News / Galaxy Z Fold 8

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra Are Here — and the Foldable Just Grew Up

By Sarah Jenkins • Senior News Editor • August 18, 2026

Photo: Dinkun Chen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Samsung used its July Unpacked event to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a new top-tier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and both went on sale in the UK on 7 August. Pricing starts at £1,699 for the Fold 8 and £1,899 for the Fold 8 Ultra — serious money, but for the first time the hardware compromises that defined earlier foldables have largely disappeared.

What’s actually new

The headline is the shape: Samsung calls this its first wide-screen foldable. The cover display grows to a 5.5-inch LTPO OLED that finally feels like a normal phone, while the 7.6-inch inner screen hits 3,000 nits peak with a crease Samsung claims is barely visible, plus an anti-reflective coating that cuts glare by half. Unfolded, the Fold 8 measures just 4.5mm thin and weighs 201g — lighter than many slab flagships.

Key specifications

Inside sits the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with 12GB or 16GB of RAM, a 4,800mAh battery with 45W wired charging, and a camera system led by a 50MP main sensor with OIS alongside a 50MP ultrawide. It ships on Android 17 with One UI 9 and Samsung’s now-standard seven years of OS updates. New Galaxy AI tricks include Call Brief summaries and My FanCam video tracking.

Should UK buyers care?

At £1,699 this is not an impulse purchase — it costs as much as six Galaxy A26s. But the Fold 8 is the first foldable that asks almost no sacrifice in thickness, weight or screen quality, and with seven years of updates the cost-per-year argument is getting easier to make. Expect carrier deals to soften the blow within weeks; we’ll track the best UK offers on our deals page.

See how flagship prices compare with our Best Phones Under £500 guide, or check current SIM-only offers on our deals page.