Apple’s iPhone Duo, unveiled last week, follows a design language similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, with a passport-book style design, a premium titanium frame and an extremely thin body when unfolded.
But while the two foldables may look similar at first glance, there are several differences in performance and hardware.
The two devices differ in areas such as hinge design, dust and water resistance, processing power, battery capacity and camera capabilities. These are some of the core specifications to consider when buying a foldable smartphone.
Samsung has missed out in one or two areas despite being one of the pioneers of the modern foldable smartphone, while Apple has made some notable refinements with the Duo.
With the iPhone Duo’s preorder date drawing near, it is important to compare what both foldables offer and what users are getting for a starting price of $1,999.
Here is a breakdown of the key features to look out for.
Durability
iPhone Duo
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- Grade 5 titanium frame
- 3D-printed hinge cover
- Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and Ceramic Shield on the back
- Precision hinge built with more than 100 components
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
- IP48 water and dust resistance
- Armour Aluminium frame
- FlexHinge design
- Up to 500,000 folds
- 4.1mm thickness when unfolded
Apple’s iPhone Duo provides better protection against dust and water. Its IP68 rating provides protection against dust particles and allows the phone to withstand water immersion, while Samsung’s IP48 rating offers less protection against solid particles, even though it still provides water resistance.
This is important as foldable phones have more moving parts, edges and openings where dust or moisture can become a problem over time. The Duo’s stronger ingress protection therefore gives it an advantage for users who want more protection from everyday exposure.
However, Samsung still has an advantage in demonstrated foldable durability. Its FlexHinge is designed for extensive folding, while the Armour Aluminium frame adds structural strength. The Z Fold 8 Ultra is also noticeably thinner at just 4.1mm when unfolded.
Performance
iPhone Duo
- A20 Pro chip
- 12GB RAM
- Up to 2TB storage
- iOS 27
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
- Up to 16GB RAM
- Up to 1TB storage
- One UI 9 based on Android 17
As Apple’s newest 2nm chip, the A20 Pro is designed to deliver strong performance, particularly for CPU-heavy workloads. Apple also says the chip has a custom vapour chamber and can deliver up to 35% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro.
Samsung’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, however, is designed with a focus on graphics, thermal management and on-device AI. Samsung says the customised chip delivers improvements across its CPU, GPU and NPU, while its cooling system is designed to keep performance stable during demanding tasks such as gaming and multitasking.
The Duo should therefore offer strong overall processing performance, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra is positioned towards users who prioritise gaming, graphics and heavy multitasking.
Battery, charging and camera
iPhone Duo
- Dual-battery architecture
- Up to 31 hours of inner-screen video playback
- Up to 44 hours on the outer display
- 48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
- Up to 2TB storage
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
- 5,000mAh battery
- Up to 27 hours of video playback
- 45W fast charging
- 200MP Wide, 50MP Ultra Wide, 10MP telephoto
- Up to 1TB storage
Both phones are designed around their large displays, but Samsung gives users a larger 5,000mAh battery and 45W charging, which could make the Z Fold 8 Ultra more suitable for users who spend long periods streaming, gaming and working on their phones.
Meanwhile, Apple uses two batteries placed across the device and relies on its 2nm A20 Pro chip to deliver up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display.
The Duo also offers up to 2TB of storage, giving it twice the maximum storage of Samsung’s 1TB option, although the higher-capacity model will cost significantly more than the standard $1,999 version.
At $1,999, neither phone is an average smartphone purchase. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra brings Samsung’s years of experience with foldables, a large battery, strong graphics performance and a more versatile camera system.
The iPhone Duo, on the other hand, brings Apple’s first serious entry into the foldable category, with better dust and water protection, up to 2TB of storage, the A20 Pro chip and a tightly integrated iOS 27 experience.
For someone already in Samsung’s ecosystem, the Z Fold 8 Ultra offers a familiar premium foldable experience.
For iPhone users who have been waiting for Apple to enter the foldable market, the Duo offers a different approach built around Apple’s hardware, software and ecosystem.
Market intelligence reports
What is becoming clear is that foldables are no longer limited to Samsung and other Android brands. With Apple now joining the category, competition among premium smartphone brands is broadening, and future foldables are likely to focus increasingly on how well each brand refines the overall experience.
