The iPhone Duo can function as a compact handset when closed or an iPad-like device when unfolded.
For months, rumors suggested Apple would name its first foldable the iPhone Ultra. But on Wednesday, the company unveiled its highly anticipated device with a different name: the
Skipping the Ultra name feels fitting for a foldable that doesn’t quite offer Apple’s highest-end features. The Duo is still a premium device, but it lacks a telephoto camera and has a slightly more modest battery than the
In that respect, the iPhone Duo is more comparable to Samsung’s similarly palm-size
, meanwhile, takes things a step further with Samsung’s top-tier camera and battery specs.
The Duo is designed to be compact and versatile, allowing you to easily watch horizontal videos in landscape mode and vertical content in portrait. On the other hand, the Z Fold 8 Ultra feels similar to a slab phone when closed, thanks to its slim design and more standard dimensions. (Meanwhile, the smaller Galaxy Z Fold 8 shares design elements with the iPhone Duo. You can read more about
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 (left) has a more compact design, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a taller build that’s more similar to a slab phone.
The Duo and Z Fold 8 Ultra share the commonality of a high price tag. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for 256GB, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,100 for the same storage level.
kick off Oct. 16 for an Oct. 23 release. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is
iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra design and displays
The key difference between the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is in their designs.
The iPhone Duo is palm-size with a squat, 5.4-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch inner display. The Z Fold 8 Ultra has a more conventional book-style foldable design, with a taller, 6.5-inch cover screen and a larger 8-inch inner display.
A unique feature of the iPhone Duo is its matte, nano-texture inner display that helps to reduce reflections and minimize the crease. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has an anti-reflective coating that also helps to reduce those distractions, but the Duo’s matte finish does a better job at that.
The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch matte inner display that helps to reduce reflections and the crease — though you can still see both under certain lighting conditions.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra stands out for its exceptionally thin build, measuring 4.1mm when open and 8.9mm when closed. The iPhone Duo is also fairly thin, measuring 5.2mm when open and 11.3mm when closed.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra is a little lighter, weighing 215 grams, while the Duo weighs 254 grams. It’s a small difference that’s barely perceptible.
When multitasking, the Duo can only run up to two apps simultaneously, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra supports multitasking with up to three apps. This is aided by the Ultra’s larger main display that prevents apps from feeling cramped.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the most advanced foldable Samsung currently sells.
Perhaps one of the most impressive features of the Duo is its IP68 rating: it can withstand submersion in up to 6 meters of water for 30 minutes and is dust-resistant. The Z Fold 8 Ultra has a more limiting IP48 rating, meaning it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes and is protected against solid objects larger than 1mm, but not dust or sand. The Duo’s dust resistance is a rarity in the world of foldables and is shared with Google’s
If you value durability and compactness, the iPhone Duo can be a good fit. If you want a foldable phone that feels more similar to a slab phone when closed and a tablet when open, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a good pick.
Because the iPhone Duo is compact, it makes some compromises with the cameras. There’s a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, but no telephoto lens. The cover display has a 12-megapixel selfie camera, while an “under-display FaceTime camera” sits on the inside screen.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has a triple rear-camera system, which includes a 200-megapixel wide-angle, 50-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto camera. There’s a 10-megapixel selfie camera on each display.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra has a triple rear-camera system.
We’ll have to see how the iPhone Duo performs in our camera tests, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra shares rear camera optics with the top-of-the-line
(hence the shared moniker), and has performed well in our
iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra processor and battery life
The iPhone Duo is powered by the same in-house A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro models. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has Qualcomm’s
Apple doesn’t share specific battery specs, but says the iPhone Duo will give you up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, and 44 hours when using the outer screen. When using both screens equally, the company says you’ll be able to go 24 hours before needing to charge.
Samsung boosted battery capacity on its book-style foldable this year, goi