Samsung's summer Unpacked in London this week did something new: instead of one Fold and one Flip, we got three foldables [3]. Choice is good. Choice at foldable prices is a spreadsheet.
The lineup in one breath
- Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: the first "Ultra" foldable, aimed at productivity and creators, with a crease The Verge says you can barely see [1][3].
- Galaxy Z Fold8: a new wider, passport-like shape [3]. Shorter and wider than past Folds.
- Galaxy Z Flip8: Samsung's slimmest and lightest Flip yet at 6.1 mm unfolded and 180 g, with a smarter cover screen [1].
All three run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, and base models come with 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage [2]. Samsung also refreshed the watches with a Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 [2].
The price creep
Engadget points out the Flip8 starts at $1,200, $100 more than the Flip 7 and Flip 6, which were themselves $100 more than the $1,000 Flip 5 [2]. "Just like with the battery sizes and aspect ratios, the numbers keep going up," they wrote [2]. Mild correction: the Flip8 battery is 4,300mAh, the same as last year [2]. So one number did stay put. It's the one you'd want to go up.
The thing that annoys me
No native Qi2 magnetic charging [2]. Engadget notes it's been 18 months since Samsung started supporting the standard [2]. In 2026, a $1,200 phone that needs a magnet case to use a magnet charger is a choice, and not a great one.
How I'd pick
- You live in email, docs and spreadsheets: Fold8 Ultra. It's the one that replaces a small tablet.
- You mostly read, watch and scroll: the wider Fold8. Video and reading are happier on wider screens, and it should feel more like a normal phone when closed.
- You want a phone that disappears in a pocket: Flip8. Just know you're paying flagship money for a compact phone, not a flagship camera.
- You're on a 2024 or newer flagship that works fine: skip. Your current phone isn't going to fold, and that's fine.
What everyone is missing
Durability and repair costs. Samsung says its new Flex Titanium layer helps absorb impact and reduce crease visibility [2], which is great. But foldable screens are still the most expensive thing in your pocket to replace. Price in a protection plan before you price in the phone.
Bottom line
Three foldables means there's finally a right one for most people who want one. It also means more ways to spend $1,200 or more. Pick by how you actually use your phone, not by how cool it looks folding on a demo table.