Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 vs Z Fold8 vs Z Fold8 Ultra: Which foldable camera fits your shooting style?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8, Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra suit different ways of taking photos and videos. The Flip8 is especially convenient for selfies and filming yourself: you can use the rear cameras while it is folded, or set it down partly open to record hands-free.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra give you larger screens for framing and reviewing shots, and both offer macro photography and advanced video recording. The Fold8 Ultra adds a higher-resolution main camera and a dedicated telephoto for closer photos of subjects farther away.

The three camera systems at a glance:

All three let you use the rear cameras for selfies while framing yourself on the cover screen.

On the Galaxy Z Flip8, open the Camera app on the FlexWindow cover screen while the phone is folded, and you can start taking selfies with the 50 MP main camera straight away.

With the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra, you instead unfold the phone, open Camera and enable Cover screen preview. Turn the phone around so the rear cameras face you, then drag the lock icon on the cover screen to bring up the shooting controls there.

That lets you take selfies with the Fold8's 50 MP main camera or the Fold8 Ultra's 200 MP main camera. All three phones support switching to the ultrawide camera as well.

The Flip8 is the simplest choice for quick rear-camera selfies while the phone is folded. For the highest-resolution option, the Fold8 Ultra offers 200 MP capture, while the Fold8 supports the same unfolded shooting setup with a 50 MP main camera.

All three offer 2x optical quality zoom using a crop from the main camera's sensor. You stay on the same camera rather than switching to a separate lens. It is useful for portraits or photographing food without moving the phone closer.

The Galaxy Z Flip8 and Fold8 support up to 10x total zoom in Photo mode. The Fold8 Ultra adds a dedicated 3x optical telephoto camera and goes up to 30x total zoom.

The dedicated zoom camera is useful for photographing or filming a performer on stage, or taking a photo of your pet without having to move closer. Optical image stabilisation helps keep the shot steadier as small movements of the phone become more noticeable at higher zoom levels.

On the Fold8 Ultra, the zoom options are .6x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 10x, 20x and 30x. Zooming beyond 3x uses digital zoom, with 30x useful for getting a closer look at text on a distant sign.

On the Fold8 and Flip8, you can choose between .6x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 10x. On all three phones, .6x switches to the ultra-wide camera, useful for when you need to fit more into the picture.

Portrait mode has its own zoom choices. The Fold8 and Flip8 let you adjust between 1x and 2x, while the Fold8 Ultra offers 1x, 2x, 3x and 5x, with intermediate levels available too.

Of these three phones, the Fold8 Ultra is the best fit if you frequently photograph subjects farther away and want a dedicated zoom camera.

The Galaxy Z Flip8 is especially convenient for filming yourself. You can stand it upright in Flex mode by partially unfolding it, record with the rear cameras and see your preview on the cover screen at the same time.

Whether you’re recording a workout or talking to the camera, you can check your framing on the cover screen while having the option to switch between the wide and ultrawide cameras and record at up to 4K at 60 fps.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra offers a different hands-free setup. Open the camera app, partially unfold the phone and place it down in landscape. Use the inner camera to record yourself while watching the preview on the foldable display.

The inner camera on the Fold8 Ultra also records at up to 4K at 60 fps. Its 100-degree field of view is useful when you want to fit other people into the shot with you.

For videos where you’re moving around, you can turn on Auto framing. It automatically adjusts the zoom to help keep you in the frame, both before you press Record and during filming. It works with front and rear cameras on all three phones at 4K or Full HD at 30 fps.

For someone who regularly records themselves, the Flip8's combination of an upright stand, rear cameras and a preview facing them is particularly useful.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra are the two to choose for macro photography. Both use their 50 MP ultrawide cameras for close-ups.

Move close to a subject in Photo mode and Focus enhancer can automatically switch to the ultra-wide camera. That is useful for photographing a flower up close, for example. A button in the viewfinder lets you turn Focus enhancer off.

For close-up video, you can manually select the ultra-wide camera by tapping the .6x button in the viewfinder.

All three support Nightography^[1] video, with processing that helps reduce noise and retain colour and detail in low-light photos and videos.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra's main camera has an F1.7 aperture, while the Fold8 and Flip8 use F1.8 main cameras. Both Folds have an F1.9 ultra-wide, and the Flip8's ultra-wide uses an F2.2 aperture.

