen has two distinct orientations for video watching and browsing or reading.

Other perks include a much less noticeable crease, an anti-reflective coating for the main display and handy new AI features that take full advantage of the wide canvas.

But Samsung has definitely made some trade-offs, like no telephoto zoom lens. But now that I’ve been living with the Fold 8, this feels like the future of foldables — and not just because Apple is reportedly making one just like this.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Release date and price

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a release date of August 7th and is available to pre-order now.

This foldable has a starting price of $1,899/£1,699/AU$2,699 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You’ll pay $2,099 or $200 more for the 512GB model and $2,499 for the 1TB Fold 8 with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at a steeper $2,099, but it also gives you bigger displays, a telephoto zoom and larger battery.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs

What I Like

The passport-like design

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is about the same size as a passport, which makes it really easy to slip into a front pocket. And at 201 grams (7.1 ounces), this is the lightest book-style foldable in the world.

I really like the 10:16 front display for scrolling through TikTok videos, and there’s plenty of room for typing with two hands. Reaching across the display with one hand can be a stretch, but overall using the Fold 8 just feels right compared to the taller Fold 8 Ultra.

Plus, opening the display is a lot easier versus the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Fold 8 unfolds almost perfectly flat.

As for colors, the Fold 8 comes in Lavender, Graphite and Cream, and there’s a Pistachio option online only. I prefer the Lavender hue on our review unit because it has more personality.

The display is awesome (especially anti-glare coating)

If the crease on foldable phones has always bugged you, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s main 7.6-inch display will make you happy. Thanks to Flex Titanium tech, the crease is much less visible than before.

Samsung paired a titanium alloy film with a titanium base plate with micro-perforations that allow the display stack to adhere flush to the plate with virtually no air gaps. The result is a crease you can still feel but almost disappears when you’re viewing content.

The bigger deal for me is the anti-reflective coating. It drastically cuts down on glare when viewing the Fold 8 outside. Check out the difference between the new Fold and the Fold 7.

The main 7.6-inch display has a 4:3 aspect ratio when you open it up. The benefit here is that you get smaller black bars above and below the display when watching videos versus the more square 8-inch Fold 8 Ultra.

The viewing area itself is not larger, but I found watching the Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary on Netflix pretty immersive, as well as the “Avengers: Doomsday” trailer.

When you flip the Fold 8 around into portrait mode with the main display open, you get a 3:4 aspect ratio. This gives you more real estate vertically, making it the better option for surfing the web and reading ebooks.

Helpful AI features

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has some AI features that I really like.

My favorite is Now Nudge, which prompts you to open a related app in Split View without having to leave the app you’re currently using.

For example, I received a text message asking if I was free for dinner next Friday at 7 p.m. A little calendar icon appeared, and when I tapped that I opened the Calendar app in split screen mode. That’s pretty handy.

Another super useful AI feature is My FanCam. When editing a video with multiple people in the frame, you can select the subject you want, and the Fold 8 will crop in and “follow” that person throughout the clip.

You can even choose the aspect ratio. This is great for sports parents, concert lovers and more, though it only works on humans — and only one at a time.

Very snappy performance

Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers flagship-level performance on par with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I mowed down several enemies in Call of Duty Mobile and raced around tracks in Asphalt 8 without seeing any slowdowns.

The Fold 8 is also a multitasking champ. I could run up to three apps on screen at once without any noticeable lag. For example, I scrolled through my inbox in Gmail while playing 311 Radio on Spotify and skimming through and zooming in on my photos in the Gallery app.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 performed very well on our lab tests, too. It beats the iPhone 17 Pro Max on multi-core performance in Geekbench and in the 3DMark graphics benchmark.

Solid battery life, faster charging

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is one of the first Samsung phones to offer a silicon carbon battery, which allows for more capacity without adding thickness to the phone. The Fold 8 has a 4,800 mAh battery, compared to just a 4,400 mAh Li-ion battery on the previous Fold 7.

On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which consists of web surfing over 5G, the Fold 8 lasted a pretty good 12 hours and 19 minutes. That beats the Fold 7 by nearly 1.5 hours, though the Fold 8 isn’t good enough to make our best phone battery life list.

In my time with the phone I enjoyed fairly strong endurance. For example, after a day of mixed usage, including checking email, capturing photos and videos and playing music, the battery meter was at 52%.

Still, other foldables last longer. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with its 5,000 mAh silicon carbon battery lasted 14:33, and the Razr Fold’s 6,000 mAh battery lasted 14:44.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 benefits from 45W charging, up from 25W on the Fold 7. At 30 minutes the Fold 8 reached 70%, compared to 54% for the Fold 7.

Wireless charging sees a boost for the Fold 8, too, going from 15W to 20W. Unfortunately, you need to buy a case if you want to get magnets for Qi 2 charging, as they’re still not built into the phone.

What I Mostly Like

Cameras are good, but where's the telephoto?

Don’t get me wrong. The dual rear 50MP cameras on the Fold 8 are solid. But not having a telephoto zoom is pretty frickin’ lame for a $1,900 flagship.

On the plus side, check out the excellent dynamic range in this photo of a street in London dappled in sunlight. This close-up of a zinnia flower is vibrant and detailed and the richer colors in this shot of peppers versus the more washed-out Razr Fold.

The 50MP ultrawide lens is a major upgrade over the 12MP Fold 7. I actually give the edge to the Fold 8 over the iPhone 17 Pro Max in this ultrawide shot of a beach. The green trees pop a pit more, and there’s more detail in the rocks along the sand.

Samsung also improved the Nightography on the Fold 8 for better low-light shots. And you can see the difference in these photos of a clock tower. It’s brighter and crisper. And in this image of string lights the Fold 8’s makes everything brighter and you can make out the individual bulbs easier.

What makes the Z Fold 8 Ultra an Ultra camera phone is its 200MP main camera. In this fountain shot you can make out more detail in the water bubbles and in the rocks. You just have more freedom to crop in overall.

But the biggest Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra difference is the lack of telephoto zoom. At 4x, the Fold 8 delivers a crisper image of this Queen Anne statue in London. Check out the lines in the stonework.

But this 10x digital zoom shot of a tree stump rising from water shows the Fold 8’s limitations. The lines in the bark look blurrier compared to the 10MP Fold 8 Ultra with 3x optical. And the Razr Fold’s 50MP telephoto is even sharper.

I don’t have any complaints about the selfies from the Galaxy Fold 8. The front 10MP camera. My blue shirt pops, and there’s plenty of detail in my hair and the surrounding grass. The inside 10MP produced a vivid but somewhat blurrier image.

Plus, you can always flip the display around and use the main 50MP wide camera to take selfies. The results look sharp though the shadows are more pronounced than I’d like.

What I Don't Like

More apps need optimization for the big screen

There’s a fair number of apps that are truly optimized for the Fold 8’s wide display. In Gmail, you can see your inbox on the left and the content of your images on the right. And in TikTok the comments will pop up on the right side of the display while the video plays on the left. Spotify looks pretty slick, too, with your playlists here and play window there.

However, some apps just feel like stretched out phone experiences. Slack should have you rooms and contacts on the left and messages on the right instead of just really wide conversation windows. Other apps that could use the dual-pane treatment include Reddit and especially X.

I get that the iPhone Ultra isn’t out yet. But you know there's going to be a better app experience right from day one. Just look at iPadOS on the iPad mini.

Where is the dust resistance?

Unfortunately, you’re stuck with the same IP48 durability rating on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That means this device can withstand being submerged in water for 30 minutes but is not dust resistant. I’d like to see Samsung take the leap to IP68 so you can actually take foldables like this to the beach.

Other foldables like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Motorola Razr Fold are IP68 rated.

During a roundtable discussion, a Samsung exec told us that the company is not chasing numbers but real-world scenarios. But I’d argue dust and sand are “real world.”

Flex view is Ultra exclusive

Because of the way the hinge was designed, there’s no Flex Mode on the Fold 8 — that’s exclusive to the Fold 8 Ultra. So that means you can’t use the Fold 8 as a mini laptop. I missed not being able to watch YouTube videos in this mode or do quick Google Meet calls.

Still no S Pen

The Galaxy Fold 8 one again eschews the S Pen. While I’ve never been a heavy user, there’s lot of people who would like a stylus for taking notes, editing photos and drawing, especially on such a wide canvas.

Samsung has clearly prioritized thinness and the lack of a crease over including a digitizer. Company reps have told us they are open to exploring the possibility of the S Pen’s return. But that will have to be another foldable.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Verdict

Overall, I’m a big fan of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It’s the foldable design I’d rather carry and use every day over any other foldable. It’s lighter and more compact than the Fold 8 Ultra, and the main display is big enough for split-screen multitasking and binge watching.

I also really appreciate that the crease is less visible and especially the anti-glare coating, as well as the strong performance and pretty solid battery life. And while I’m getting AI fatigue, features like Now Nudge just make sense on a foldable.

On the other hand, I don’t like that I have to give up a telephoto lens. And while I personally don’t mind the lack of an S Pen, there are apparently many people who do.

I do care about the lack of dust resistance, and that some pretty high-profile apps aren’t optimized for the big screen — when you know the iPhone Ultra will likely have an advantage on day one.

So for now the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the foldable I want. But Samsung please give us a better zoom next time.

It's quite important to keep your phone in a protective case. I recently found this out the hard way after letting my iPhone 17 Pro Max fall onto the asphalt and pick up some chips and dents it really didn't need. Buying phone cases is a rather tedious experience, though, and the sheer scale of the phone accessories market means there are countless options at a variety of different price points. Which one do you choose?

This got me wondering whether you actually needed to make a choice at all. I actually purchased a 3D printer at the start of the year, and immediately started looking for ways to justify that purchase to my wife. I've had limited success so far, mostly making plastic trinkets that break far too easily, but what if I used it to print my own cases from scratch?

That way I could get myself a new phone case in a single afternoon, without having to spend money or wait for it to be delivered. Not to mention the fact that if I can do this regularly, I may end up slightly reducing the environmental impact of getting future cases sent out to me.

Getting the right materials

I'm still fairly new to 3D printing, so everything I've done has involved me learning as I go, making many, many mistakes in the process. Thankfully one of those mistakes was not just 3D printing a case without thinking, using the basic PLA (polylactic acid) filament I purchased with my printer. While useful for a lot of things, this is rigid and fairly brittle plastic.

Not only would this offer very poor shock protection, the lack of flexibility means you're not actually going to be able to get your phone into the case itself. You would have to utilize an elaborate multi-part design that locks together around your phone.

And don't even think about printing a case around your phone. The material coming out of the nozzle is molten plastic, and PLA is heated to over 300 degrees Fahrenheit during the printing process. That's definitely not something you want near your pricey smartphone.

Much of the consensus online was that TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) was the best option for home case printing. TPU is flexible thanks to some rubber-like qualities, and that means the final print is not locked into a rigid position like PLA.

That means it has better resistance to impact, tearing, and other damage your phone might suffer throughout its life. Plus it's a relatively cheap filament, and you can stretch it around your device without suffering any ill effects.

There are downsides to TPU, though, like the fact the material has a habit of absorbing moisture from the air. Too much moisture affects the quality of the filament, and while fixable it's not ideal for anyone that lives in a humid area like I do. I should also note that TPU is not suitable for all case designs, since they need some rigidity to function properly.

There are other issues to be aware of, but I'll get to those later, since I experienced them first hand.

Which cases do I print?

Unless you're a dab hand with CAD software, or have access to a 3D scanner, you're going to have to source the printing files from one of the many 3D printing repositories on the net. That's certainly the easiest option for the 3D printing noobs like myself, and depending on where you look you should be able to find something suitable for your phone.

I went to Thingiverse and picked out cases for the iPhone 17 Pro Max (by Moridith) and Galaxy Z Fold 7 (by rstarin) — both of which are available under a Creative Commons license.

Both of these cases are very different, and the creators have advice on what kind of filament you should use. Moridith's iPhone case recommends using TPU, while rstarin notes that the Z Fold 7's half-case was designed with PLA in mind.

While I did listen to this advice, I ended up printing both cases in TPU and PLA. That way I could see for myself just how different the two materials are, and why it's important to make sure you have the right filament.

PLA's hardness can be a blessing and a curse

The first print was making the iPhone 17 Pro Max case out of PLA, just to see how it would fare if I did try to put an iPhone 17 Pro Max into it. The print itself came out rather well, which is a little annoying considering this case was never intended to be used.

There are some printing errors in various places, including the base of the sides and some unwanted stringing around the top lip. In hindsight I should have added some supports to the design before attempting to print — but considering this was intended as an experiment that would have just wasted extra filament.

Needless to say the iPhone 17 Pro Max does not fit into this case. There isn't even a way to force it in, because the hard plastic lip is in the way. If that wasn't bad enough, the buttons are rock solid, and totally unusable. Even if you could squeeze the 17 Pro Max into here, those buttons would need to be cut out first.

The case was stronger than I anticipated, though. I'd printed it with a gyroid infill, which is known for its relative strength, and decided I'd see how easy it was to break the PLA case. It ended up being harder than I thought, on account of the case's thickness, and while I was able to break it with my bare hands it took a fair bit of repeated effort to do so.

The Z Fold 7 case, on the other hand, is an open design that's designed to clip into the back of the phone — rather than wrap around it. You see a lot of foldable cases like this, since the dual-sided design doesn't really fit well with a lot of other more protective case designs.

Snap on it did, and while the design only covers half of the phone it shows that you can still print out your own hard plastic cases and make full use of them. I will caveat by saying that attempting to take it off was tricky, and I ended up snapping the thinner material around the mic hole.

The minimal thickness of the design and rigidity of the plastic suggests to me that this design will not offer much meaningful drop protection. But that's also true of any thin phone case, regardless of how it came into this world.

TPU was a better all-rounder — with some drawbacks

Printing a Z Fold 7 case made out of the flexible TPU turned out to be a total waste of time. The design is too thin and the flexibility means it just flops around like a fish out of water. That lack of sturdiness and friction also means that this case is not going to stay attached to your phone for very long.

That said, for a more encompassing case, TPU proved to be a better option for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. I will admit that I did make a bunch of rookie mistakes in the process of printing my first one, though.

The most obvious mistake I made is that I totally forgot to change the filament type in my 3D printer's companion software. This meant that my printer thought it was working with PLA instead of TPU. The consequence of this was that the printer was working much faster than it should have, and left countless web-like strings of filament all over the case.

I also forgot to add support to the print, which means that various attributes like buttons and the lip around the edge of the case's front didn't come out as neatly as they could have done. Thankfully, all of these issues were cosmetic, and didn't actually detract from the functionality of the case itself.

