Apple answered the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but not the Fold 8 Ultra

Apple’s first foldable phone has arrived with an impressive set of features. The iPhone Duo even offers several things the Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn’t, including stylus support and IP68 dust and water resistance.

But the Galaxy Z Fold 8 isn’t Samsung’s only foldable. Sitting above it is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Apple has nothing that directly competes with it.

The iPhone Duo is Apple’s answer to the standard Fold 8. It isn’t an answer to the Fold 8 Ultra.

The similarities between the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 are impossible to miss.

Both use the same short-and-wide passport-style design. Both have 7.6-inch foldable displays, shorter/wider cover screens, and two rear cameras. Their US prices are also separated by just $100, with the Fold 8 starting at $1,899 and the iPhone Duo at $1,999.

The two phones are meant for similar buyers. Their wider inner screens work particularly well for watching videos, gaming, and reading.

Samsung, however, also offers a larger and more traditional book-style foldable. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has an 8-inch inner display and a 6.5-inch cover screen, compared to the iPhone Duo’s 7.6-inch and 5.4-inch displays.

The Fold 8’s wide inner display is excellent for entertainment and reading, but it isn’t always a natural fit for apps designed around vertical content.

Social media feeds, websites, Gmail, and several other apps work better when the Fold 8 is rotated into portrait orientation. In its default unfolded position, the display is wide and short, so less vertical content fits on the screen.

The Fold 8 Ultra’s taller unfolded orientation is better suited to those apps. It provides more vertical space without requiring the user to rotate the device every time they open Instagram, X, or the browser.

Neither approach is universally better. The important difference is that Samsung gives buyers both options. Apple doesn’t.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also has a more capable rear camera setup than either the Fold 8 or iPhone Duo.

Samsung’s Ultra foldable features a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a dedicated 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

The standard Fold 8 has two 50MP cameras and no telephoto lens. The iPhone Duo uses two 48MP cameras and similarly relies on cropping from its main sensor for 2x optical-quality zoom.

Sensor resolution alone doesn’t determine image quality. But software cannot completely replace a dedicated optical zoom camera. The Fold 8 Ultra is for anyone who wants a more versatile camera system on a foldable, even if it's not as versatile as some would like.

Despite having larger displays and an additional rear camera, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is substantially thinner and lighter than Apple’s foldable.

The Fold 8 Ultra weighs 215 grams, while the iPhone Duo weighs 254 grams. The former is, therefore, 39 grams lighter despite being the larger phone.

It is also just 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.1mm when unfolded. The iPhone Duo measures 11.3mm and 5.2mm, respectively.

The standard Fold 8 remains Samsung’s lightest option at 201 grams, but the Ultra’s combination of size, weight, and thickness is arguably even more impressive.

The Ultra also has a 5,000mAh battery, compared to the Fold 8’s 4,800mAh capacity. Apple claims longer video playback for the Duo, so battery life isn’t necessarily a victory for Samsung.

Still, the larger battery helps the Ultra drive its bigger displays without making the device unusually heavy or thick.

Many of Samsung’s software and hardware advantages are available on both Fold 8 models, so they aren’t reasons to choose the Ultra over the standard model.

But they are still advantages over the iPhone Duo. One UI supports three apps in split-screen mode and can open apps in floating pop-up windows. Apple’s foldable is limited to two apps side by side.

The Fold 8 Ultra also supports Samsung DeX, reverse wireless charging, physical SIM cards, face recognition in addition to fingerprint scanning, and 8K video recording.

Unlike the Fold 8, it can remain open at different angles as well, giving it proper Flex Mode functionality like Apple's iPhone Duo.

The iPhone Duo isn't an inferior foldable. Apple’s device has an IP68 rating, while the Fold 8 Ultra remains limited to IP48.

It supports the Apple Pencil, uses an under-display camera, and has a nano-texture finish that reduces reflections and gives the big display a paper-like feel (at the expense of some contrast).

Apple also claims longer battery life. Its software could offer a more polished and consistent experience, even if its multitasking capabilities are more limited.

However, those advantages don’t change the iPhone Duo's position in the market. At $1,999, it competes directly with the $1,899 Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra costs $2,099 in the US, which is only $100 more than Apple’s foldable. For that additional $100, Samsung offers larger displays, a dedicated zoom camera, a 200MP main camera, a thinner body, and a form factor better suited to productivity and vertically scrolling apps.

Apple has delivered a serious competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with its first attempt. But until it launches a larger and more capable foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra remains unanswered.