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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is smaller, cheaper, and has fewer cameras than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but it may end up being the most popular Galaxy foldable to date.
Why? Because its 7.6-inch inner screen has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is supposedly “the new standard for viewing content,” as Samsung told us in an interview — and if there’s one thing most of us can’t get enough of in 2026, it’s content.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, meanwhile, has an eight-inch inner screen with a 10:9 aspect ratio, which is great for spreadsheets and multitasking, but less brilliant for movies and YouTube videos.
Don’t believe me (or Samsung)? I compared the experience of streaming Netflix, watching YouTube, and scrolling through Instagram Reels on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — in both portrait and landscape orientations, where possible — to help you visualize the aspect ratio differences between these two devices.
Check out the side-by-side comparisons for each platform below, and let me know in the comments section which phone you’d prefer to use for watching videos. I've also included a roundup of each model's respective size specs for added context.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
Dimensions (unfolded):
158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1mm
161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm
Dimensions (folded):
158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm
81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm
Display (unfolded):
8 inches, 10:9
7.6 inches, 4:3
Display (folded):
6.5 inches, 21:9
5.5 inches. 16:10
NetflixZ Fold 8 (10:16) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:21)(Image credit: Future / Netflix / Studio Ghibli)Z Fold 8 (4:3) vs Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future / Netflix / Studio Ghibli)Z Fold 8 (4:3) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (10:9)(Image credit: Future / Netflix / Studio Ghibli)Z Fold 8 (3:4) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future / Netflix / Studio Ghibli)YouTubeZ Fold 8 (16:10) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (21:9)With either phone in this orientation, expanding the YouTube video automatically switches the orientation to landscape (see the next photo) (Image credit: Future / Warner Bros. Pictures)Z Fold 8 (4:3) vs Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future / Warner Bros. Pictures)Z Fold 8 (10:16) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:21)(Image credit: Future / Warner Bros. Pictures)Z Fold 8 (4:3) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (10:9)(Image credit: Future / Warner Bros. Pictures)Z Fold 8 (3:4) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future / Warner Bros. Pictures)Instagram ReelsZ Fold 8 (16:10) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (21:9)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (4:3) vs Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (4:3) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (10:9)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (3:4) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future)VerdictFor Netflix and YouTube, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 provides a cleaner viewing experience than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in every orientation except 3:4.
The actual size of the video in every comparison is the same across both phones, but black bars (or negative space) above and below are noticeably narrower than those on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and there's no awkward pillarboxing (i.e., bars on either side of the video) when using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in 10:16.
Of course, if you use the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in 3:4, the black bars are much bigger than those on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but I don't expect anybody to choose this orientation for watching video content (I've only included it for additional context). Samsung itself admits that 3:4 is “more natural for reading e-books or browsing the web,” which gives the smaller device another nice win over the pricier model.
The Instagram Reels-watching experience is pretty similar across both phones, but given the Galaxy Z Fold 8's lighter weight (201g vs 215g), I'd give it the edge here, too.
So there you have it: if watching videos and scrolling through social media is your priority, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a better buy than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Of course, there is much more to both phones than their respective displays — the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has better cameras, for instance — so I wouldn't jump headfirst into buying one over the other until you've read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 comparison.
Side note: You're not able to watch videos in 16:10 (Z Fold 8) or 21:9 (Z Fold 8 Ultra) on Netflix, nor videos in 10:16 (Z Fold 8) or 9:21 (Z Fold 8 Ultra) on Instagram, hence why these options don't appear in the above comparison.