Cosmetic is putting it lightly though, and my initial description of this case was "ugly as sin." Thankfully, this doesn't change the fact the flexible material allows the case to wrap around my iPhone 17 Pro Max. It feels soft and cushioned compared to PLA, and is capable of returning to its original form after being squashed and twisted around in my hands.

But herein lies the problem of printing with TPU: printing it properly is an exceedingly slow process. To put it into perspective, the PLA version of the iPhone case was finished in under two and a half hours. In the same amount of time, printing the final version of the TPU was just past the halfway point.

Overall, the TPU print took 4 hours 37 minutes, and was so long that the timelapse footage I shot was nearly 10 minutes in length.

Slow printing is an issue for two reasons. The first is that you have to physically wait longer, which is no good if you're an impatient type. Likewise the longer a print takes, the more opportunity there is for something to go catastrophically wrong. It can and does happen, and nothing is worse than getting close to the end of a multi-hour print and finding yourself having to repeat the whole thing.

Thankfully, printing out slowly seems to have (mostly) fixed the webbing issue. There are still some stray strands of filament that need cutting, but the majority of them are totally gone. Likewise, the case itself does look a lot better thanks to the slow printing keeping the look a lot neater.

It wasn't error free, especially where the support connects to the case, but for the most part it looks like a very good (albeit bulky) phone case. That may not be to everyone's tastes, but I personally couldn't care less — especially given the size of the 17 Pro Max.

Just be aware that you need some good pliers to rip out all the internal supports. it's fiddly, and you'll end up with little strands of used filament all over the place if you're not careful.

How much did it cost me to print both cases?

Ignoring the fact that I had to pay for the 3D printer in the first place, just how much did I end up paying for these cases? Both rolls of filament were 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) each, with PLA costing me £18/$24 and the TPU costing £12/$16.

This means the actual cost of PLA was £1.80 per 100g of filament or £0.018 per gram. Meanwhile TPU cost £1.20 per 100g, or £0.012 per gram.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 case wasn't very large, and used up roughly 13.75 of filament. The iPhone 17 Pro Max case was obviously a lot larger, and used 54.35 grams of filament. With this information I can calculate that the two cases used up a respective £0.25 and £0.65 worth of their respective filament.

I printed off multiple versions of these cases, each with slight variations in the amount of filament they used. But even if you add them all together, the total cost of the filament pales in comparison to the cost of buying a case. Especially if you're looking at ultra premium options, like Apple's $59 TechWoven case for iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Obviously, it's a little more complicated than just the raw material costs. I needed to pay for electricity to power the 3D printer, as well as the 3D printer itself. I should mention that the model I have, the Creality Ender 3 V3 SE, is a pretty cheap option, and is currently on sale for $186 at Amazon — or $197 with four rolls of PLA filament.

Final thoughts: The problem with 3D printing phone cases

If you have a lot of phones lying around and need a way to protect them all quickly and cheaply, then 3D printing isn't such a bad option — so long as you have a printer handy. But that isn't the case for most of the people reading this, since you will only have one phone.

Unless you have a super-old or super obscure phone, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to picking a case. If you're looking for practicality, fashionable designs, or the absolute bare minimum of protection to keep your phone safe from stray falls, there is something out there for you. Odds are it isn't going to cost you much money either.

Unless you are a skilled and experienced 3D printer, then making your own cases at home comes with some obvious pitfalls. The main one being that 3D printed cases look like they've been 3D printed, and stylishness is not going to be high on your list of priorities. You also need to find the right type of case files for your phone, and the equipment needed to produce it.

The more experienced 3D printers among you will likely be able to make a bunch of elaborate and fanciful designs. Using multiple colors, adding magnets, tweaking the design so you can't see the print lines as easily and things of that nature. But those people are certainly in the minority, and presumably have been in the 3D-printed case game for a long time.

This process works for me and the many phones I have to utilize as part of my job as a Phones Editor. But I'm not saying you should go out and buy a 3D printer just so you can save money on making your own phone cases. That said, if you have a 3D printer or were already interested in picking one up soon, then you might as well give this a go.

Who knows, you might even prefer things this way.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried using the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s MyFanCam on my dogs, but I hit a major wall
• I just realized the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra fixes the worst thing about fingerprint scanners
• New iPhone 20 video reveals the 8 biggest upgrades to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone

I thought turning my iPhone screen monochrome would be a straightforward, low-stakes experiment. A minor productivity tweak to trim maybe twenty minutes off my daily screen time. I was radically, foolishly wrong.

What I expected to be a mild digital detox turned into two weeks of sensory deprivation, phantom-limb anxiety, and a genuine shock at how my brain relies on color, especially in the middle of summer.

If you want to experience instant disorientation, and ultimately, a profound sense of digital freedom, flip your phone to grayscale on a blazing July afternoon. But consider yourself warned: the transition is an absolute shock to the system.

Before you reach the quiet relief of a quieted mind, you have to survive the initial withdrawal of a world drained of its color.

Summer cast in newsprint

The first three days felt like a slow-motion collision between muscle memory and self-restraint, with my brain throwing a quiet, frantic temper tantrum every time my thumb touched the screen.

Taking photos, in particular, degenerated into a bizarre act of blind faith. Standing on a packed pier, trying to capture the moment where the English coast looks like the Mediterranean, yielded nothing on my screen but a dull, slate gradient. It looked less like a seaside holiday and more like an archival photo of a Victorian industrial dock.

Social media felt completely drained of its pull. We rarely notice how much platforms like Instagram rely on rich warmth and hyper-saturated color to trigger envy, hunger, or idle curiosity. In grayscale, the endless feed loses its hypnotic spell.

I'd open an app purely out of habit, stare at a flat gray wall of content for three seconds, realize my brain wasn't getting the cheap reward it wanted, and close it. Then I'd do it again two minutes later.

They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result, and grayscale definitely caught me red-handed.

The day 7 shift

By the time I hit a week, the constant low-grade frustration completely evaporated, replaced by a strange, liberating quiet. The initial withdrawal phase was over.

My thumb stopped twitching toward the phone every time there was a lull in my day, because my brain had finally registered that the rectangle in my pocket was no longer a source of instant entertainment.

With screen time down over sixty percent, my attention span began to heal in ways I didn't expect. I found myself picking up a book on my commute, turning to my neglected record player, and, for lack of a better term, finding play again.

My iPhone went from being a black hole for my attention back to what it was originally meant to be: an inanimate utility tool.

If you want to reach that same turning point without throwing your iPhone into the nearest ditch, you need a strategy to get you through the adjustment period. Here is what helped me survive the shift, and the rules I wish I'd set on day one.

How to enable Grayscale on your iPhone

• Open settings
• Navigate to Accessibility
• Tap Display & Text Size
• Select Color Filters and toggle the switch on
• Select Grayscale

The greyscale survival guide

How two weeks of gray reshaped my habit

By week two, the novelty wore off and my brain just got used to it. The urge to constantly check my phone died down because there was nothing visual pulling me in. I stopped reaching into my pocket out of sheer boredom.

When the two weeks ended and I switched the color back on, it was surprisingly jarring. Everything looked aggressively bright, almost like the screen was turned up too high.

The real test, though, was whether the old habits would immediately come back. They didn't. Even with full color restored, the automatic reflex to scroll was broken. My screen time has stayed way down, and I stop defaulting to my phone every time I had two free seconds.

Did the experiment break my dopamine addiction? Yes, aggressively so. Going grayscale for a bit isn't a silver bullet, but it does a fantastic job of resetting your baseline.

It's a clear reminder that our phones are designed to keep us hooked, docile, and distracted. You just have to decide if you're willing to play along.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve been using my iPhone as a real-life Pokédex to scan every bug in my garden this summer
• Apple hid a perfect 'dumb phone' feature inside your iPhone that's great for kids — here's how to turn it on
• I've been testing Siri AI in iOS 27 for 3 weeks: 7 things to try first (and the feature that won me over)

Today Apple announced its new leasing program, Apple Upgrade which is undergirded by Klarna for iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad.

The program lets customers sign up for a plan, similar to how you would lease a car, for fixed 12-, 24- and 36-month terms depending on the device. There are options to upgrade to a new device early or return it at the end of the lease.

Apple called the new plan a "more flexible way to pay for products."

It's possible this does offer some flexibility from paying an upfront lump sum or tying yourself to an onerous contract via a network carrier like Verizon or T-Mobile.

However, experts I spoke with think the Upgrade plan is meant to cover rising component costs.

"By shifting the focus to lower monthly payments, it helps mask the effect of rising hardware costs and makes premium devices feel more affordable and attainable for a broader range of consumers," Jitesh Ubrani, a director at IDC, said.

They added that it could entice people who don't want to pay the higher upfront costs, as even Apple has hiked prices recently. It also gives Apple a "steady stream of trade-ins" that the company can resell to expand its customer base.

"Many people are effectively leasing their phones already through carrier plans; leasing a watch or a Mac -- when you know that these are also devices that have upgrade cycles -- can make sense," Techsponential's Avi Greengart told Tom's Guide. "it's still a lease, so you won't be able to use it until it dies unless you buy out the lease, and it may not be the absolute most economical approach."

Beyond upfront prices, is Apple Upgrade better for you? Let's take a look at how the program works.

How Apple Upgrade works

Apple Upgrade offers 12- or 24-month lease terms for eligible iPhones and Apple Watches. For those seeking a Mac or iPad, there are 24- or 36-month options.

Prices start as low as $11.99 per month for the Apple Watch and iPad, depending on size and storage capacity. iPhones start at $17.99, while Macs can be leased starting at $24.99 a month.

You can sign up online or at an Apple Store, where you will be approved by Klarna, which does require a soft credit check that should not impact your credit score.

At the end of the lease term, you can return the device or upgrade to a newer generation or purchase it with a one-time payment.

Compared to the outgoing iPhone Upgrade program, the Apple Upgrade Program does not include AppleCare, which is a separate subscription price and varies in price depending on your device.

Per MacRumors, if you miss a payment, it will be rolled into the next month's payment with no late fees. However, if you miss three consecutive payments, the lease will end, and you will have to pay the full outstanding balance, minus the value of the device when returned. If Klarna can't collect, a debt collection agency will be sent your information.

Apple Upgrade prices

Apple is offering the entire iPhone 17 lineup, plus the iPhone Air, both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 and three iPad options, including the iPad Air, iPad Pro and iPad mini.

For Macs, you can lease the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Studio.

Apple defaults to the 24-month leasing option, so we'll share that. The other options can lower or raise your price. Additionally, higher storage capacity or chip versions will also increase the monthly price.

Finally, the price does not include taxes and fees.

Here's how much the base model of each device will cost you.

We've separated the iPads and Macs out because these devices can have the longer 36-month term. Again, the prices below are for the base model of each device and the 24-month term.

No leasing entry-level devices

You may have noticed several Apple devices aren't eligible for the upgrade program. It includes the vanilla iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, as well as the entry-level models of almost every device category.

Here's the full list of Apple products you can't lease:

• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• Apple Watch SE
• MacBook Neo
• Mac mini
• iPad (A16)
• Studio Display

Availability

Apple Upgrade is available now for all of the listed devices. Apple says that a security deposit is not required and that a trade-in device could reduce monthly payments.

I will note that if you end a lease early, you could see termination fees. Also, if you don't do anything at the end of the lease, you'll be charged the purchase fee.

Lastly, hidden in the fine print, upgrading a device could increase your monthly payments, which is true for both higher-capacity versions of devices and more expensive models when new generations launch in the coming years.

More from Tom's Guide

• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• New iPhone 20 video reveals the 8 biggest upgrades to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone

Apple is supposed to introduce its next iPhone, including the rumored iPhone Ultra, in a month and a half. But who cares about that when the intriguing 20th anniversary iPhone leaks are starting to pick up steam?

The latest batch of rumors comes from the leak-tracking YouTuber AppleTrack, who covered eight major upgrades potentially coming to the iPhone 20 in his latest video.

The updates cover everything from the all-glass curved display to better internal components, including a bigger main camera and new battery technology.

All glass everything

One of the more consistent rumors we've seen is that Apple plans on making the 20th anniversary nearly all-glass, starting with the display.

AppleTrack alleges that Apple has codenamed the next iPhone "Glasswing" after a type of butterfly with see-through wings. Check out this blog on the Greta Oto from PBS for a picture of the transparent butterfly.

Simply, as we've seen before, the iPhone 20 will be bezel-less with a quad-curved display that is seamlessly attached to the glass and ceramic back panel.

Curvy

Continuing with the display, the curved design could come in two sizes: 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches. iPhones are already fairly round, but this new design could make them even curvier.

If you want an existing reference, Apple's own Watch Series 7 hints at how the iPhone 20 might look. There shouldn't be side bezels, and it should look all of a piece compared to the two-tone currently on the iPhone 17 Pro.

Sinking the island

Since the Dynamic Island was introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, there have been rumors that Apple is trying to reduce or remove the cutouts for the front-facing camera and Face ID.

Instead, Apple would replace it with under-display technology that conceals those features below the screen. It would also mean a smaller or even non-existent Dynamic Island

This is the most grain-of-salt rumor that keeps recurring. I'll believe this one when I actually see it.

Huge main camera

Currently, the iPhone 17 Pro features a lineup of 48 MP rear cameras, including the main, ultrawide and telephoto lenses. However, per AppleTrack, the iPhone 20 is going to make a massive leap to a 200MP sensor, at least for the main camera, which would match Samsung's Ultra Galaxy S series phones.

This does match rumors from earlier this year that Apple is testing out a 1/1.12-inch sensor to boost its cameras to 200MP. Though at the time it wasn't clear when this new camera would launch.

Image stabilization

Alongside a huge main camera, the ultrawide lens is supposed to get optical image stabilization. Basically, this makes recording videos smoother and less jittery.

The telephoto lens already features this tool, which helps, but you're more likely to use the ultrawide when recording video. So this should make movies even smoother.

New buttons

Clickable buttons may be a thing of the past with the iPhone 20. It's rumored that Apple will get rid of buttons for solid-state ones that provide haptic feedback. This is supposed to make the iPhone 20 more water-resistant.

Similar to the under-display rumors, haptic buttons have been rumored since at least 2022. We even reported on a patent for haptic buttons on the iPhone 20 last October.

In the case of the iPhone 20, it actually makes sense considering the all-glass design. I rate this one as more than likely if the display rumors are true.

No more speakers?

This rumor is wild and the first we've heard of it. Apparently, Apple might remove the speaker grill on the bottom of the iPhone 20.