The ProVisual Engine handles image processing on all three. In video, it helps footage from a concert or another dimly lit event retain colour and detail without requiring you to change modes. Auto FPS is another option for brighter low-light video, adjusting the frame rate automatically.

For night photos, you can also stand the Flip8 or Fold8 Ultra partially folded on a flat surface thanks to Flex mode. Keeping the phone still can help produce clearer shots when a longer exposure is needed.

The two Folds offer the most recording options, including 8K and APV support on both. The Flip8 is the most convenient for filming yourself hands-free.

Both the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra offer 8K at 30 fps on their wide and ultra-wide cameras in standard Video mode. By switching to Pro video mode, you can also shoot at other frame rates, including 25 fps and 24 fps.

Both Fold8 models also support the APV, or Advanced Professional Video, codec. This codec is designed to preserve detail even after multiple rounds of editing, which is useful if you tend to put your videos through a lot of post-production.

All three phones record 4K videos at up to 60 fps with their front and rear cameras. You can switch between the rear cameras and between the rear and front cameras while recording, so a single clip can capture footage of what’s in front of you and yourself.

Log recording and Cine LUT are available on all three as well. When recording in Log, Cine LUT applies a selected colour treatment to both the live preview and the saved video, so you can see the final look while filming.

For handheld recording, Super Steady^[2] reduces camera shake, while Super Steady with Horizontal Lock can keep the frame level even when you turn the camera upside down. That’s useful when you’re walking and recording at the same time, as the phone can tilt in your hand.

Both modes work with the wide and ultra-wide cameras. The Flip8 supports QHD and Full HD at 30 fps, while both Folds offer those resolutions at 30 or 60 fps.

The Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, and Flip8 also come with the My FanCam^[3] feature. My FanCam can take a video containing several people and create a cropped version that follows one selected person.

Suppose you recorded a football match, concert, or another event. My FanCam lets you select one of the people in the video and Galaxy AI^[4] then tracks them as they move. It automatically adjusts the framing and keeps that person in the centre of the new clip.

You can choose the aspect ratio of the new clip and switch between portrait and landscape regardless of the original video’s orientation, which is useful if you want to, for example, turn a standard wide video into a vertical clip for social media.

Yes, and there are a couple of reasons. Cover screen preview lets the people you’re photographing see the shot on the cover screen so they can adjust their pose, expression, and position while you frame the shot on the main display.

On the Flip8, you can place the phone down like a tripod with Cover screen preview turned on so you can join the group instead of being left out of the picture or video.

You can use the ultra-wide rear camera to fit more people into the frame while keeping the preview visible on the cover screen. On the Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra, the 10 MP inner camera offers another option for group selfies, thanks to its 100-degree field of view.

Yes. The Dual recording button in the Camera app’s quick controls lets you film yourself and the scene in front of you at the same time. You can use a split-screen or picture-in-picture layout and choose to save one combined video or two separate files.

Both Folds support 4K and Full HD resolution at 30 fps for Dual recording. The Flip8 records in Full HD at 30 fps. Cover screen preview also works during Dual recording on all three phones.

For more camera-pairing choices, you can install Samsung’s Camera Assistant app and enable the dedicated Dual rec mode. On all three phones, this lets you record with the wide and ultra-wide rear cameras together, or pair a rear camera with the front camera. The Fold8 Ultra also includes its telephoto among the selectable cameras.

Choose the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra if you prioritise high-resolution photos and optical zoom. Its 200 MP main camera gives you more detail for cropping, and the dedicated 3x telephoto is useful for subjects farther away. It also supports macro photography, 8K video and APV recording.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 is a good fit if you prefer its wider shape and want a large-screen phone for wide-angle and close-up photography. Its two 50 MP rear cameras support macro photos and 8K video, and APV is available for footage you plan to edit.

If you take many selfies or regularly film yourself, go for the Galaxy Z Flip8. You can use the rear cameras while the phone is folded, or set it down in Flex mode for hands-free recording with a preview facing you. For someone who regularly talks to the camera, that can make setting up a recording much simpler.

^{[1] Nightography: Results may vary depending on light condition, subject and/or shooting conditions.}

^{[2] Super Steady results may vary depending on editing method and/or shooting conditions.}

^{[3] My FanCam feature requires a Samsung Account login. Availability may vary by video. Not supported if there is no subject to track. Accuracy of results is not guaranteed.}

^{[4] Galaxy AI: Samsung account login is required for certain AI features.}