Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has two hidden features for serious videographers

Almost every new Galaxy Z Fold phone has offered upgraded camera hardware over its predecessor. Samsung’s newest device in the lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, is no different. It features a new ultra-wide camera compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Imaging is one of the most important aspects of a smartphone, and that's also why Samsung didn’t stop at offering improved hardware. It has packed the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with many additional camera software features over the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

While the company has highlighted many of them, two features that didn't get much limelight are the APV codec and Cine LUT. Here’s what they do.

Most Samsung and Android phones let you record videos in two formats — HEVC and H.264. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lets you record videos in the APV codec as well. APV was first introduced with the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

APV stands for Advanced Professional Video and has been developed by Samsung. This video codec offers a much higher bitrate than the HEVC and H.264 codecs.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra provides two APV quality options: APV 422 HQ and APV 422 LQ. At 4K60FPS, APV 422 HQ and APV 422 LQ have bitrates of 1,592Mbps and 812Mbps, respectively, compared to just 52Mbps for HEVC HDR.

That means a one-minute 4K60FPS video recorded using APV 422 HQ will be around 11.94GB, compared to about 390MB when recorded in HEVC HDR. The larger file size theoretically means the video retains more detail.

While APV files are around 30 times larger than HEVC files, don't expect them to deliver 30 times better picture quality. When you play back two videos of the same scene side by side, the differences may only be marginal.

So, what is the benefit of the APV codec? Since videos recorded using this codec contain more information, they are better suited for professional editing. In Samsung’s own words, “APV recordings retain visual lossless clarity even after multiple rounds of editing.”

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lets you record APV videos in both HDR and LOG. You can also use the codec across all available recording resolutions, including 4K120FPS and 8K30FPS. To record videos in APV, go to Camera settings > Video format and enable the APV option.

Since APV videos require a large amount of space, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra provides you with an option to record these videos directly to an external storage device, such as a pendrive or external HDD and SSD.

To use this feature, go to Camera settings and enable the Save to external storage feature. This forces all video to be saved to external storage as long as external storage is connected to the device. If nothing is connected, videos are saved on internal storage as usual.

Samsung also offers a Safe save toggle. When enabled, it saves APV videos in multiple fragmented parts to reduce the chance of data loss if USB storage is accidentally disconnected. However, this option limits recording time to 10 minutes.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 was the first device in the Fold lineup to support LOG video recording. If you don’t know what that is, you can learn more about it in our dedicated article on the topic.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra makes the feature even more useful by allowing you to record LOG videos in the APV format, as mentioned earlier. This is where Cine LUT comes into play.

Cine LUT stands for Cinematic Look-Up Table, and it can give LOG videos, which have a flat, desaturated color profile, a specific look. At this point, you might be thinking that a color filter can do that as well.

While that's partly true, a LUT goes much further. Instead of simply overlaying a color effect, it remaps color, brightness, and contrast to create a cinematic look while preserving the subtle tonal details captured in LOG footage.

With the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, you can preview a LUT while recording and apply it to your LOG videos directly from the Gallery app. It makes professional-looking color grading much easier without requiring desktop editing software. You get four Cine LUT options to choose from: Thriller, Blockbuster, Coming-of-age, and Romance.

APV codec and Cine LUT may not matter to casual users. But they make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra a much more capable tool for content creators and videographers looking to get the most out of the phone's cameras.