Instead, Apple would use a "vibration technology" without the need for a speaker cutout. The vibrations would be responsible for the sound. Allegedly, this will debut with an OLED iPad mini that is supposed to launch later this year. I'm very curious about this one.

Better batteries

The final rumor surrounds power and battery. First, AppleTrack says Apple will be introducing reverse wireless charging with the iPhone 20, enabled by a new battery.

Since 2024, Chinese manufacturers like Oppo and Huawei have been introducing silicon carbon batteries in their phones, enabling larger capacity batteries to be inserted into the same space as current lithium-ion ones.

Rival Samsung finally made the leap to silicon carbon with the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra that were released this July. “We have been testing silicon batteries for quite some time. We’re looking at being very — I wouldn’t say conservative — but more taking it one step at a time," Samsung's executive VP of the Z Fold series, Jay Kim, told Tom's Guide in an interview.

Apple is known for being cautious with new technology, like waiting for a crease-free display to release its version of a foldable.

The iPhone 20 could finally be Apple's time to try the new battery technology out.

Price and release date

Apple probably won't change its usual September release window, so I expect we'll see the 20th-anniversary iPhone launch in September 2027. We should also see the iPhone Ultra 2.

As for price, the iPhone 20 likely won't be cheap. Apple just raised prices on everything but the iPhone. However, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will give us an idea of where things are trending heading next year.

We're expecting the iPhone 18 Pro models to be $200 more expensive. Currently, the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, so the iPhone 18 Pro could cost $1,299. The 20th anniversary might go as high as $1,399 or $1,499 if trends continue.

We're still more than a year away from launch, so we have some time to twiddle our thumbs and ponder.

More from Tom's Guide

• I've been an Apple user for 30 years and these are my golden rules to never pay full price
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• I walked 5,000 steps with the Garmin Cirqa vs Apple Watch 11. Here’s which came out on top

There was a point a couple of years ago when you could make an argument that phones didn't need cases or screen protectors. Phone makers had been adopting more durable materials, titanium frames were all the rage, and display glass was reaching the point where it could hold up to everyday conditions rather well.

But those days are long gone, and given everything that's happening in the phone industry it's unlikely that they'll be coming back anytime soon. And my recent experience dropping a caseless iPhone 17 Pro Max proves it.

It happened yesterday afternoon while taking my son for a walk. I'd kept the iPhone 17 Pro Max in a pouch on his stroller alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — so they would be easily accessible to take photos with. Unfortunately, later on in the day, I didn't grab the iPhone tightly enough and, unable to catch it in time, it took a short tumble (maybe 4 feet) onto the asphalt below.

Had I been sensible, and put my iPhone in a case, things could have been different. I drop phones onto a variety of surfaces all the time, because I'm a clumsy fool, but those phones typically have some kind of protection. For some reason, I never afforded that same protection to the iPhone, and now that carelessness has come back to haunt me.

The damage is pretty minor, and nothing close to as catastrophic as it could have been had the circumstances been a little different. But I really should know better, and everyone out there should learn from my mistake.

A backwards step for durability

A lot of phone companies like to employ aluminum in their phones, and with good reason. It's lightweight, easy to work with, easily recycled and, perhaps most importantly, cheap. Apple was pretty quick to jump onto the stainless steel bandwagon with 2010's iPhone 4 before moving to a wrap-around steel band on iPhone X.

The main benefit of stainless steel is that it's considerably stronger than aluminum, though the exact difference varies depending on the specific alloy used. The downside to that strength is that steel is a lot heavier, so you're trading comfort for increased durability.

Apple's eventual switch to titanium on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max was designed to offer the best of both worlds, a light design that maintains the strength and durability of stainless steel. Unfortunately, Apple didn't stick to that change for very long, ditching titanium just two years later with the release of iPhone 17 series.

Various reasons were given for the change, most notably the fact that titanium has poor thermal conductivity and that led to reports of iPhones overheating. However, the fact that titanium is rather an expensive metal can't be ignored either. This factor also means that Apple is unlikely to return to titanium on the majority of its phones — especially since RAMageddon has caused component prices to rise to unprecedented highs.

This means only the devices that really need titanium, like iPhone Air and (we assume) iPhone Ultra, are likely to get that metal in the near future.

But rather than switching back to stainless steel, Apple opted to use aluminum instead. Not just any aluminum, of course. According to Apple this is an "aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminum alloy" which supposedly exceeds industry standards for hardness.

While that sounds all well and good, it doesn't change the fact that aluminum is a softer metal — and it didn't take long for people to notice just how much damage it can pick up.

I knew about scratchgate and neglected to case up anyway

The first reports of what became known as "scratchgate" started happening within days of the iPhone 17 Pro being released. Users were reporting damage occurring to the back of their iPhone, particularly around the raised edges of the phone's protruding camera bar — also known as the forged plateau.

People were noticing that the anodized layer was getting damaged, exposing the silver aluminum underneath. Apple did respond, even going so far as to claim that some of the scratches weren't actually scratches at all and could be wiped away.

Some of us here at Tom's Guide experienced the issue first hand, to varying degrees, and even my iPhone 17 Pro Max had some minor scratches that came from everyday use. Now, though, it's collected a few dents and a scratch along the edge of the ultrawide camera lens. It's purely cosmetic damage, and doesn't actually affect the day-to-day workings of the phone, but I'm still kicking myself for letting it happen.

Because, let's be completely honest here, I could just have easily done some serious damage. All it would have taken is if the fall had been a little higher, or the phone had landed at a slightly different angle, and suddenly you have a busted phone or cracked screen that needs fixing ASAP.

Don't make the same mistake I did

Everyone out there should learn from my mistakes, and let this be a lesson in over-protectiveness. Your phone is an expensive device, and a split-second fumble could be the difference between it lasting through the day and needing an expensive out of warranty repair. I got lucky this time, but the next accidental drop may actually take out my iPhone 17 Pro Max — which is the absolute last thing I need to happen.

The fact that phone companies are looking for ways to help cut costs also means that durability is potentially one of the things that gets cut. We know this has happened to Pro-tier iPhones, but we've also seen other companies pull similar tricks. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is made of aluminum too, a downgrade from the titanium S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra of previous years.

This means protecting your phone is about to be even more important than ever. You don't need an expensive bulky shock-absorbing case that can survive a nuclear blast, but you should have something to help keep the thing safe from falls and other accidental damage.

Likewise, a screen protector is crucial to protect the most important part of the phone itself. Believe me, nothing is worse than having a phone that would be working perfectly well, if it weren't for the cracked screen making it totally unusable. I had to swap out my Sony Xperia Z3 because of this about a decade ago, simply because nobody could get the right parts to repair it.

Even Apple's Ceramic Shield 2, which is regarded as one of the best and strongest display glasses out there, isn't perfect. It's still glass, and glass will break under the right conditions. Once that happens, an official Apple screen repair is going to set you back $379 if you don't have AppleCare+, or $29 (plus the $140 annual fee) if you do. The cost of a semi-competent case and a screen protector is a fraction of that price — not to mention it saves you the hassle of getting the repair sorted.

That's a best case scenario in terms of major damage. Worst case is that your phone needs completely replacing. With iPhone 17 Pro Maxs starting at $1,199, and rumors that prices could rise by as much as $200 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, you do not want to face the prospect of paying it all a second time due to your own carelessness.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried using the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s MyFanCam on my dogs, but I hit a major wall
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't have a crease-free display — but it's the closest Samsung has ever got to one

I don't post to TikTok very often, but I was so floored by what I saw when testing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra outside I had to post something.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (and regular Galaxy Z Fold 8) both have an anti-reflective coating on their main displays. That means there's less glare on the screen when you're outdoors compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. A lot less.

As you can see in the above clip, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 maintains wide viewing angles and doesn't suffer from nearly as many reflections as the Fold 7 when showing a photo of a magenta zinnia flower.

This makes a huge difference in everyday utility when you're trying to use your foldable phone outside.

You'll also notice that the crease on the Fold 7 is a lot more prominent. The Fold 8 Ultra employs new Flex Titanium technology to minimize the crease. It's definitely still there, but a lot more subtle.

It also helps that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's display is brighter than the Fold 7. In our lab tests, the Fold 8 Ultra's 8-inch display reached 2,687 nits of brightness. That's a pretty big jump from the 2,310 nits we measured on the Fold 7.

To be clear, neither display is perfect in super strong direct sunlight. But you can see in this photo, the Fold 8 Ultra's screen indeed looks brighter and the crease is still way less prominent.

I've gotten a ton of comments on my TikTok video, some claiming that the test is rigged. I did use each phone to take the same exact photo of the same flower seconds apart, then displayed them at full screen and maximum brightness.

To be more scientific, I should have used the same exact image, but I don't think the results would have been materially different.

Is this enough of a leap to justify upgrading from a Galaxy Z Fold 7 to a Fold 8 or Fold 8 Ultra? Not really. But the anti-reflective coating is super impressive — and will certainly make Fold 7 owners jealous.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung exec weighs in on iPhone Ultra threat
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 preorder deals: here's how I'm saving up to $1,200 on Samsung's new phones
• My first 36 hours with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: I was wrong

T-Mobile suffered from a huge network outage yesterday, affecting customers across the country.

Reports suddenly spiked to over 60,000 on the outage-tracking site Down Detector where T-Mobile customers are reporting a lack of signal or service from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.

Whilst systems eventually returned to normal, it took several hours for the reports of problems to subside.

Here's how the events progressed.

More than 60,000 outage reports

Over on DownDetector, there are currently more than 64,000 reports from users across the country.

It appears reports started flooding in around 1:00 pm Pacific before truly spiking 30 minutes later.

Outage appears National

I'm seeing outage reports from nearly every major city in the United States and multiple states from Florida and California to North Carolina and Washington.

Minnesota, Louisana, and Hawaii are all reporting issues.

THe complaints are all similar, phones are being forced into SOS mode only, though it's not clear if WiFi calling is down as well.

No response from T-Mobile

T-Mobile doesn't appear to have a network status page. I have been checking the official T-Mobile and T-Mobile customer service accounts on Twitter where customers are flooding the accounts with complaints.

However, right now the company's reps are just asking people to DM or saying they're sorry the customer is having problems.

"I’m really glad you reached out and brought this to our attention. I’d be happy to help take a closer look into what’s going on. To make sure your information stays protected, please send me a DM with your contact details and we’ll continue there," is a common response.

I have yet to see acknowledgement of the outage itself.

Megathread on Reddit has thousands of comments

I found a megathread on the T-Mobile subreddit where thousands of comments are reporting issues with their phones.

One thread seems to be that iPhone users are having more issues than Android owners. It's not clear why.

Reports are declining but still in the 10s of thousands

On Down Detector I am seeing reports declining. There are still nearly 40,000 reports which is down from the peak of 64,000.

T-Mobile messaging changes

Over on Twitter, the T-Mobile Help account messaging has changed a bit. There still isn't an official post acknowledging the outage but this is what I'm seeing now.

"Thank you for reaching out. Our teams are actively working the reports of technical challenges impacting some customers. Any service impacts are in the process of being resolved and are our highest priority. We know how critical it is to stay connected, and every available resource is focused on resolving this as quickly as possible."

I have reached out to T-Mobile for a statement and will update if I receive one.

Leveling off

Reports have leveled off to around 20,000 on Down Detector and I am still seeing comments reporting where service is out like Oakland, Maryland and Long Island, New York.

One person did say that T-Mobile engineers are on the problem per a call with customer service. Though they didn't have any other information to share.

T-Mobile finally acknowledges the outage

Over two hours after reports spiked on DD, T-Mobile has finally acknowledged the outage with a post on its T-Mobile Help account.

"Our teams are actively working on the reports of technical challenges impacting some customers. Any service impacts are in the process of being resolved and are our highest priority. We know how critical it is to stay connected and every available resource is focused on resolving this as quickly as possible."

Many people in the comments are saying that the outage has lasted even longer, up to 4 hours for many, and are upset with the company's silence to now.

Reports continue slow decline

Over on Down Detector, reports have been started declining again. It's not the steep drop that occurred a couple hours ago.

After holding level around 20,000, we just hit 16,000 as of 4:30 pm Pacific.

Most comments are still reporting SOS mode across the country but I have seen a couple posts about it being back up in California.

Taking a break but keeping an eye on things

It's getting to the end of the work day here on the West Coast. I'm taking a break to walk the dog and get some dinner going but I'll be keeping an eye on the outage and I'll let you know if anything changes.

I’ve put dozens of Bluetooth key finders, AirTag clones, and credit-card-style trackers through their paces over the years. They’re helpful for keeping track of my gear — I keep them in my backpack, on my keychain, and inside my wallet.

Unlike AirTags that rely on coin batteries, many of these credit card trackers feature rechargeable batteries that last upwards of six months on a single charge. While early versions relied on proprietary chargers, newer models have adopted standard wireless charging, making them even more convenient.

The latest one I’ve been testing is the Nomad Tracking Card Pro, which goes way beyond six or twelve months of runtime. In fact, it boasts the longest rated endurance I’ve come across, clocking in at an outstanding 16 months on a single charge.

Sleek, metal design built for your wallet

What immediately grabs my attention about the Nomad Tracking Card Pro is its striking finish — the vibrant Stellar Orange hue color-coordinates seamlessly with my Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro. But it’s the physical form factor that truly steals the show. At just 2.5mm thick and weighing 15 grams, it’s about three times thinner than the latest AirTag 2.

Because it’s so sleek, I can stow it in my MagSafe wallet with ease — whereas an AirTag forces me to use an extra holder or dedicated accessory, like my Aulumu MagSafe wallet. Instead of creating an awkward bulge in my pocket, the Tracking Card Pro slides flush into a slot just like a standard credit card.

This card feels remarkably premium thanks to its aluminum frame, giving it a solid, substantial weight compared to the cheap, plasticky feel of rival trackers. With its clean lines and metallic finish, it looks less like a tech gadget and more like an elite credit card — sort of like the Apple Card — sitting in my wallet.

Endurance that puts battery anxiety to rest

The beauty of Bluetooth trackers like the AirTag is that you don’t have to worry about constantly recharging them. Now, I’ll admit that 16 months is a ridiculously long time — so much so that I might lose track of when I last charged it. But I much prefer this setup over having to swap out disposable coin batteries.

I’ve been using the Nomad Tracking Card Pro for about a month now, and the battery level in Apple's Find My app still shows a full charge. With its 16-month rating on a single charge, it easily blows past the six- to twelve-month average of other rechargeable finders and completely outclasses the 7-month runtime of Nomad’s original model. It’s a genuine set-it-and-forget-it piece of gear, meaning it’s one less device I need to manage.

