Apple has finally entered the foldables market. After more than a decade of rumours, the iPhone Duo arrived at the September event as the brand’s first foldable smartphone, and it did so directly on the turf where Samsung has dominated for years. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the flagship of Samsung’s foldable line, launched in July 2026, and represents the benchmark Apple had to face on its debut.
Both are premium devices priced above two thousand euros, aimed at a very specific type of user. The question is whether Apple managed to arrive late to the party but well prepared, or whether Samsung still has enough of an edge to hold on to the lead in a category it created.
iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: full comparison
Design and build
Both devices follow a book style fold, with an inner tablet sized screen and an outer smartphone sized screen connected through a side hinge. But the choice of materials and the dimensions differ significantly. The iPhone Duo uses grade 5 titanium in its frame, which partly explains its higher weight of 254 grams compared with the Fold8 Ultra’s 215 grams.
Samsung instead chose aluminium for the chassis and reserved its Flex Titanium technology for the inner panel alone. The result is a lighter, thinner device at 8.9mm folded compared with the iPhone Duo’s 11.3mm. When it comes to unlocking, Samsung offers both fingerprint and facial recognition. Apple, on the other hand, built Touch ID into the side button, choosing not to include Face ID in this first generation, a trade off made to keep the device thinner.
Screens
The Fold8 Ultra has the larger inner display at 8.0 inches compared with 7.6 inches on the iPhone Duo. Samsung’s outer screen is also more generous, at 6.5 inches versus 5.4 inches on the iPhone Duo.
Where Apple claws some ground back is in panel quality. Both of the iPhone Duo’s screens feature adaptive ProMotion, an always on mode and 3,000 nits of peak brightness, specifications Samsung does not match in this generation.
Apple also uses a layer of nano textured polymer over the inner display, with high resistance glass above and below it to spread out the stress of folding. It is worth noting that the iPhone Duo will support the Apple Pencil over USB-C in future, though not the Apple Pencil Pro. Samsung has dropped S Pen support for this generation.
Cameras
This is where Samsung has the clearest advantage. The Fold8 Ultra uses a triple camera system with a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. It is a flagship camera system with no real compromises. The iPhone Duo uses two 48MP sensors, a main and an ultrawide, with no dedicated telephoto.
For a device at this price, that is the most obvious limitation. Apple compensates with features built specifically for foldables, such as Smart Take, which automatically captures a photo when it detects a pose, and a FaceTime camera hidden under the inner display, a technology Samsung does not offer.
In video, Samsung goes up to 8K with the APV codec. The iPhone Duo tops out at 4K, but adds Dolby Vision up to 120fps and modes such as Action Mode at 2.8K and slow motion at 1080p and 240fps.
Performance
The iPhone Duo runs the A20 Pro chip, the same one found in the iPhone 18 Pro, with a vapour chamber three times the surface area of the iPhone 17 Pro’s to help sustain performance. Samsung uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with up to 16GB of RAM. Both are flagship class processors. However, with no independent benchmarks yet available for the iPhone Duo, a direct comparison of the numbers is not yet possible.
Battery and charging
Apple has not disclosed battery capacity, but the stated battery life figures are impressive, with up to 31 hours of local video playback on the inner screen and up to 44 hours on the outer screen. Samsung claims up to 27 hours from its 5,000mAh battery. On charging, the iPhone Duo has the edge, promising 50% in around 20 minutes with a 60W charger.
The Fold8 Ultra uses 45W charging and reaches 67% in around 30 minutes. The iPhone Duo relies on eSIM only, with no physical SIM support, freeing up space that is used to maximise battery capacity. Samsung continues to support both nano SIM and eSIM.
Durability
The iPhone Duo carries an IP68 rating, able to withstand submersion up to 6 metres for 30 minutes, with full dust resistance. The Fold8 Ultra has an IP48 rating, meaning it is protected against submersion in fresh water but only against large dust particles, not fine dust. It is a meaningful difference for everyday use.
Prices
The iPhone Duo starts at €2,399 for 256GB, rising to €2,649 for 512GB, €3,149 for 1TB and reaching €3,899 for the 2TB version, a storage option Samsung does not offer. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra starts at €2,269 for the 256GB version and goes up to €2,869.90 for the 1TB version. Apple came in cheaper than the rumours suggested, and that shifts the balance in this category.
You can check the current price of the iPhone Duo here, and of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra here.
Which one to choose?
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the more refined foldable in terms of accumulated experience. Its 200MP camera system with a dedicated telephoto, its thinner and lighter build, and years of iteration make it the safer choice for anyone who wants a foldable that has already been tested by the market.
The iPhone Duo is a remarkably capable first generation device. Faster charging, IP68 durability, higher quality screens, a camera hidden under the display and a starting price in line with its rival are solid arguments for anyone living in the Apple ecosystem who has been waiting for this moment.
What used to be a category dominated by Samsung has now gained serious new competition, and that is good news for everyone.
And what about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8?
With all the attention focused on the iPhone Duo versus Fold8 Ultra showdown, there is a third contender worth mentioning, the standard Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, the base model in Samsung’s foldable line, available from €2,069.00 in Portugal.
The Fold8 shares the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip as the Ultra and has exactly the same 7.6 inch inner display, coincidentally the same dimensions as the iPhone Duo.
Its outer screen measures 5.5 inches, slightly larger than the iPhone Duo’s (5.4 inches) but smaller than the Ultra’s (6.5 inches). Where it differs from the Ultra is in the cameras. Instead of the pricier sibling’s 200MP sensor, the Fold8 uses a dual 50MP system, wide and ultrawide, with no dedicated telephoto, just like the iPhone Duo. Digital zoom reaches 10x, compared with 30x on the Ultra. The battery is 4,800mAh with a claimed video playback life of up to 26 hours, and it weighs just 201 grams, less than the Ultra (215g) and significantly less than the iPhone Duo (254g).
In practical terms, the Galaxy Z Fold8 positions itself as the more balanced alternative for anyone who wants a book style foldable without paying the Ultra’s premium. Compared with the iPhone Duo, it has a slightly larger outer screen, weighs less and is thinner, but loses out on water resistance (IP48 versus IP68), panel quality and the iOS ecosystem for those already invested in it.
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