Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6: Main differences to expect
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will introduce few but important upgrades. | Image by PhoneArena
We are well into 2026 and have already witnessed the arrival of the Galaxy S26 series, leaving the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 as the only high-profile Galaxy phones to be unveiled in the second part of 2026.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, in particular, will have the arduous task of taking on the iPhone Fold, which will definitely be its highest-profile rival.
But how will the Galaxy Z Fold 8 compare against one of its predecessors, namely the Galaxy Z Fold 6? That one was the last Galaxy Z Fold before the good Z Fold 7, so it still featured that small inner screen with a noticeable crease and a thick body that didn't stand up to the rest of its rivals in the foldable niche.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 expected differences:
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Display | |
| Even flatter crease on the inner display | Inner display with a visible crease |
| Larger inner screen (>8.0-inch) with wider aspect ratio | Smaller 7.6-inch inner display |
| Higher than 2,600 nits of brightness | 2,600 nits of brightness |
| Performance | |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) |
| Battery | |
| 5,000 mAh rumored | Featured a 4,400 mAh battery |
| 45 W wired charging likely | 25 W wired charging |
| Camera | |
| Likely getting higher-res ultrawide and telephoto cameras | 200 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP cameras in the rear |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Like night and day
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will most certainly look just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, as the latter was a big paradigm shift in terms of design language. It scored a much slimmer and lighter body than the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, as well as a much less pronounced display crease.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is definitely keeping the Armor Aluminum frame along with the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 rear panels. However, one key element that could be improved is the hinge: rumors have it Samsung will likely substitute the titanium hinge of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic one on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. This will allow for a lighter build.
Size-wise, we expect the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to follow the general dimensions and be 8.9 mm thick when folded and 4.2 mm when unfolded. That's pretty sleek for a foldable, though rivals in this metric definitely exist.
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Thickness ~8.9 mm folded ~4.2 mm unfolded | Thickness 12.1 mm folded 5.6 mm unfolded |
| Dimensions ~158.4 x 72.8 | Dimensions 153.5 x 68.1 folded 153.5 x 132.6 unfolded |
| Weight <215 grams | Weight 239 grams |
Display Differences
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will reiterate the 8-inch inner screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and its 6.5-inch outer display.
There are rumors that Samsung might use a new dual-glass pane technology, which will allow the crease to be significantly shallower than the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The iPhone Fold will also reportedly use this tech, and the Oppo Find N6 already features it.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6, on the other hand, had a smaller display, a 7.6-inch one, as well as a tinier 6.3-inch external one.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 definitely wouldn't have a Privacy Display feature like the one on the Galaxy S26 Ultra as the display tech required is simply incompatible with foldable AMOLED panels.
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Inner screen ~8.0' | Inner screen 7.6" |
| Size 6.5" | Size 6.3" |
| Brightness >2,600 nits (peak) | Brightness 2600 nits (peak) |
Both devices will rely on side-positioned fingerprint scanners.
Performance and Software
Two generations apart
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will most certainly make it to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Mind you, it will be the slightly overclocked "For Galaxy" flavor of the chipset, which performs a bit better than the standard chip available to other Android phone manufacturers.
That's two generations newer than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that was found on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, so a pretty decent delta in terms of performance will certainly be achieved.
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Process 3nm | Process 4nm |
| RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB UFS 4.0 storage | RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB UFS 4.0 storage |
In terms of memory, the foldable will likely feature 12 GB of RAM and come with 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB of storage. That's similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, minus the 1 TB version. AN
You know that the situation is still quite turbulent right now, so higher RAM and storage tiers will definitely carry a solid premium.
Camera
Big upgrades
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will score a new 50 MP ultrawide camera that will substitute the 12 MP one, while the telephoto will get a small upgrade from 10 to 12 MP. Those are definitely welcome and will hopefully improve the image quality of the camera.
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Main 200 MP F1.7 | Main 200 MP F1.7 |
| Ultrawide 50 MP F2.2 | Ultrawide 12 MP F/2.2 |
| Telephoto 12 MP 3X optical zoom | Telephoto 10 MP F2.4 3X zoom (67mm) |
Battery Life and Charging
A larger battery? Not harboring any hope
There are rumors that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 might feature a larger 5,000 mAh battery, but honestly, seeing Samsung's track record with increasing flagship battery sizes, we might not see an upgrade, so the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will likely remain equipped with a 4,400 mAh battery.
Still, keep in mind that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could potentially feature a larger battery. It would be a welcome improvement over the 4,400 mAh unit found on the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Battery size 4,400 mAh | Battery size 4,400 mAh |
Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging | Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging |
In terms of charging, no upgrades are expected––we are likely getting 25 W wired charging.
Specs Comparison
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm (~6.7 mm with camera bump) | |
| Weight | |
| 239.0 g | |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 8.0-inch | 7.6-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy SM8650-AC (4 nm) | |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/512GB |
12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 12GB/1024GB |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 4400 mAh | 4400 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W | Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm |
50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 23 mm Sensor size: 1/1.57" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 12 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
12 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 12 mm Sensor size: 1/3.2" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Pixel size: 1.0 μm | 10 MP (Telephoto) Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 66 mm Sensor size: 1/3.94" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
| Front | |
| 10 MP (HDR) | 4 MP (Under-screen, HDR) |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
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Summary
While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will definitely be a worthy upgrade over the old Galaxy Z Fold 6, it's once again not shaping up to be a massive upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
As the competition is heating up, this might be a misstep by Samsung, which could see itself turn from a leader to a follower on the foldable market.
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