When the time finally does come to top it off, I won't have to fiddle with proprietary dongles or tiny charging clips. Thanks to built-in wireless charging, I can simply drop it onto any standard Qi or MagSafe charger. The magnetic alignment snaps it right into place, making the whole recharge process completely effortless.

Well worth the Upgrade

At around $15 more than a standard AirTag, the Nomad Tracking Card Pro is an easy recommendation and well worth the small premium. You’re not just paying for a tracker — you’re upgrading to a sleek, metallic credit-card form factor that slides flush into any wallet slot, complete with convenient wireless charging and an unmatched 16-month battery life.

For those who love to color-coordinate, Nomad offers other everyday carry gear in its matching Stellar Orange finish — like the compact ChargeKey and the Stand One charger.

Together, they create a strikingly cohesive setup that perfectly complements my Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro. With the ChargeKey on my keyring, I never have to worry about packing a spare USB-C cable. Meanwhile, the Stand One delivers full 25W Qi2 fast charging, keeping my phone topped off at peak speeds while looking great on my desk.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch

One thing I really hate about getting a new phone is the setup process. Not only is it somewhat tedious, the actual process is incredibly inconsistent across different devices. The last few years have seen some major improvements to the way phones are set up, but the one thing that continually gets on my nerves is registering my fingerprints for biometric security.

That changed earlier this week when I set up the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and realized that I should probably go through the process correctly. Only then did I realize that Samsung has been sitting on one of the simplest fingerprint mapping tools I've ever come across.

Galaxy foldables have mastered fingerprint mapping on phones

The majority of devices that I have used over the past few years have had fingerprint scanners embedded in their display. Something about that design means that the actual process of registering a fingerprint for security reasons is a wearying experience that requires constantly tapping your chosen digit against the screen to capture the entire print.

Some systems are better than others, admittedly. Samsung's fingerprint registration is a fairly speedy affair, all things considered, while Google Pixels are among the slowest and laborious options on offer. This is still true following Google's decision to switch from optical fingerprint scanners to the more advanced (and secure) ultrasonic sensors.

But Galaxy foldables do it in a totally different way. Instead of being asked to constantly lift and move your chosen digit, all you need to do is move your fingerprint over the sensor. You don't have to remove your finger unless absolutely necessary, and the whole process takes less than ten seconds to do from start to finish.

The only kind of biometric security I've set up that comes close is Apple's Face ID. Since Apple's facial recognition only requires you to rotate your head around in a circle, it's extremely easy to do. But not even devices that still utilize Apple's Touch ID can map fingerprints quite so easily.

This feature isn't limited to the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra either. The process is exactly the same on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and older Galaxy foldables, too. I was just too lazy to notice before, because I had foolishly assumed modern fingerprint scanners were all the same.

It's a reminder how much better physical fingerprint scanners are

It's been seven years since I regularly used a phone with a physical fingerprint scanner, but my short time with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has reminded me just how much more convenient they are compared to modern alternatives. Not just in terms of the speedy mapping, which feels rather new to me, but also in the way they perform.

Day to day I use a Pixel 10 Pro, which features an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner. Google's scanner isn't slow or inefficient by any means, but there is a brief delay between placing your finger on the scanner and the phone unlocking. That's especially true if you're not using an always-on display, as I tend to do, because you need to turn on the screen as well.

The physical fingerprint scanner takes all that out of the equation. The unlocking process is almost instant, and the fact you can feel the scanner without looking means you could potentially initiate the unlocking process before you've even looked at the phone screen. Those fractions of seconds don't matter much at the time, but if you consider how often you unlock your phone those extra fractions of seconds can add up.

How to set up fingerprint scanning on Galaxy Z Fold 8 and other foldables

More from Tom's Guide

• My first 36 hours with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: I was wrong about the passport screen (but that $1,899 price still stings)
• iPhone Ultra delay leak right after Samsung's triumphant Galaxy Fold 8 launch has me sick of waiting for Apple's foldable
• I'd buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 over the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and it's all because it steals this Z TriFold feature

The Samsung Galaxy Z 8 series seems mostly focused on hardware upgrades, but there are still some excellent new AI and software features for you to take advantage of. My current favorite is MyFanCam, which edits a video to follow an individual rather than including the entire frame. Unfortunately, having tested the feature, there's one downside I didn't anticipate.

I have two very energetic dogs, and I had hoped MyFanCam would help make videos of them playing a little easier to follow. Unfortunately the AI is only capable of recognizing people, which means my dreams of more stable and easy to follow videos of my dog chasing a ball have been dashed — for now.

What is MyFanCam?

MyFanCam is a new Galaxy AI feature that's been released on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8. The idea behind it is that you can reframe existing videos and shift the focus onto individual subjects rather than everything as a whole. Samsung's example videos feature people dancing together and utilizing MyFanCam to focus on a single member of the troupe.

This isn't a dedicated camera mode that follows people in frame, though. That feature has existed for a few years, and it's called Video Auto Framing. Instead, this is an AI editing feature, which takes videos you've already recorded and applies the principles of MyFanCam to the people in shot.

I was able to do it with videos I recorded as far back as 2019 on a non-Samsung phone. That's helpful, because it means you could breathe new life into your old videos, without having to worry about whether they have the right markers for Galaxy AI to do what needs to be done.

The other obvious benefit here is that you don't need to worry about getting the perfect shot while you're busy recording. In the same way that Reframe in iOS 27 will let you tweak the perspective of your photos, MyFanCam lets you change the main focus of the video so that viewers can hone in on what's important.

It's also worth noting that MyFanCam can't focus on more than one subject at a time, because that defeats the whole purpose of the feature. However you can always go back and make another MyFanCam video that focuses on someone else.

So in that group of three dancers, you could potentially end up with three additional takes on the very same video.

It only seems to work on people right now

I like taking photos and shooting videos of my dogs. They're adorable for one, but you never know when they're going to do something stupid and hilarious. The problem is keeping track of them when they're off their leash, and bolting around the local park. They're moving so quickly, and are often so far away, that I just can't keep track of them with my camera.

Sadly, running videos of my dogs playing through MyFanCam did... nothing. The AI didn't register that the dogs were there, which obviously meant that it wasn't able to focus on one of them and edit the video accordingly.

I then went back and checked it against a video of me and one of my dogs clearly in frame, just to see what happened. As expected, it picked me up right away, but was apparently oblivious to my furry companion.

Oddly intrigued, I tried to find some bizarre videos of people, and see how well Galaxy AI was able to pick up people in situations that are a little out of the ordinary. It had no problem focusing on a Berlin street performer that was doing a handstand on a skateboard, but it had trouble recognizing that a mid-performance routine was a human being. Similarly, adolescent gorillas at the zoo straight-up didn't register.

If you want to know something quite funny, MyFanCam was able to focus on certain characters on the parade floats at Disney World, including Pluto and Chip — but it struggled with Goofy. Clearly not even AI is sure what Goofy is supposed to be, because he's sure as heck not a dog.

I can't tell you whether Samsung has done this deliberately or not, but in my experience attempting to use AI camera features, I've noticed that it only really plays along when people are involved. Google's Add me feature is a very good example of this, since it also wouldn't register that my dogs were living, moving creatures that could move in and out of photos as they saw fit.

As for why, I can only assume that it's because the AI utilized by these camera features has only been trained on people. Tech companies likely figured that people would mostly want to photograph or video their friends and family.

Try and get the AI to register something slightly out of the usual parameters and it'll struggle. I guess people are easier for AI models to understand, whereas animals and pets come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes.

Bottom line

Despite that obvious flaw, I feel as though MyFanCam has potential. The idea that you can go back to a video and completely reshape what people see, and without resorting to changing things with generative AI, is quite impressive.

I'm disappointed by the lack of support for pets, though. As anyone with energetic animals in their lives can likely attest, capturing them on camera can be rather difficult. I was so looking forward to getting MyFanCam to get to work on the videos of my dogs, but sadly that wasn't meant to be. Hopefully it's something Samsung can work on, and roll out to Galaxy phones and roll out as a software update in the near future.

In the meantime, just make sure to keep your editing focused on people.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch
• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't have a crease-free display — but it's the closest Samsung has ever got to one

As much as I rave about the extra utility that the best foldable phones have over traditional slabs, there’s one unspoken compromise they make: subpar battery life. Even though I personally don't mind topping off at some point during the workday, doing so can be a deal breaker for anyone who craves all-day endurance.

With the launch of Samsung’s new foldables, they certainly have a lot to prove — more so when they’re also some of the thinnest and lightest models to date. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra are notable as the first Samsung devices to adopt silicon-carbon batteries, which pack more capacity without adding extra bulk.

Paired with the power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 silicon, they’re bound to be some of the longest-lasting foldables to pass through the Tom’s Guide labs. After putting them through a barrage of battery drain tests, I can tell you they don’t disappoint.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: Battery life results

Interestingly, the Z Flip 8’s battery life performance doesn’t seem as dramatic as the other phones — especially considering it packs the same 4,300 mAh capacity as before. What’s different this time is how Samsung engineered the phone to be thinner and lighter than its predecessor without compromising on battery capacity.

The new flip-style phone clocks in at 12 hours and 50 minutes, representing a 3.5% increase over the Flip 7’s 12:24 runtime. Against its biggest rival, the Razr Ultra (2026), Motorola still holds the title of the longest-lasting flip phone with a time of 16 hours and 20 minutes. That’s a huge gap, primarily aided by Motorola's massive 5,000 mAh battery.

Despite this, where Samsung truly makes a massive leap is in its flagship book-style foldables. The premier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra logs an extraordinary 14 hours and 9 minutes, blowing past the Z Fold 7’s 10 hours and 44 minutes. That’s an impressive 31.8% increase in endurance. Likewise, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 also sees a substantial gain at 12 hours and 20 minutes — a 14.8% improvement compared to last year's Fold 7.

Against its key rivals, the Z Fold 8 Ultra proves it can hold its ground with the best in the business. Clocking in at 14 hours and 9 minutes, Samsung's premium foldable comfortably outperforms the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold by a margin of 15.3%.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: Charging speeds

Charging is another area where Samsung’s new phones make noticeable gains — specifically with a bump to 45W wired charging across all three models. That’s a welcome increase from the previous 25W cap, allowing them to juice up much faster in the same timeframe.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra leads the pack, hitting 49% in 15 minutes and 76% in 30 minutes. That’s an impressive leap over the Z Fold 7’s 54% mark, even outstripping the Motorola Razr Fold’s 73%. The standard Z Fold 8 also impresses by reaching 70% in half an hour.

Meanwhile, the Z Flip 8 offers a slighter improvement over its predecessor, reaching 59% in 30 minutes compared to the Flip 7’s 55% — a surprisingly modest gain given the wattage upgrade. While that still trails the Motorola Razr Ultra’s blazing 74% charge result, Samsung’s entire 2026 lineup comfortably outpaces rivals like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold (58%), ensuring less time tethered to a wall adapter.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: Verdict

If you weren’t convinced already, I’ll state it again: silicon-carbon batteries are making a massive impact — and Samsung’s new foldables cement my sentiment. Foldable phones have come a long way, and battery performance is no longer one of their compromises.

By introducing silicon-carbon battery technology alongside 45W wired charging, Samsung’s 2026 Galaxy Z lineup delivers meaningful upgrades where it matters most and makes them solid best phone battery life contenders. These improvements should translate to tangible real-world gains, powering you through a full workday without the constant need to top off.

While Motorola continues to push the upper boundaries of battery life with its Razr series, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra stands out as the ultimate powerhouse, comfortably outlasting rivals like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold while charging faster than ever before. Whether you prefer a compact flip or an immersive book-style screen, you can finally enjoy foldable productivity without constantly watching your battery level.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch

Samsung’s new foldables were announced at Galaxy Unpacked, and despite their vastly different form factors, the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra all share one crucial component: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

That’s a big deal. Last year, Samsung opted for its in-house Exynos 2500 chipset on the Z Flip 7 while saving Qualcomm’s flagship silicon for the Z Fold 7. This year’s rollout puts all three foldable contenders on even ground — and after putting them through a full suite of benchmark tests, I can tell you they’re easily the most powerful foldables to ever pass through the Tom’s Guide labs.

However, subtle performance variations between the three reveal which device actually reigns supreme. Here’s how the numbers break down.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: GeekBench

When it comes to raw processing power, the Z Fold 8 Ultra leads the pack, breaking the 3,700 barrier in Geekbench 6.7 with an average single-core score of 3,733 and a multi-core score of 11,457.

A surprising trend emerges between the other two foldables. While the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 posts a slightly higher single-core score (3,659), the compact Z Flip 8 actually outperforms it in multi-core performance, hitting 11,215 compared to the Fold 8’s 11,020.

What’s really notable here is how the Z Flip 8 yields a massive 59% jump in single-core performance and an equally compelling 39% increase in multi-core power — starkly highlighting the gap between Samsung's previous Exynos silicon and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

While the generational leap isn’t quite as dramatic for the Z Fold 8 Ultra, it remains a marked improvement. Samsung's top-tier foldable still delivers a solid 22.3% boost in single-core power and a 17.7% bump in multi-core performance over the Fold 7.

Against their biggest rivals, Samsung’s new foldables still come out on top hands down. The Z Flip 8 comfortably outperforms the Razr Ultra (2026) in Geekbench 6, boasting a superb 25.7% advantage in single-core speeds and a 24.9% lead in multi-core performance.

Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 Ultra delivers 37.7% faster single-core and 25.4% higher multi-core output compared to the Razr Fold. The contrast is even starker against the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, where Samsung’s flagship foldable completely blows past Google’s offering with a 59.3% higher single-core score and an astonishing 80.9% lead in multi-core performance.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: 3DMark

Out of the bunch, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra once again claims the top spot, breaking past the 30,000 threshold with a high score of 30,980 and an average frame rate of 185.51 fps. The latter is honestly mind boggling and shows the kind of graphic processing muscle power it’s packing.

The compact Galaxy Z Flip 8 delivers another impressive showing, taking second place with a score of 29,723 and 177.90 fps, outperforming the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which logged a score of 26,608 and 165.30 fps. While all three foldables deliver plenty of graphical muscle for mobile gaming, the Ultra and Flip 8 demonstrate a noticeable edge in peak rendering speeds for those who can’t afford a sliver of choppy gameplay.

Again, the biggest year-over-year improvement goes to the Z Flip 8, which achieves a 55.3% higher score and a 55.2% boost in average frame rate over the Z Flip 7. I can’t stress enough the immense graphical power boost it’s getting going from an Exynos to a Snapdragon.

