Amid the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo hype, I went back to the S26 Ultra

The iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable, is about to start reaching customers (or already has in some cases). Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 is also attracting plenty of interest because of Apple's foldable, so there's a lot of excitement around foldables at the moment.

Meanwhile, I've switched back to my Galaxy S26 Ultra.

I spent three months using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as my primary phone, and I enjoyed it more than any previous Galaxy Fold. Its new form factor and low weight—mainly the low weight—made it difficult to put down.

But I never stopped missing the S26 Ultra's cameras, and eventually, I decided I didn't want to keep making that compromise.

The Fold 8's cameras aren't bad, but it doesn't have a dedicated zoom camera. I'm someone who isn't happy with even a 3x zoom camera, like the one you find on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, so that's a pretty big omission for me.

I take zoom photos frequently enough that this isn't something I can simply forget about. Having another phone nearby at home helps, but I don't want to carry two phones just so I can use the second one's camera.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, like other Galaxy S Ultra smartphones, gives me all the camera capabilities I need in a single device. And as much as I enjoyed using the Fold 8, that matters to me more than having a foldable screen.

That's not to say I'm completely happy to have left the Fold 8 behind. There's one thing I notice almost every day now that I'm back on the S26 Ultra.

I used the Fold 8's main display a lot during my walks. I would read articles, go over what our writers had submitted, do some light editing, and even watch a video or two with the phone unfolded in my hand.

The Fold 8 weighs just 201g despite having a 7.6-inch foldable display. So I could see more of an article or website at once, and the phone was light enough that I had no trouble holding it as I walked around.

Now, every time I take the S26 Ultra out of my pocket, I can feel the extra weight. And my next thought is usually the same: this thing is heavier, and I don't even get the Fold 8's bigger screen.

That's what makes the Fold 8 so special. It's not simply that it turns into a small tablet. It's that it's light enough that you can use it in tablet mode all the time without feeling like you've been carrying around a dumbbell.

So I understand why people are interested in foldables. The Fold 8 kept me using one longer than any previous Fold, and I still miss having it unfolded in my hand as I walk around to hit my daily step target.

But as much as I miss the Fold 8's low weight, the S26 Ultra is still the better phone for me, if only because it has a powerful zoom camera that, unfortunately, you don't get on any Samsung foldable right now.

Of course, I write about phones for a living, so I have other devices available and can switch between them when I want. Most people don't have another expensive flagship lying around to fall back on.

That's why it's worth thinking about what matters most to you before buying one. The Fold 8's large screen and low weight made it a phone I enjoyed using, but I never stopped missing a dedicated zoom camera.

If you rarely take zoom photos, you might be happy with that trade-off. Otherwise, if you must have a foldable, you may want to think about getting a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra instead.