iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8: every spec, side by side
Every number below comes from the two manufacturers’ own spec sheets, published today for Apple and in July for Samsung. Where a company does not publish a figure, the cell says so rather than borrowing one from a leak.
iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8: the full spec table
| Spec | iPhone Duo | Galaxy Z Fold8 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1,999 | $1,899.99 |
| Inner display | 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR, 1878 by 2670 at 430 ppi, up to 120Hz, 3000 nits outdoors | 7.6-inch AMOLED at 4:3, 120Hz, up to 3000 nits |
| Cover display | 5.4-inch, 1398 by 2034 at 460 ppi | 5.5-inch at 10:16 |
| Chip | A20 Pro, 2nm, 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| Memory | Apple does not publish it | 12GB, or 16GB with 1TB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear cameras | 48MP Fusion Main ƒ/1.6, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide ƒ/2.2, 12MP optical-quality 2x | 50MP main ƒ/1.8, 50MP ultra-wide ƒ/1.9 |
| Front cameras | 12MP Center Stage on the cover, FaceTime camera hidden under the inner display | 10MP on the cover, 10MP under the inner display |
| Battery | Two cells, capacity not published. Up to 44h video on the cover screen, 31h on the inner | 4800mAh, up to 26h video |
| Charging | 50% in around 20 min wired, 50% in around 30 min over MagSafe, 25W wireless cap | 45W wired, 20W wireless |
| Water and dust | IP68, to 6 metres for 30 minutes | IP48 |
| Weight and thickness | 254g, 5.2mm open and 11.3mm closed | 201g, 4.5mm open |
| SIM | Dual eSIM, no tray anywhere in the world | Physical SIM plus eSIM |
| Software | iOS 27.1, no stated number of years | Android 17 with One UI 9, seven years of OS updates |
| Announced | 9 September 2026 | July 2026 |
The displays land in the same place
Both open onto 7.6 inches at up to 120Hz with a 3000-nit outdoor peak. On paper this row is a draw, and that is worth saying plainly because it is the row most buyers look at first.
The differences are in shape and surface. Samsung went wide and short this generation, a 4:3 inner panel with a 5.5-inch cover, which suits reading and split windows more than video. Apple matched the aspect ratio of both its panels to each other so content scales between them without a jump, and finished the inner display with a nano-texture coating that cuts reflections and plays down the crease.
IP68 against IP48 is the widest gap on the sheet
Galaxy Z Fold8 carries IP48: submersion yes, fine dust no. That leading 4 has been the ceiling for folding phones because the hinge gap lets dust in, and dust under a folding panel is how these devices die.
iPhone Duo is rated IP68 to 6 metres for 30 minutes, and that 6 means complete dust sealing. It is the first phone of this shape to claim it. Whether the rating survives two years of pocket lint is a question no spec sheet answers, but as a stated figure it is the clearest advantage either device has.
Samsung is lighter, Apple stores more
Galaxy Z Fold8 weighs 201g at 4.5mm open. iPhone Duo weighs 254g at 5.2mm. That is 53 grams and 0.7mm, and on a device you hold open with one hand, 53 grams is not a rounding error. Apple calls Duo the thinnest iPhone ever made, which is true inside Apple’s own lineup and not against this competitor.
Storage runs the other way. Apple tops out at 2TB, Samsung at 1TB. Apple does not publish RAM on any phone, so that row cannot be compared at all.
Two cameras each, and neither has a real telephoto
Samsung fits a 50MP main at ƒ/1.8 and a 50MP ultra-wide at ƒ/1.9, with digital zoom to 10x. A dedicated optical telephoto lives in the Fold8 Ultra, not in this device.
Apple fits a 48MP Fusion Main at ƒ/1.6 with sensor-shift stabilisation and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide at ƒ/2.2, and pulls a 12MP optical-quality 2x out of the main sensor, for a 4x optical-quality zoom range. Two lenses each, no true telephoto on either.
Where Apple pulls ahead is in modes the hinge makes possible: Duo Preview mirrors the viewfinder onto the cover screen for the person being photographed, Smart Take releases the shutter on its own once everyone is posing, and Duo FaceTime brings the people next to you into a call on the outer display.
Battery hours are not measured the same way
Apple quotes up to 44 hours of video on the cover display and 31 on the inner one. Samsung quotes up to 26 hours from a 4800mAh cell. Even the inner-display figure is five hours ahead, but these are two companies running two different tests, so treat it as direction rather than verdict.
Charging goes to Samsung on the published numbers: 45W wired against Apple’s 50 percent in around 20 minutes. Apple never publishes capacity in milliamp hours, so a direct comparison is not available.
Seven years in writing against a policy nobody wrote down
Samsung commits to seven years of OS updates for Galaxy Z Fold8, printed on the spec sheet. Apple does not state a number for iPhone Duo, or for any iPhone.
On a device at this price, the real cost is the sticker divided by the years it stays supported, and only one of these two companies lets you do that division with a published figure.
The eSIM question
iPhone Duo ships eSIM-only in every market, with no SIM tray at all, and Apple says the reclaimed space went into the battery. Galaxy Z Fold8 still takes a physical card.
If you swap SIMs between countries or carry two lines on separate cards, that row decides the purchase before any other row on the sheet.
Which one to buy
Buy Galaxy Z Fold8 if weight matters more than anything else, if you want the charging speed with a number attached, if you need a physical SIM, or if seven written years of updates is what you are paying for. It is also the eighth generation of this hinge, which is experience you cannot buy with specs.
Buy iPhone Duo if you want the dust sealing, the 2TB ceiling, the extra five hours of video, or the camera modes that only work because the phone folds. And buy it knowing this is a first-generation device, and that in this category the first generation is the one that finds the problems.
More: the full iPhone Duo specification, each company’s first foldable side by side, iPhone 18 Pro and its variable aperture, and iPhone 18 Pro Max against Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Sources: Apple’s iPhone Duo tech specs and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 page.