As for the Z Fold 8 Ultra? It tells a similar story of dominant growth by delivering a 50.9% increase in overall score and a 49.8% jump in frame rate performance compared to the Z Fold 7. This, obviously, should result in gameplay being a lot smoother.

In the battle of the clamshells, the Z Flip 8 holds a commanding lead over its primary rival, the Motorola Razr Ultra (2026). In fact, Samsung's flip phone maintains a solid 21.6% advantage in both overall score and frame rate rendering.

Samsung’s dominance is even more pronounced in the book-style category, where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra delivers 43.6% higher graphical performance than the Razr Fold. That gap widens tremendously against the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, with the Z Fold 8 Ultra boasting a mind-boggling 132.8% lead over Google’s flagship foldable.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Verdict

Samsung’s decision to go all-in on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 silicon across its entire 2026 lineup pays off. All three foldables deliver generational leaps in raw CPU processing and peak graphical output.

However, if you want the absolute pinnacle of performance, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra reigns supreme — dominating every metric while outpacing rivals like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Motorola Razr Fold.

Meanwhile, the compact Galaxy Z Flip 8 emerges as the surprise hero of the bunch, proving that big things come in small packages. While the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 remains a dependable workhorse, Samsung’s new devices aren't just incremental upgrades — they set a new benchmark for foldables.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch

The question of "when will the iPhone Ultra actually be released" still doesn't seem to have an answer. After some back and forth over whether the first Apple foldable will be released alongside iPhone 18 Pro, another report from DigiTimes suggests that the actual release date for the foldable still remains uncertain

At this point I don't know who I should believe, and the only thing I know is that I am so tired of hearing about if and when the foldable iPhone might arrive. Especially now that Samsung has just launched a new wave of foldables, including its own passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 that could rival Apple's foldable ambitions.

I just wish Apple would start hustling and release this thing, because it feels like everything even remotely new gets stuck in a perpetual state of "it might arrive this year."

The current deal with the iPhone Ultra

According to previous reports, iPhone Ultra mass production began earlier this month. The final assembly is reportedly being carried out by long-time Apple collaborator Foxconn, who DigiTimes's sources claim are "the only partner likely to have a realistic chance of meeting the expected production target."

It's unclear whether that production target means the full 10 million units Apple has reportedly ordered, or simply enough to satisfy demand during the initial release window.

Foxconn is apparently in the process of "final mass-production adjustments," which has led to even more speculation that the iPhone Ultra may be delayed after all. While it's widely assumed that the phone will be unveiled alongside iPhone 18 Pro at Apple's September event, the actual release date remains unknown.

Last we heard Apple's suppliers believed everything was still on track, and the iPhone Ultra was shaping up to release alongside iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. But any hypothetical issues could alter the release schedule depending on the severity of the problem.

Past reports suggested that the hinge structure and display durability could be the real sticking points — especially with Apple pushing to release an "exceptionally refined product."

While the foldable is expected to be very expensive, with a rumored starting price around $2,500, demand is still expected to be rather high. Prolonged issues would force Apple to push back the release, to try and ensure there is enough supply to match release-day demand.

So while there's no need to panic about this right now, this back-and-forth over the fate of the iPhone Ultra is really starting to get tiresome. to the point where I'm starting to resent the fact that Apple seems to have taken so long to actually release the phone.

Just release the thing already

Maybe it's just because September's iPhone launch event is coming up fairly soon, or maybe it's just because foldable iPhone rumors have been circulating for the better part of a decade. We're at the stage now when I'm sick and tired of hearing about it, and wish Apple would hurry up and get the iPhone Ultra out into the world.

I'd even settle for an announcement and confirmation that the Ultra will actually arrive a few months later than the iPhone 18 Pro. It happened with the iPhone X back in 2017, and I feel like the knowledge that a release date is confirmed would be quite comforting — and would certainly put the majority of these rumors to bed.

The crazy thing is that this problem isn't exclusive to the iPhone Ultra. It actually seems to happen to most major Apple releases, with rumors circulating multiple years before the final product ever gets released.

The most infamous example is the Apple Car, which was in development for a decade before Apple realized it had bitten off more than it could chew. Who knew that trying to develop a fully-autonomous car from nowhere wasn't going to work out? So the project was canceled, and some of the stuff Apple learned was rolled into its ongoing work with AI and Apple Intelligence.

A similar situation to the iPhone Ultra happened with Apple Vision Pro. Rumors of an Apple VR or mixed reality headset circulated for multiple years, and I distinctly remember a lot of rumors and speculation that Apple could reveal it at the next Apple event.

We've been seeing something similar happen with Apple Glasses and the long-awaited Siri-powered smart home hub. It's not Apple's problem that these things leak so early, and we've seen it make a concerted effort to plug leaks over the years, but it makes it feel as though these new products are being developed at a snail's pace.

Bottom line

I've always argued that Apple has been a little too particular about when it releases new products. It often feels as though the company has been so hell-bent on making the "perfect" product that it's willing to drag production out for an extended period of time as it attempts to chase an impossible dream.

The botched Apple Car development and the obsession over eliminating the display crease says to me that Apple has a problem with accepting when a new product is simply "good enough."

Others would argue that Apple was wise to wait, in an attempt to make the best foldable phone possible. Studying the market, working out the issues that can be fixed, them jumping in to knock Samsung off its throne.

Considering the foldable phone market is rather small, you could argue that Apple isn't really missing out by waiting and endeavoring to make the best foldable it can — even if it takes several years.

That doesn't make the constant talk of what may or may not be happening any less exhausting, though. It's at the point that I feel Apple should really have released the iPhone Ultra three or four years ago. So, the sooner it actually makes it to Apple Store shelves, the happier I will be.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch

You may have seen that Samsung showed me all of its canceled prototypes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That moment combined with my time flying to China and checking out this future of passport foldables that the iPhone Ultra looks set to adopt made me nervous that this stubbier size isn’t quite right.

But after my first 36 hours with the Z Fold 8, I’m coming around to the idea of this aspect ratio choice. Maybe the weight of my previous experiences clouded my judgement, but now out in the real world, it’s starting to click and make sense.

Throw in a strong camera, good battery life and beasty internals, and this has been a great first day of using Samsung’s new blower. I’ve seen a bunch of questions and thoughts in our comments, so these 24 hours have been more focused on answering these.

What’s the aspect ratio like?

We’ve been used to taller foldables that open out to a much more squared-off display for years now. Of course, other companies have tried the squished form factor like this, but this is Samsung’s first stab at it.

And honestly? At first I was feeling weird about it. Don’t get me wrong here, the smaller design does feel great to hold, and the one-handed operation feels like a blast from the past when small phones were cool.

That being said, the aspect ratio choice made here is a tough one to make — forming an awkward balance that black bars vertical content on the outside screen, as well as landscape on that 4:3 screen on the inside. Given the way “The Odyssey” is filmed in 70mm IMAX, this phone must be Christopher Nolan’s dream come true.

But compared to the square of the Ultra, the size of content on this phone is much better. Catching up on Netflix is a joy on this screen, though the audio sounds a bit lop-sided when both speakers are on the left side, so headphones are a must.

And when it comes to getting stuff done, of course the Ultra is more angled towards that, but flipping this into a portrait 3:4 ratio is great for this specific job. Samsung worked on the software to optimize the keyboard for typing away, while the extra height does give you a lot of real estate for multi-tasking.

Also, big screen TikTok is fun, web browsing feels much better with this vertical canvas, and I now have a foldable Kindle in my pocket. Pretty sweet!

Is the crease visible?

Samsung made a whole thing about the use of a titanium alloy film atop the inside screen and titanium plate beneath it — with the mission being to improve durability and eliminate the crease.

Now, does it eliminate it? No. It’s a lot better than it has been before, but at certain angles with the light bouncing off it, you can see the outline of it. But you have to be very specific about it to see the thing.

Also, shout-out to that anti-reflective coating. Of course, the naming of it may feel a little misleading when you still see reflections bounce off of it. However, there is a noticeable reduction in the glare, and light sources have been dimmed quite a bit by whatever the coating is doing here.

Zippy and long-lasting

With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy inside with 12GB RAM does keep things nice and spritely under multitasking pressures for sure. And now that we’ve had these benchmarked in the lab, you can see this reflected in the numbers too.

That single-core speed especially manifests itself in a snappy, responsive UI and opening apps at breakneck speeds, while the multicore comes into effect when I’m hopping between apps running in the background.

Then there’s the battery — a 4,800 mAh cell that embraces silicon carbon battery tech to add a little more juice while keeping it thin and light. In our lab testing, we’ve been able to get 12 hours and 20 minutes out of it on one charge.

In real-life, I’ve been able to get through an entire day of standard use with no real worries. Starting from 100%:

• Two hours at the gym with music playing and regular screen opening to read news between sets: Battery went down to 92%
• Two hours on the phone with my wife — visiting websites on inside screen to finalize wedding celebration plans: Battery went down to 84%
• TikTok wormhole on inside screen for an hour: Battery went down to 79%
• Photography trip around London, multitasking between messaging apps, TikTok on the Underground, a couple phone calls, web browsing, and taking many photos: Battery went down to 64%

By the time I got to the Nvidia afterparty at 10pm, the battery was at around 50%. Of course, if I’m more sparing with my use, you can make this run much longer. But it’s clear you’re getting all-day usage with no problems.

Snap happy

I always have a beef with Samsung about its camera science. The hardware is always good, but coming from being an iPhone user, the focus on vividity always makes me feel like the phones of old have just vomited color all over the screen.

Not anymore. These dual 50MP shooters are impressive. Detail preservation is good and while color balance does lean towards the warmer tones, they’re not as distractingly vivid as before — keeping natural skin tones looking realistic.

And shout-out to night time photography too. I know Samsung made a whole song and dance about Nightography with the Ultra’s 200MP lens, but you’re getting more than enough of that experience with a quarter of the megapixels here.

Outlook

This is the first foldable I’ve properly daily driven. I have tested others in the past of course, but this is my first concerted effort to ditch a candy bar and give folds a chance. And after my first day and a half, I get the attraction to it.

There was a part of me that feared this would be a pure gimmick. And to many of you reading this, chances are it will be. You’ve got to have very specific use cases on lock to make the most of this — the work and content needs for that bigger screen if you’re always on-the-go.

If you have them, this more easily pocketable foldable is a real conversation starter, and a genuinely nice form factor. My only real problem is that $1,899 price tag. It’s massive to say the least! You can feel the premium nature of this phone, but that’s a huge cost to put on people.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch
• I'd buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 over the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and it's all because it steals this Z TriFold feature

It's always exciting to try a brand new phone, and those first 24 hours can be pretty telling. That's especially true when you're making the jump from a regular phone to a foldable, because the fold-out large screen design opens a whole new world of possibilities.

That's certainly how I felt while unpackaging the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — a phone that has so far been living up to its new designation. But a brief hands-on can only tell you so much about a phone, and it's only after spending several hours (or days) with your device that you can get a much clearer idea of what it has to offer.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra could be one of the best foldable phones, pending our full review, thanks to the sheer amount of upgrades Samsung has added this year. But is it really all that? Let's go through my first day with this Ultra foldable, so you can experience the highs (and lows) of picking one up for yourself.

Setting up

The great thing about modern phones is that they've made the set up process an absolute breeze compared to what it used to be like. Samsung is easily one of the best I've used, especially if you're copying data over from another Samsung phone.

In fact my Galaxy S26 Ultra detected the Z Fold 8 Ultra right away, and brought up the QR code scanner to link these two devices together. The most troublesome part of the whole experience was flicking through the many menus asking you to confirm various permissions, and which search engine you'd like set as your default.

The actual transfer process happens in the background, beaming over apps, accounts, default settings and everything else you had sitting on your own phone. Since my S26 Ultra doesn't get a ton of use, that process was pretty quick, and your experience will differ depending on how much you actually need to beam to your new phone.

I also find myself pretty impressed with the way Galaxy foldables set up fingerprint recognition. Samsung phones are usually some of the easiest and fastest devices for setting up biometric security, but with the physical fingerprint scanner all you need to do is wiggle your chosen digit around during the mapping process. None of the tedious lifting and replacing motions that you get with under-display fingerprint scanners.

Adapting to new displays

Switching to a foldable phone means adapting to a brand new set of displays. The 6.5-inch cover display offers a 21:9 aspect ratio, which is noticeably narrower than the 19:5:9 aspect ratio you'd find on most phones.

Having been used to using 6.3-inch non-folding phones for so long, the narrower form factor is taking some getting used to. To the point where I gravitate towards the 8-inch foldable display instead. It seems like a paradox, but I find the larger screen is a lot more comfortable to use — especially considering the doubled-screen is the perfect size for two-handed use.

As Samsung says, it's like having two 6.5-inch phones in a single phone.

One thing I noticed was that the Samsung web browser defaulted to the desktop view on both screens, and to my surprise I actually found it more comfortable to read that way.

Admittedly the text was rather small on the cover display, but the mobile option was too large and squashed together for me to read comfortably. It was almost like I had an accessibility feature that blew up the print for users with visual impairments. That said vertical videos looked perfect on the narrower cover display, with next to no wasted space.

That was not entirely true for horizontal video, but that just gave the foldable screen even more chance to shine. Especially since Flex Mode let me partially fold up the screen and use the Z Fold 8 Ultra as its own stand.

I'll admit, though, it does still feel as though something is missing with the larger screen, and I feel like having some kind of S Pen support would help complete the puzzle. I'm not entirely sure I would be using the stylus all that much, but it would be nice to have the option.

Not quite crease-free

One of the most anticipated upgrades on the Z fold 8 Ultra is the flex titanium display, which was heavily rumored to eliminate the crease down the display. It doesn't take long to spot that this is not really the case, and the crease is still visible in certain conditions.

That being said, the crease is a lot harder to see when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It mostly shows up when the screen is switched off, or you find yourself in particularly bright conditions. The fact you have to go out of your way to see the crease means Samsung should be commended for what it's managed by adding the Flex Titanium display.

That said, you can still feel the crease when you're scrolling along the large display. It feels almost identical to the Z Fold 7's crease, and I have to admit the more I use the phone the more distracting it is to come across the dip in the middle of the screen. That's definitely something Samsung needs to work on for the Z Fold 9 Ultra.

Galaxy-class performance?

While I haven't done any benchmarking with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra yet, I have done some gaming to try and take the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset for a spin. Loading up PUBG Mobile and I found that the settings automatically set the frame rate to the highest level, though it was being a little bit stingy with the graphics until I told it to up the ante.

