The Galaxy Z Fold 8 went on sale this month at $1,899, while Apple’s iPhone Fold lands in September. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says it will “cross the $2,000 threshold,” and IDC’s forecast puts it at roughly $2,400, with higher storage configurations going further still.
That’s a maximum gap of at least $500 between the two wide-screen foldable phones. So what can Apple offer to convince buyers not to pick up the cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 8, while justifying the extra cost?
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iPhone Fold Will Likely Have A Better Camera Setup
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 50MP and 50MP ultrawide, both are an upgrade on the Z Fold 7’s 12MP ultrawide, but there’s no telephoto lens. You have to pay an extra $200 for a better camera loadout in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Neither compare to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s full camera suite, though.
The iPhone Ultra is expected to launch with a wide and ultrawide too, also without a telephoto lens. The question is how good the cameras actually are and how they compare to the main iPhone 18 range.
If Apple brings its full iPhone 18 Pro Max camera abilities to the iPhone Ultra, which you would expect at $2400, that’s a meaningful advantage over Samsung’s tech. Particularly so on video, where the iPhone consistently outperforms Android flagships regardless of megapixel count.
The iPhone Fold Resale Value Gap
Your iPhone Fold will be worth more next year than other used Android foldable phones.
Foldable phones lose an average of 64.6% of their value within 12 months according to data SellCell shared with me in June. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 1TB, for example, saw the single biggest value drop in the study, shedding nearly $1,500 in year one.
Apple’s slab-phone track record is dramatically better. The iPhone 16 retained 51.5% of its launch price after 12 months, compared to just 35.4% for the average foldable.
SellCell modelled what happens if a hypothetical $2,000 foldable iPhone maintained the same value retention as the iPhone 16: it would hold roughly $1,030 in value after a year, losing around $970. If Apple’s track record holds, that means the iPhone Fold could retain around $300 more in value after 12 months compared to other Android foldables.
That is, of course, the optimistic Apple scenario. It’s worth noting that first-generation hardware historically depreciates faster than established phones, and new form factors come with an early-adopter tax.
If a new ‘iPhone Fold-gate’ entry hits Wikipedia in the next year, resale prices will fall even further. But it is likely that your iPhone Fold will be worth more second-hand than your Galaxy Z Fold 8.
The iPhone Fold Battery Question
The Z Fold 8 carries a 4,800mAh silicon-carbon battery with 45W wired charging. As I explained in my Galaxy S27 battery story, silicon-carbon can store significantly more energy in the same physical space than traditional lithium-ion. The Z Fold 7 had a 4,400mAh battery at 25W, for example, despite being only 0.3mm thicker.
I’m not convinced Apple will also use silicon-carbon tech in its first foldable phone, there have historically been trade-offs with reduced longevity, although that is becoming less the case as the battery science evolves. Using untested (by Apple) battery technology, in an entirely new device, sounds too risky for the typically cautious Apple.
If Apple does adopt silicon carbon batteries, it will do so in a less exposed device like the iPhone Air 2, and if all goes well expect to see it in the main iPhone 19 range next year.
So don’t be surprised if the iPhone Fold is powered by a traditional lithium-ion cell, which will likely be smaller than the Fold 8. If so, you’ll be paying more for less battery life but the cell might last longer before it needs to be replaced.
The Case For Waiting For Both Phones
Samsung has done the foldable thing eight times in seven years. It knows how to make a foldable phone. One UI 9 has taskbar multitasking, foldable-optimised apps, and the kind of muscle memory that comes from shipping a product annually since 2019.
The iPhone Ultra, however good, is running software that has never shipped on a foldable device before. iOS 27 has foldable-specific features, but there’s a difference between designed for foldables and refined for foldables. Even for a company as careful about the tech it ships as Apple, I expect some teething pains for the iPhone Fold.
Generally I avoid first generation products for this exact reason. You, the buyer, are the testing ground for the sequel, which is the real device. Fair enough if you’re happy to be while owning a piece of history, but for people who just want a new phone, you should wait.
Not least because prices will come down, for both phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 saw prices drops of up to $400, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s price fell by $500 in a recent sale.
Yes, I know Apple doesn’t discount its tech. But it’s last new product category, the iPhone Air, saw repeated price drops at third party retailers. If the iPhone Fold falls similarly flat, you might grab a deal that offsets some of extra cost.
