Deals: Galaxy Z Fold7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra, plus Galaxy S26 FE alternatives

Last week, we focused on the iPhone 18 Pro series launch. This week we’ll have a look at what has been going on with Galaxy phones. Let’s start with the foldables.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 – last year’s book-style foldable – is available for $1,350. This is $550 less than what its replacement costs, the Z Fold8 Ultra. Both are surprisingly thin (8.9mm) and light (215g) for foldables, but the new one brings a tangible increase in battery size – 600mAh over the 4,400mAh battery of the Z Fold7. And it increases both wired (25W to 45W) and wireless (15W to 20W) charging. The other major upgrade is the chipset (Snapdragon 8 Elite to 8 Elite Gen 5) and the ultra-wide camera (12MP to 50MP). The 200MP main cameras and 10MP 3x telephoto cameras are basically the same.

Of course, Samsung sees the Galaxy Z Fold8 as the true successor to the series – hence the naming. The Z Fold8 is a wide foldable – its inner screen has a 4:3 aspect ratio instead of the nearly square displays of the Z Fold7 and Z Fold8 Ultra. This also affects the cover display, which is a 5.5” panel with a close-to 3:2 aspect ratio. The bigger Z Folds, meanwhile, have 6.5” 21:9 cover displays.

The Z Fold8 is even lighter at 201g, though a bit thicker at 9.7mm. And it has a bigger battery than the Z Fold7 at 4,800mAh with the faster charging of the Ultra. The Z Fold8 uses the same Elite Gen 5 chipset as the Ultra, but it pays for its smaller size in other ways. For starters, it only has a 50MP main (with a smaller 1/1.56” sensor) and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. There’s no dedicated telephoto, not even a 200MP 1/1.3” sensor in the main camera like on the Ultra. Also, the phone measures 81.9mm wide when closed, compared to 72.8mm for the bigger folds (well, “taller” would be more accurate). This makes it tricky for one-handed use.

And then there’s the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra – its name leaves little doubt that it’s the flagship of the series. We already covered its specs above, the only question that remains is whether you want the extra size and are willing to pay the extra cost for it.

Taking a break from Samsung for a moment, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a $450 phone that packs a lot of hardware. It has a large 6.83” 144Hz OLED display (a sharp 1260p+ panel at that), a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset and a 5,080mAh battery with 50W charging. The cameras are interesting – the 50MP main (1/1.56”) is joined by a 50MP 3.5x/80mm periscope and an 8MP ultra-wide. Most phones in this price class omit the telephoto.

Case in point, the Galaxy A57. The base model costs the same as the (4a) Pro, but it comes with a smaller 6.7” 120Hz OLED (1080p+), a slightly slower Exynos 1680 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging. As for its cameras, the 50MP main has the same size sensor (1/1.56”), but there’s only an 8MP ultra-wide next to it. The A57 does have better water resistance (IP68 vs. IP65) and it will get twice as many OS updates – 6 vs. 3 (both phones launched with Android 16).

Looking at the A57 reminded us of the Galaxy S26 FE – it launched earlier this month and kind of disappeared. What happened to it? Nothing happened – there’s no discount and its MSRP is too high. Unless you’re willing to spend $700 on a phone with only 128GB storage, you’ll want the $800 256GB one.

Except you’d be better off with a Galaxy S26+ for $100 more. The S26+ has the better 6.7” screen (1440p+ LTPO vs. 1080p+ LTPS), better chipset (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs. Exynos 2500) along with slightly better cameras and charging. We think these differences are worth the $100.

But if you don’t want to spend extra, why not spend less? The Galaxy S25 FE is a lot cheaper and it’s mostly the same phone, except it uses the even older Exynos 2400. The only problem is that the 256GB version is over $100 pricier than the 128GB model. It’s still a lot cheaper than a 256GB S26 FE, though.

Earlier this month, TCL introduced the P80 series, which is the first to feature OLED-based NxtPaper displays. The TCL NxtPaper 70 Pro uses an older style LCD-based NxtPaper setup, but that is still more eye protection than most displays have to offer. It’s a 6.9” IPS LCD (1080p+, 120Hz). The phone is powered by the Dimensity 7300 and has expandable storage. It has a 5,200mAh battery with 33W charging. The cameras include a 50MP main (1/1.56”) and an 8MP ultra-wide.