The performance at the highest possible settings was excellent, as I'd hoped. I didn't notice any frame rate issues while I played, and the graphics were exactly what I expected from PUBG after dabbling with the game over the past few years. Better still I didn't even feel the phone get warm throughout an hour of playthrough, which is always best for the long-term health of the phone.

As for the battery, I found that this play session ate up around 5% of my battery, including the time it took to download the more advanced graphics.

Similarly, I forgot to charge the Z Fold 8 Ultra overnight, but still managed to get to around 3.45 p.m. before it flashed up a battery warning. That bodes well for the actual battery life, but since we haven't tested it I can't say whether Samsung's 27 hour battery life claim is accurate or not.

Cameras are so-far so-Samsung

I haven't had much need to take photos with the Z Fold 8 Ultra so far, but it's not like I need an excuse to snap photos of my dogs — especially when they make such adorable models. Needless to say, I'm impressed with the photos I've taken with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far.

The photos of my dogs and my plants came out looking pretty well, though I will admit that the main lens struggled with close-ups of my Lego minifigures. For some reason it just would not focus on what I wanted, meaning I had to resort to the lower-resolution Ultrawide angle lens to actually get this shot of Captain Jean-Luc Brickard.

You can kind of tell that the resolution isn't really there, though the photo itself still looks rather good. Sadly, the telephoto lens doesn't quite match up, and the quality feels more akin to the 10MP selfie cameras rather than the other two rear lenses. I wouldn't say it's taking bad photos, but they're not quite the caliber I would expect from a $2,100 phone.

As for the selfie camera, I won't say that I dislike the photos it takes, but it falters compared to that main 200MP camera. The selfies feel a little grainier and washed out, and I feel like you'd be better off taking advantage of the rear cameras instead. The very nature of foldables, and the fact you can use the cover display as a viewfinder, means that's a very real option for you.

If anyone is interested in how I got my tomatoes looking so nice after the immense heat and drought we've been having in the U.K., the answer is coffee grounds. Those leftovers mean I haven't had to feed my tomato plant all summer. Sadly, the same can't be said for my pepper plant, which hasn't even flowered yet.

The AI isn't ready this soon

As much as Samsung (and other phone companies) love to hype up AI capabilities, you can't really take full advantage of them on day one. The fact that Galaxy AI already has information on me, transferred over from my Galaxy S26 Ultra, meant that they weren't completely useless. So Now Brief had some basic information from places like my calendar to get me started.

However, I did need to go through a bunch of setup processes, like updating Samsung's Personal Data Intelligence and creating my own custom cards, to start making the most of the feature. On a similar note, the fact that Now Nudge hadn't had time to burrow into the depths of my phone hasn't been able to surface any useful information so far.

I have attempted to utilize MyFanCam, which lets you edit videos in a way that focuses on a single subject rather than an entire group.

I had hoped I would be able to use the feature to video my dogs playing, and help keep the focus on one of the two, instead of having to try and keep their crazy antics in frame all the time. But apparently the AI that powers MyFanCam doesn't recognize dogs, only people. Stay tuned for more.

What a difference a day makes

24 hours is not a lot of time when it comes to getting to grips with a new phone, especially when there are AI features that need time and resources to get themselves working at anything close to operating capacity. Still, it's a good amount of time to start getting to grips with a new device, and for all its potential flaws I am rather happy with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far.

I am not a huge fan of the narrow cover display, and feel like the wider Z Fold 8 might offer a better experience in that regard. I do like the main 8-inch display, though, especially since it makes viewing and scrolling a more comfortable experience than you'd normally get. Though I would have liked the option to use an S Pen, and hope Samsung brings it back sooner rather than later.

Of course, there's still plenty of testing that needs doing before we can publish our full review. While I hope this shapes up to be one of the best foldable phones, 24 hours just isn't enough to make that happen. That means it's time to get testing and see what this phone can really do.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I'd buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 over the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and it's all because it steals this Z TriFold feature

By all accounts Samsung should be nervous. After literally inventing the foldable phone 7 years ago and steadily evolving the category, it looks like Apple is going to try to swoop in and steal its thunder this fall with the launch of the iPhone Ultra (aka iPhone Fold).

But if you ask Samsung’s Jay Kim — the executive vice president overseeing the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series launch — about this imminent threat, he exudes a quiet confidence.

“If our big market player is coming into the market… then it proves that what I have been thinking and envisioning — and how much effort that we put it in — is actually the right direction,” Kim said.

Samsung is so bullish that it’s broadening its portfolio to three foldable phones this year: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and the brand new Galaxy Z Fold 8, complete with a squat and wide design that looks a lot like what Apple is reportedly cooking up.

Ahead of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked I sat down with Kim alongside Lance Ulanoff at TechRadar for a wide-ranging interview on the new foldable lineup, the upcoming competition, and what it’s going to take for this category to “succeed.”

Galaxy Z Fold 8: Why Go Wide?

The regular Fold 8 is easily the most intriguing new Samsung device because it’s the first time the company has launched a wide form factor.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a 5.5-inch cover display with a 10:16 aspect ratio and a 7.6-inch inner screen with a 4:3 ratio. And there’s a reason for going wide: it’s how people prefer to view content.

“When we looked at our consumer insights on how people react to the products, almost 50% are focused on media, whether on the outside or the inside main screen,” said Kim.

Typing on the external display of the Fold 8 is way more comfortable versus the narrower Z Fold 8 Ultra, and when watching videos on the main screen the black bars above and below the panel are much smaller than before.

The other factor for Kim and the rest of the team was pocketability. So they sought to create a Goldilocks phone that combines the multitasking chops of the previous Folds with the compact design of the Flip.

“The Flip is sleek, thin and light, and our customers want both sides of that world. So we said why not?” Kim said.

The result is a phone that’s the lightest Fold yet at just 201 grams and in a shape that’s nearly identical to a passport.

“We studied it a lot,” Kim shared. “We put together the form factor where media makes the most sense for the content native without compromising anything on the bar type [phone experience].”

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Z Fold 8 Ultra: Who should get what?

Despite its name, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is not a direct successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It’s a completely new model. The sequel is actually the Z Fold 8 Ultra, which compelled me to ask why Samsung settled on this naming scheme and whether it could confuse shoppers.

“The Ultra is the highest, most premium, most advanced product,” Kim said. “We see a lot of Ultra consumers coming over to the Fold, asking for similar performance and cameras, so we put a lot of effort to match that capability.”

So why not call the Z Fold 8 the Fold Wide as was rumored? For Kim, Samsung wasn’t trying to create something new, but the new baseline standard for the Fold experience. “I think this is more of the essence of the Fold,” Kim said while pointing to the Fold 8.

With its bigger 8-inch display, bigger battery and triple-camera setup, the Fold 8 Ultra is more for productivity while the regular Fold 8 (wider displays, dual cameras) is more for content consumption.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra also gets some pretty major upgrades, including a new 50MP wide camera, an even thinner design (4.1 mm) that’s easier to open and a display that has virtually no crease, thanks in large part to the addition of Flex Titanium technology.

“Going with titanium was not just to make it thinner,” Kim said. “it actually helps you be durable and stable in the way you fold and unfold, so it's a combination of a lot of things coming together.”

Is the S Pen coming back?

The last Samsung foldable to feature the S Pen was the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but the company removed the digitizer in order to achieve a thinner design. It’s not coming back for the Fold 8 either, but Samsung isn’t closing the door on this feature.

When asked if Samsung would consider bringing back the S Pen, even if it means going from 4.1mm thick to 4.2mm, Kim said “we’ll definitely consider your suggestion.”

“In order to focus on S Pen we have to make trade-offs. In order to put in (a digitizer) you have to sacrifice thinness or different aspects. But I think we wanted to address the most important feedback we got from the market.”

Since this interview we have heard from another Samsung executive that confirmed that the company is open to bringing back the S Pen.

The (cautious) jump to silicon carbon batteries

While Chinese phone makers have been pushing out devices with ultra-high capacity silicon carbon batteries for well over a year, Samsung has been sitting on the sidelines. And that’s understandable given the safety concerns around embracing any new battery technology.

With its new foldable lineup, however, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8 make the jump to silicon carbon, delivering more capacity while keeping the designs super slim.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets a 5,000 mAh silicon carbon battery (up from 4,400 on the Fold 7). And the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 4,800 mAh battery.

While silicon carbon does enable much higher capacity batteries, there have been some concerns around battery swelling and shorter overall lifecycles.

“We have been testing the silicon batteries for quite some time,” Kim admitted. “We’re looking at being very — I wouldn’t say conservative — but more taking it one step at a time.”

The reason why Samsung is embracing silicon battery tech for foldables first is because you can’t simply put in a larger Li-ion battery, as it would balloon the designs.

“We’re doing a lot of testing and experimentation into how you make the product thin and light, and yet not push too much into the experimental stage,” Kim said.” “We have to be very confident that it’s durable and stable, and it has to be scalable.”

The Apple foldable threat

Apple is famously late to lots of categories, and it looks like we’ll be able to add foldable phones to that list later this year.

And even though this will be Apple’s very first stab at a foldable, they’ve had the luxury of studying the market for years and biding their time to introduce something they believe shoppers will want.

Analysts seem pretty high on Apple’s chances, with IDC predicting 22% worldwide market share in the first year and Counterpoint research projecting a whopping 48% share in North America. So I asked Kim about these numbers and what he thinks about the arrival of the iPhone Fold/Ultra.

“It’s hard to comment because I don’t know what they’re coming up with,” Kim said, “but I’m very confident that our product will be one that consumers will appreciate.”

Of course, Samsung itself has been studying foldables for a long time, and they have a lot of market data. “Our consumers are already using the product every day in the market,” Kim emphasized.

Kim also noted that 30% of consumers are “coming back to foldables.” So it could be someone who owned a foldable, then went to an S Series device, and then has returned to a Fold or Flip because the devices keep getting better.

Kim was also keen to subtly point out that Apple will likely only have a single foldable phone this fall while Samsung offers more choice.

“The market is actually moving pretty fast, and there's a lot of different needs, and we're trying to adapt to that,” Kim said. “Consumers should not be adopting a single size. We should be providing options.”

When will foldables truly be ‘successful’?

As we wound down our conversation with Jay Kim, my colleague Lance asked a pretty poignant question: “When do you consider the foldable category a success?”

But instead of just launching into his answer, Kim turned the question on us. “Do we see [foldables] as a success?”

Lance said yes from an engineering standpoint but not from a marketing one because foldables are still a tiny slice of the overall market (about 4%).

I said I saw things as a dichotomy. People who have purchased devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would call the category a success because they can enjoy the foldable experience without the usual penalties like a bulky design. But I also said success could look like 10% of the market, so 1 out of every 10 phones sold overall.

Kim told us that we could be “on the verge of foldables going mainstream” And it has a lot to do with Samsung making a bet on a totally new model in the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

“We’ve had these two form factors for a long time, Kim said. “Introducing another one is a bold move because it shows that we’re pretty confident in the category and how the market is going to react to it. I’m more excited about what’s to come.”

Foldable phone makers have declared war on the display crease, and this year could be the year a bunch of them make real progress. Samsung, in particular, has been slowly reducing the visibility of the crease over the past few years, but the recent launch of the Galaxy Z 8 series marks the most significant reduction to date.

Rumors suggested that Samsung had managed to eliminate the crease, but I can promise you that this isn't the case based on my experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra over the past day. Samsung has made a lot of progress in making the crease less visible, but it hasn't managed to hide it from view completely.

I should make it very clear from the get-go that the crease on the Z Fold 8 Ultra is rather difficult to see at a glance. Especially when you compare it to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which, despite its own screen refinements, still has a rather prominent crease down the middle of its foldable screen.

That being said, the visibility of the crease all depends on what the phone is doing and what the lighting conditions are like. For instance, having the screen switched on makes the crease a lot harder to notice than when it's switched off.

Bright, direct light is the worst offender for this. Which means that even though the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a new anti-reflective coating and a 3,000-nit display to aid performance in bright conditions, there's no hiding the prominent dip and warp running down the center of the screen.

That said, switch your location to a spot without bright and direct light, and the crease practically vanishes before your eyes. So long as the screen is switched on, that is.

Similarly, bright environments really highlight the warping around the center of the phone. However, it's not even close to as bad as the warping visible on the Z Fold 7. That level of warping is enough to visibly ruin whatever is on your screen, and is particularly pronounced in bright environments.

Tilting the screen around ruins the illusion too, but as long as you're avoiding direct light, it's still a bit of a struggle to see the crease on the Fold 8 Ultra.

Looking at the Z Fold 8 Ultra is only one part of the equation when it comes to the crease, though. Samsung doesn't seem to have made any headway in reducing the way the crease feels when you slide over it with your finger.

There's a noticeable bump, followed by a dip and another bump. It's not subtle, and the feeling is almost identical to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That suggests to me that the hinge design hasn't changed since last year, and the Flex titanium display doesn't seem to be doing much, if anything, to cushion everything underneath the display panel.

How this affects you is going to depend on how you use your Z Fold 8 or 8 Ultra. I've been using the larger screen in landscape mode, with the crease running from left to right, and that naturally means my thumb rolls over the crease quite a lot. Obviously, if I held the phone the other way, with the crease running from top to bottom, things would be totally different.

Obviously this is something prospective Galaxy Z Fold 8 owners need to be aware of. Just because Samsung has reduced the visibility of the Z Fold 8's crease by a considerable amount, it doesn't mean that you won't notice it. Whether that's because you're in a bright environment, or because you can't stop sliding over it while doing basic, everyday things on the larger screen.

Still, credit where credit is due, Samsung has done a lot to improve the look of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's display. Though now the real question is how it will compare to the upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra.

After all, Apple has reportedly been especially particular about the crease to the point where it apparently delayed the phone until it could be eliminated. But we'll have to wait until mid-to-late September to find out for sure.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Galaxy phone with a silicon carbon battery — here's why that's such a big deal
• No, the Fold 8 doesn't have an S Pen — but Samsung is ‘exploring’ its return for future Folds
• I held Samsung’s secret, canceled Z Fold 8 prototypes — and they killed the best one

I got to see all of Samsung’s new foldable phones, but only one emerged as my favorite. That title belongs to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, mainly due to how its wider design gives it an aspect ratio similar to an iPad mini, making it more suitable for watching videos.

But that’s not the main reason why I favor it. Instead, it’s how it steals the most unique feature of the Galaxy Z TriFold: its three-app side-by-side multitasking. While the more expensive Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra can run up to four apps simultaneously, the Z Fold 8 has the inherent advantage here because of how it lays them out.

Unmatched productivity

I’m much more demanding of my phone, so it’s no surprise why I prefer foldable phones like the Motorola Razr Fold that I’ve been using as my daily driver for the past couple of months. Unlike typical slab phones, notebook-style foldables are much better suited for running several apps simultaneously.

But what makes the Galaxy Z Fold 8 superior is how it adopts the side-by-side multitasking of the Galaxy Z TriFold. I’m specifically referring to how it can run three apps in their own windows, all at the same time — which it can do thanks to its 7.6-inch main display.

Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which has a more square aspect ratio when opened, the Z Fold 8 is more rectangular and can therefore display three apps side-by-side simultaneously. What's great about this layout is that all three windows remain proportionate, with the ability to save them as an app pair shortcut for quick access later. And if you need just one more app, you can launch a fourth in a separate floating window.

I tried running three apps on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s 8-inch main display, but it would really only let me run two properly. You can introduce a third app, but it forces the layout to change so that one app remains in full view on one side, while the other two share the remaining half. This isn’t ideal because those two apps get shrunken down to the point where they're almost unusable.

Way less dead space with videos

Notebook-style phones benefit from having large main displays, but they often waste that extra real estate whenever I watch videos on them. Since most videos are shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio, playing them on foldables with square aspect ratios results in the video only occupying the middle portion of the screen — leaving large, unused black bars on the top and bottom.

It’s a real waste, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is no exception. However, there’s much less dead space on the Z Fold 8. As a result, the letterboxing isn't as glaring, making the viewing experience feel more seamless. When I played the new "Avengers: Doomsday" trailer on both phones, it was pretty evident that the Z Fold 8 simply gives you a larger video player.

Well worth the trade-offs

Just to reiterate, three-app side-by-side multitasking that keeps every window the same size is exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — you won’t get it on the Z Fold 8 Ultra. But while this feature is helpful, there are still a few trade-offs to consider if you’re deciding between the two.

With the Z Fold 8, you’re getting a dual-camera setup that lacks a dedicated telephoto lens, as well as a smaller 4,800 mAh battery. However, for $200 less, I think these trade-offs still make the Z Fold 8 the superior choice for most people.

In fact, it shares plenty of top-tier hardware with the pricier Z Fold 8 Ultra — including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, the same amount of RAM, One UI 9 running on Android 17, 45W wired charging, and 20W wireless charging.

If those aren’t enough reasons to convince you, it’s also much more pocketable. When it’s closed, holding the phone and using its cover screen is much easier. I can reach all four corners with my thumb, whereas reaching the top corners on the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a real stretch. When you’re on the subway with one hand on a rail and the other on your phone, you’ll have an easier time with the Z Fold 8.

More from Tom’s Guide

• I hate paying for calorie-tracking apps, so I had Gemini analyze my food photos instead — here’s what it found
• I replaced my notebook with an AI pen for a month — here's what happened
• I used this AI note taker to record my meetings for a week — and it made my workdays more focused and productive

For a decade, Apple has essentially held my digital life hostage with iPhones. Every time I looked at an Android phone, the sheer dread of migrating my passwords, WhatsApp chats, and app layouts kept me firmly trapped in the Walled Garden. But with Android 17 on the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Google just handed me a pair of bolt cutters.

Enter Google’s new Android Switch iOS migration tool — named Smart Switch in the newly launched Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8. And all I’ll say is if switching operating systems is a dealbreaker for you — getting all the right apps, account logins and home screen layouts just right — all of that is gone.

This is a breakthrough for phone switchers, and a real leveler in the iOS vs Android war.

Just scan and go

It all starts with a QR code scan — no additional app required. At that point, I picked what apps and data I sent across, and it just…did it. Mostly.

There is the brutal reality I did face while switching: the software is pure magic, but physics still applies. I was staring down the barrel of a decade's worth of iPhone photos (514GB to be specific), and the Z Fold 8 simply didn't have the storage to swallow it all.

I had to make the agonizing choice to leave my photo library behind in the Apple ether. But once I made peace with that (and started a mass transfer to Amazon Photos with my Prime account)? What happened next was jaw-dropping.

Your Android phone will find its OS equivalents of the apps you have on your iPhone and install them all, all your messages, call logs and contacts, WhatsApp data, account logins and passwords, settings and even the way the apps are laid out on each home screen (as well as wallpaper) all make it over.

The only things you’ll need to do are log back into your apps with the saved details and add the Android equivalent to the widgets, as I saw with these suspicious gaps in my app layouts.

The elimination of basically all friction here is amazing to me — someone who’s seen both sides make it as awkward as possible for platform lock-in.

And even better? It just took me around 25-30 minutes wirelessly. Of course, mileage may vary depending on just how much data you’re sending over, but this was for roughly 55GB of total data.

Stick another five minutes on top for logging back into everything and setting up my bank card with Samsung Pay, and I was using the London Underground again as if nothing had happened.

What’s the catch?

So there is one small frustration that I came across — my first attempt came up with an internet connection problem. Basically, the migration didn’t start because the Android phone wasn’t connected to Wi-Fi. This could be because I was on my hotel’s network, and your home Wi-Fi may behave differently.

If that happens, just start the process as if you were setting up your Android phone from scratch, connect to Wi-Fi, then head back to the migration screen. That fixed it for me!

But beyond that, everything else was shockingly smooth on this transition, and surprisingly fast too. In all my years covering phones, I never expected to see iOS and Android playing nice together like this.

Put simply, the fear of platform lock-in should no longer be part of your purchase decision.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Galaxy phone with a silicon carbon battery — here's why that's such a big deal
• Samsung just added Automated Tasks and Gemini Notebook to Galaxy Z Fold 8 — here's what these AI features let you do
• I held Samsung’s secret, canceled Z Fold 8 prototypes — and they killed the best one

So the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is official, and it’s the next foldable to jump on the passport-sized trend with a shorter, wider form factor that makes it ideal for content consumption.

I do like it from my time testing it (bar that $1,899 price tag). Some of the ergonomic issues I saw with Huawei’s stubby foldable have been resolved in software, and having a nicer 4:3 aspect ratio gives your Netflix shows or websites much more screen space to fill than the squarer Z Fold 8 Ultra.

I had a chance to speak to Samsung’s design team head, Hubert Lee, about the decisions made to get to this form factor, and I got to hold some of the different-sized devices that were left on the cutting room floor. And…well…is this a safe space? Because I think they’ve dropped the ball by not going for something smaller here.

The story of the design

So how did Samsung land on the Z Fold 8? Well, it’s a long story of trying to balance emotional warmth and geometric symmetry — a mission that Lee labels “Emotive Geometry” — alongside 3D printing many different form factors for this new stubbier foldable.

After much experimentation with over 500 handmade mock-ups to evaluate grip, comfort and usability across different sizes and proportions, it became clear to the team that drawing inspiration from the passport was (in their words) a golden ratio.

• Smaller versions aimed at users with smaller hands were tested, but ultimately scrapped because they felt too similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 8
• Larger versions were also rejected because they were too close to the Z Fold 8 Ultra

And in the same spirit as Goldilocks trying out different beds and bowls of porridge, the company stumbled on what they believe is “just right.” Its ergonomic dimensions are specifically designed to be held and opened with a single hand, while being compact enough to be pocketable. And in my time using it, I can see how they arrived at that decision.

Yes, I’m a little disappointed that there’s still black bars with the 4:3 aspect ratio inside display, but you certainly get a lot more content on screen than you would with the productivity-focused Z Fold 8 Ultra.

But as I was shown these mockups, and got to hold them, I was left asking one question: did they make the right decision? I’m really not sure.

How small can you go?

I’ll admit this comes from a biased place. I loved my iPhone 12 mini and have always adored having smaller smartphones over the gigantic slabs that they’ve all become. So once I started holding these tiny options, my mind was spinning with the possibilities of what could’ve been.

Because yes, that smallest device is basically a Z Flip 8 turned sideways, but it also meant a 16:9 aspect ratio display inside — no black bezels whatsoever on your content! But if you still really wanted the same aspect ratios as the finished product, you’ve got smaller options that felt amazing in one hand.

Simply put, there's a lot more room for aspect ratio experimentation if content consumption was the key mission here, and I think Samsung's really missed an opportunity here to do something that breaks new ground.

Now, I know what one of your many responses will be here. “What about battery life?” As you already know, there’s a 4,800mAh silicon carbon cell inside to maximize the balance between longevity and making this the lightest Galaxy Fold.

With that technology (and a touch more thickness), it could be argued that you could still find that good balance. We’ve seen standard smartphones go all the way up to 7,000mAh with this new battery tech, so it’s not fantasy to believe the same could happen here.

Take me back to small phones

I know I may be in a minority here — after all, every time a company tried to make a small phone, they quickly pivoted to big screens (RIP iPhone mini). However, foldables give you the best of both worlds, and while I do appreciate the intentional choice of Samsung here, I feel there was a better golden ratio right in front of them.

Passport-sized foldables are definitely all the rage right now, as Apple looks set to join this party real soon. But holding these smaller options sent my mind spinning on what could’ve been.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• Forget iPhone 18 Pro — iPhone 20 tipped to get Apple’s biggest screen upgrade ever
• Light just announced a $299 flip phone to cure screen addiction — and its co-founder convinced me to embrace being bored again

It appears likely that Apple is looking to make a big shift in how it treats leased iPhones and payment plans. The changes include a new Upgrade Program and leaked iOS 27 beta code that suggests Apple could restrict iPhones when customers skip payments.

Apple Upgrade Program

The code leak (from 9to5Mac) appears to coincide with a report from yesterday that Apple is planning to ditch the iPhone Upgrade Program in favor of one that lets you lease different Apple devices.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will partner with Klarna to finance the program, which would cover most iPhones, Macs, MacBooks, iPads and Apple Watches, save the entry-level models. The leases would run between 24 and 36 months depending on which device you get.

Like car leases, the Program would let you pay off your device or upgrade to a new model before the lease ends. At the end of the term, you could keep the device or return it.

iOS 27

With that in mind, according to 9to5Mac, iOS 27 contains code that reveals a "broader system for managing a financed iPhone." This system apparently includes the ability to restrict apps and service if a payment is missed.

There is something called App Managed Features which would authorize financing and perform status checks, presumably to ensure payments have been made.

If a payment is missed, the iPhone would be put in "Restricted Mode." This mode "blocks access to most apps." A small set of apps would remain available, including:

• Accessibility Reader
• App Store
• Health
• Magnifier
• Phone
• Clock
• Settings
• Wallet
• Passwords
• The Restricted Mode interface itself

Some apps like Messages and Home or safety apps might also remain accessible. Though it seems the financial provider has control over the exceptions.

Apparently, the number of missed payments that trigger Restricted Mode is up to the financial provider and their policies.

When could Restricted Mode arrive?

Apple is rumored to launch the new Apple Upgrade Program next week on July 28. However, 9to5Mac couldn't find references to the Restricted Mode in the current beta code or iOS 26.6 RC, which was released yesterday.

It's possible Apple could launch either feature later.

We'll know in less than a week whether or not Apple decides to actually launch its revised Upgrade Program.

More from Tom's Guide

• Forget iPhone 18 Pro — iPhone 20 tipped to get Apple’s biggest screen upgrade ever
• New report details huge Mac overhaul for MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Studio
• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get

The last time we saw a Galaxy Z Fold with S Pen support it was the Galaxy Z Fold 6. But Samsung ditched the digitizer on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in order to make the device as thin as possible.

The bad news is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra don’t bring the S Pen back. Samsung is clearly still prioritizing thinness while also rolling out new innovations like Flex Titanium to make the new foldables close to crease-free.

But don’t write off the S Pen just yet.

S Pen comeback?

During a Q&A session with Samsung EVP HS Moon here in London ahead of Galaxy Unpacked, he seemed open to the idea of a stylus returning to the (ahem) Fold.

“Our decisions are always shaped around the priorities that we have for that generation (of foldable phones), and for this generation, our priorities were about offering foldables that were slimmer, lighter, and basically more portable devices that also offer large viewing experiences,” said Moon through an interpreter.

Moon said that Samsung will monitor user reactions and that Samsung is "committed to providing the maximum user experience.”

Here’s the money quote though: “We continue to explore and consider various more innovative technologies that incorporate (a) digitizer and S Pen in an even slimmer form factor,” Moon said.

What’s great about this statement — to me, anyway — is that Samsung doesn’t seem willing to sacrifice the thinness of the design in order to incorporate S Pen support, even though I’m sure there are some users out there who wouldn’t mind trading 0.1mm of thickness in their foldable for a stylus.

Privacy Display could be coming to foldables, too

So what about the Privacy Display feature found on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Designed to block content from would-be onlookers, it’s one of the best display innovations in years. But this also didn’t make its way to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

Fortunately, Samsung is keenly aware of the buzz and seems willing to at least probe if it’s possible for the Galaxy Fold lineup.

“We are very happy to see all of the positive excitement and the user feedback about the (Privacy Display) feature that we offered for the first time in the S26 series,” Moon shared. “We continue to explore various possibilities of expanding our advanced technologies across our lineup, and that would include Privacy Display as well.”

Samsung's Galaxy Z 8 series foldables are getting a major battery upgrade, and it's not just because of the capacity boost. Samsung has confirmed that it has made the switch to silicon carbon batteries this year, ditching the traditional lithium ion power packs in favor of something that packs a bit more of a punch.

It's a surprise to hear that this is happening so soon — given Samsung's previous hesitance to discuss when it might introduce silicon carbon batteries. Considering various brands have already made the switch, it's great to see that one of the major holdouts has decided now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.

Here's what you need to know about silicon carbon batteries and what it means for prospective Samsung users.

What are the benefits of silicon carbon?

The main thing you need to know about batteries is that their capacity is linked to their size. A lot of work has been done to improve the density of lithium ion batteries over the years, but there's only so much you can do to shrink them down. That becomes a problem when you're trying to design devices to be super thin and light.

Silicon carbon is a whole new kind of battery design that utilizes silicon on the anode instead of pure graphite, and the key benefit is that it offers far better energy density. In other words, you can pack more power into a smaller space compared to traditional lithium ion batteries. That's particularly important for foldables, which pride themselves on being ultra-thin and lightweight — despite essentially being two phones bolted together.

We've already seen the benefits with the OnePlus 15, which has offers a 7,300 mA battery without any meaningful increase in size or weight. In fact, not only is the phone only a single gram heavier than the 6,000 mAh OnePlus 13, it's actually 0.8mm thinner than its predecessor.

In terms of the Galaxy Z 8 series, we're seeing a 600 mAh jump between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — boosting the battery capacity to 5,000 mAh. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is sitting pretty with 4,800 mAh, while the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is sadly stuck at 4,300 mAh.

Why has Samsung switched now?

Speaking ahead of Unpacked, Kadesh Beckford, Smartphone Specialist Product Manager at Samsung, said the switch to silicon carbon batteries has all been about improving the customer experience — thanks to the ability to offer more power in a smaller space.

In fact the switch to Silicon Carbon is one of the main ways Samsung has been able to add larger batteries to the Z8 series without increasing their size or weight. In fact, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is almost identical in size and shape to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the Z Fold 8 is the lightest book-style foldable ever released.

That said, this decision was not one Samsung took lightly. Back in February Sung-Hoon Moon Samsung's Executive VP and Head of Smartphone R&D, admitted that silicon carbon batteries had not passed Samsung's "very rigorous validation standards."

Beckford also emphasized that Samsung had done its due diligence before adopting silicon carbon. He also emphasized the fact that silicon carbon was how Samsung added such large batteries to the Galaxy Z 8 series, and how much battery life was being improved as a result. Which is a pretty obvious benefit for the end user.

The caution is somewhat understandable from Samsung's perspective. Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Galaxy Note 7, which was an unmitigated disaster for Samsung due to various flaws in the phone's (then) new battery design. The absolute last thing Samsung needs is to make the switch to silicon carbon and have something similar happen again.

The good news is that silicon carbon has already proven itself across a multitude of devices, even if the likes of Apple and Google have so far chosen to stick with a traditional lithium ion battery design.

Here's hoping that Samsung's switch gives them an incentive to jump on the bandwagon themselves — especially since the iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumored to be the heaviest iPhone ever, weighing in with a gargantuan 240 grams (8.4 ounces).

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch Summer Galaxy Unpacked 2026 — Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, Flip 8 and more
• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• Light just announced a $299 flip phone to cure screen addiction — and its co-founder convinced me to embrace being bored again

There’s a whole lot to be excited about if you’ve been using Samsung’s signature lineup of smartphones.

With all the news emanating from this year’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, it’s easy to see why — there’s a multitude of brand new smartphone models on the way with a host of Android-powered features that push its capabilities beyond the ones you’ve owned thus far. The unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8, and Flip8 showcased the consumer electronics company’s penchant for releasing some of the most impressive smartphones on the market.

And as expected, Samsung is tapping into the Google Android ecosystem to bring new forms of AI integration to its newest smartphones. Gemini Intelligence and Gemini Notebook (formerly known as NotebookLM) will be a major part of your daily reliance on Samsung’s latest mobile devices, as they look to help you finish your everyday chores, handle extensive research and more.

Gemini Intelligence and Gemini Notebook inside Samsung’s latest phones

Task automation is the central theme when talking about what Gemini Intelligence is bringing to the new Samsung smartphone lineup.

While in beta, Gemini Intelligence could fulfill certain requests, such as ordering takeout or requesting a rideshare, through direct support from a group of apps. Now those day-to-day life tasks that you can relegate to Gemini Intelligence are getting even more app assistance, now that more than 40 apps have become compatible with that AI feature. Asking Gemini to order an item from Etsy is now possible, along with a host of other simple tasks — buying concert tickets, making dinner reservations and booking flights are among the many ways this new AI feature will improve your Samsung smartphone experience.

Gemini will also be able to see and understand what's on your screen as it acknowledges your requests and recognizes complex images as prompts. Plus, you’ll be able to open other apps, close your phone or follow the step-by-step progress of Gemini’s work while it attempts to complete your command. It’s worth noting that you can expand upon your latest prompt with an additional detail, which Gemini has no problem incorporating into its current task. Simply long-pressing the Flex Window’s power button on the Galaxy Z Flip8 lets you quickly access Gemini’s task automation feature.

As for what Gemini Notebook is bringing to the latest Samsung foldable smartphone collection, this AI tool will come pre-installed. Working with those models’ side-by-side screen as a mini-workspace is now possible with Notebook’s ability to answer questions about the topic you’re researching and the sources connected to that subject. And just like its desktop version, Notebook’s mobile iteration will integrate your uploaded documents, photos, whiteboard images, voice recordings and more into your research projects. Notebook’s chat functionality can take your research and transform it into different forms of study material, such as slide decks, videos, flash cards, quizzes and a podcast.

To give owners of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 a peek into just how useful Notebook’s AI features can be, Samsung is giving them all a six-month trial of Google AI Pro on those phones. That subscription comes with even more useful Notebook features, which include Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, Slides, and more.

Other pieces of Samsung gear, such as the Galaxy Watch 9 and intelligent eyewear developed alongside major brands such as Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, will also come with their own Gemini-powered features.

Bottom line

With a newly announced array of foldable smartphones that make great use of Gemini Intelligence and Gemini Notebook, its users will be sure to grow accustomed to handling life’s simpler tasks and more complex ones with both AI tools at their disposal. Making one’s daily routine just a little less of a headache and more easily manageable with Google’s AI features makes Samsung’s newest smartphones a worthwhile pickup.

More from Tom’s Guide

• I hate paying for calorie-tracking apps, so I had Gemini analyze my food photos instead — here’s what it found
• I replaced my notebook with an AI pen for a month — here's what happened
• I used this AI note taker to record my meetings for a week — and it made my workdays more focused and productive

For years now, we’ve had two kinds of foldable phones. While notebook-style models like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 tend to get superior specs and features, I’ve often preferred flip phones instead, largely for their pocketable design and how they’re better suited for vlogging.

Now that I’ve gotten some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, I feel a bit let down. That’s because it feels like a simple, iterative upgrade that doesn’t quite leave as deep an impression on me as, say, the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

I know, it’s surprising because I’ve clamored for flip phones in the past. What makes it even harder to like is the $100 price hike — bringing it to $1,199 — which makes me question if it has what it takes to justify the higher cost.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Release date and price

You can score a pre-order for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 starting today, July 22, with general retail availability starting August 7 at major carriers and select retailers.

However, the Z Flip 8 commands a higher $1,199 price tag for the base model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s a tough pill to swallow because it’s approaching flagship territory alongside devices like the Galaxy S26 Ultra — a phone that inherently offers a more robust camera system, a larger battery, and more productivity features. In the past, there was a huge price gap between the flagship Galaxy S model and Samsung's flip phones, but not anymore.

While I find the new Pink colorway particularly charming, it also comes in standard Graphite and Cream, along with a Mint option exclusive to Samsung.com.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Design and displays

On paper, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is technically thinner than its predecessor, measuring 0.24-inches when unfolded and 0.52-inches folded — and it’s also lighter at 6.35 ounces. Samsung likes to tout that it's the thinnest and lightest Flip model to date, which it is, but that trim comes at the expense of being a smidge taller and wider. Now, if it were as thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge, then maybe I’d be more impressed, but it isn’t.

Despite these dimensional tweaks, the design language remains unchanged, which is part of the reason it feels a bit boring. It’s still sturdy and solidly constructed, featuring an Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and an IP48 water resistance rating.

Just as before, it’s rocking a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display and a 4.1-inch FlexWindow cover screen that look crisp and bright thanks to Vision Booster, but visually, there isn't much to write home about.

If you're looking to give the familiar design some fresh personality, Samsung introduced a couple of new Flipsuit covers that I checked out that are genuinely worth a look, thanks to their charming FlexWindow animations and embedded LEDs. They’re exactly the kind of thing that makes flip phones feel more personable.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Cameras

I’ll give it this much: the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is still a better phone for vlogging than either the Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra. That’s primarily due to its form factor, which is far better suited for capturing video using the rear cameras alongside the FlexWindow display. But that’s where the praise ends.

If you were hoping for a major hardware upgrade, prepare for a bit of disappointment because it features the exact same camera specs as before: a 50MP main sensor with 2x optical-quality zoom, 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP selfie camera. All of their apertures are also identical, which leads me to suspect that we won’t see any drastic leap in overall photo or video quality.

Instead, all of Samsung's effort went into software refinements and new recording functions. For example, it borrows the new Super Steady Horizontal Lock feature first introduced with the Galaxy S26, along with a hands-free Camcorder Grip with Zoom Rocker and an improved Mirror view for more expressive selfies.

While these software features are nice additions for content creators, I still would have much preferred actual hardware upgrades — like a larger main sensor or a faster aperture — to truly justify a generational jump.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Performance

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, paired with a generous 12GB of RAM. I’m pretty confident benchmark scores will show it’s a powerhouse on par with the rest of the Galaxy S26 series, and from what I could see during my hands-on time, it delivers roughly the same level of responsiveness as those other phones.

For standard tasks like messaging, watching YouTube clips, and multitasking, it feels fast and fluid. While I don’t think there's a massive leap in responsiveness during typical use, those benchmark scores might ultimately show that the processor is the biggest upgrade on the Z Flip 8.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Battery & Charging

Looking at the specs, you might notice that it packs a 4,300 mAh battery — but there’s a surprising difference under the hood. Even though it’s technically the same capacity as last year, Samsung’s switch to a silicon-carbon battery this time around plays a pivotal role in making the phone thinner and lighter without sacrificing capacity.

However, while the physical tech is impressive, it remains to be seen whether this setup translates to noticeably longer real-world endurance. I suspect it will improve, largely thanks to the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Unfortunately, Samsung still caps the Galaxy Z Flip 8 at 25W wired and 15W fast wireless charging. Given the price bump this year, I was hoping to see wired charging bumped up to 45W. And did I mention there's no magnetic charging? It would've been a great addition, but it's another missed opportunity.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Software and AI

AI has been a pivotal focus for Samsung with each new device generation, but there’s a bit of a pause this time around with the One UI 9 experience running on top of Android 17. There aren’t many new Galaxy AI features that weren’t already introduced with the Galaxy S26 earlier this year.

Instead, there are subtle tweaks to Now Brief and Now Nudge. What I’m really eager to test out more is how Gemini task automation has expanded to support 40+ apps and services. I’ve already been impressed by how I was able to ask Gemini to order me Dunkin’ via DoorDash, so I’m genuinely excited to see what more complex tasks it can handle.

Multitasking remains virtually identical to previous generations as well, offering the same familiar split-screen view and pop-up window when you unfold the main display. It also inherits the same Samsung DeX experience as the Galaxy S26 series, giving users access to four workspaces with up to five apps running in each.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Outlook

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 lands in a tricky position. While it’s undeniably Samsung's sleekest and most refined flip phone to date, the lack of meaningful hardware upgrades is hard to ignore. Sticking with the same cameras, screen dimensions, and charging speeds makes this feel far more like an incremental update.

Pair that lack of hardware innovation with a $100 price hike—bringing the starting price to $1,199—and the Z Flip 8 becomes a much tougher sell. At this price point, it creeps dangerously close to traditional flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra, which offer superior camera systems, larger batteries, and far more robust productivity features.

I could be proven wrong once full testing is complete—especially considering it’s packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and adopting a silicon-carbon battery—but it’s still shaping up to be a tough sell.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-orders begin today ahead of an August 8 release date. Prices starts at $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,949.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.
• I love big phones and I cannot lie — and here are the best you can buy right now

Apple is reportedly planning on ditching its long-running iPhone Upgrade plan for a new "leasing" program. The new "Apple Upgrade" program is allegedly going to launch at the end of the month.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new plan will be similar to how a car lease works with options to upgrade a new device early or keep or return the iPhone at the end of the lease.

One upside of the plan is that it will supposedly cover most Apple devices including iPhones, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models. Apple is allegedly partnering with Klarna, a digital banking platform based out of Sweden. You may be most familiar with Klarna and its "Pay Later" program, similar to offerings from PayPal and Affirm.

However, entry-level devices like the base model iPad, Apple Watch SE and MacBook Neo are reportedly not eligible for the new program. Additionally, Apple is not including AppleCare with the plan, unlike the iPhone Upgrade Program. Unfortunate since Apple just raised AppleCare subscription prices.

How the 'Apple Upgrade' program could work

Per Gurman, starting July 28 this Apple Upgrade program would replace the iPhone Upgrade plan with 24-month leases for iPhones and Apple Watches, and 36-month leases for iPads and Macs. Apparently, you will need to be approved via a soft credit check.

Current iPhone Upgrade subscribers can upgrade to the newest model, presuming they've kept up 12 months of payments. Gurman says you'll be able to upgrade to a new model earlier if you want, like a car lease. That would just extend the lease another two years.

Allegedly, Apple is planning to pitch the change as a way for customers to have lower payments versus current financing programs. Most customers, at least in the U.S., who don't purchase directly from Apple likely lock into contracts with the big three network carriers that offer "free" iPhones, but really it's subsidized into your bill over the contract period.

What it replaces

The iPhone Upgrade Program has existed since 2015 as a way for Apple-buyers to upgrade to the premium iPhone at a lower monthly cost than the upfront price. It is (or was) marketed as a first-party program directly through Apple.

Importantly, the iPhone Upgrade program let you get a new iPhone every year (after 12 installments) without being tied to one carrier. Apple also threw in its AppleCare+ warranty, which includes up to two years of hardware repairs, software support and up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage (subject to an additional service fee).

Beyond that, it means Apple is operating through a new partner, Klarna, instead of Citizens One in the U.S. and Barclays in the U.K. It mostly means that Apple continues not having to bear the risk of financing.

It's not clear from Gurman's report if current subscribers to the iPhone Upgrade Program will be pushed over to the new Apple Upgrade plan, especially with the lack of AppleCare.

Lease to own?

One of the fears surrounding the ongoing RAM crisis is that companies will force you to rent your computers instead owning them moving forward. This does feel like Apple attempting to build their version of that concept.

Earlier this year, comments made by Amazon's Jeff Bezos resurfaced when he claimed that computing wasn't going to be something rented off the grid. "That's not going to last. It makes no sense. You're going to buy compute off the grid. That's AWS," Bezos predicted.

In February, HP launched a laptop subscription service that lets you pay a monthly fee for an AI-powered PC that starts around $34.99 per month. We did the math and found that after three years, you'd be overpaying for the laptops.

Phones and laptops are expensive, with starting prices for a decent model starting around $700. For many, having that kind of scratch on hand can be tough, but a phone and laptop are nearly essential in today's world.

Plus, as we've repeatedly found with digital games, movies and ebooks, it means you don't own the product, which also means companies can take them away whenever they want.

The next big fight in tech between the little guy and big corporations may be over the right to own the things we pay for.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27 beta 4 is now here — all the newest features for your iPhone
• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• The ultimate guide to buying a MacBook after Apple's RAM crisis price surge