Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8 at its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026. The device starts at $1,200 and comes in 256GB and 512GB storage options. It enters a flip-phone market that Motorola has held since mid-May, when the Razr Ultra went on sale at $1,500 in a single 512GB configuration. Engadget published a head-to-head comparison of both phones the same day as Samsung's announcement, offering the first consolidated side-by-side spec sheet.

The display differences are the first thing you notice. The Z Flip 8's main screen is a 6.9-inch AMOLED panel (AMOLED being the OLED-based display technology Samsung uses across its flagship line) running at 120Hz with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. The Razr Ultra's main display is a 7.0-inch AMOLED at 165Hz and 5,000 nits peak. A higher refresh rate means smoother scrolling and animations; higher peak brightness helps with outdoor visibility in direct sunlight.

On the cover display — the smaller external screen visible when the phone is folded — Samsung has expanded its FlexWindow to 4.1 inches and enabled full native app functionality. That means the external screen can run standard apps without developers needing to build special versions or widget workarounds. Motorola's cover display is 4.0 inches and runs at 165Hz.

Samsung has the edge in physical footprint. The Z Flip 8 weighs 180g and measures 6.1mm thick unfolded, folding to 13.1mm. The Razr Ultra is 199g, 7.2mm unfolded, and 15.7mm folded. Both devices carry an IP48 rating, which covers water immersion up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes but does not provide full protection against fine sand and dust.

The camera systems diverge significantly. Motorola ships three 50MP sensors: a LOFIC-sensor main camera (LOFIC is a sensor architecture designed to capture more light in each pixel, improving dynamic range), a 50MP ultrawide, and a 50MP front-facing camera, with support for 8K video recording. Samsung pairs a 50MP main with a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP selfie camera, topping out at 4K/60fps video. Engadget's prior review of the Razr Ultra noted strong dynamic range, improved contrast, and reduced grain in still photography.

Motorola's material choices are more adventurous than Samsung's. The Razr Ultra offers a quilted Alcantara back (Alcantara being a suede-like synthetic fabric used in automotive and premium electronics) on its Orient Blue model and a wood finish on the Cocoa variant. Samsung's color palette is more conventional: Graphite, Cream, Pink, and Mint. On storage, the Z Flip 8's 256GB entry point gives it a lower starting price, while the Razr Ultra ships exclusively in 512GB. Leaked European pricing for the Z Flip 8 puts it at EUR 1,299, per a July 19 report from Gadgets360.

Motorola markets the Razr Ultra as the "largest battery flip phone," though the verified comparison does not specify capacity figures for either device. The Razr Ultra was released on May 14, 2026, and has been available for over two months ahead of the Z Flip 8's launch. In the UK market, the same device is branded and sold as the "motorola razr 70 ultra."

Looking at what these numbers mean in practice, the Z Flip 8's value proposition centers on a $300 price gap, a lighter and thinner body, and the FlexWindow's full app support at a slightly larger cover-display size than Motorola's. The Razr Ultra counters with a higher-refresh-rate main screen, substantially higher peak brightness, a more aggressive camera array, and premium material options that Samsung does not match in this generation.

The camera gap is the most consequential differentiator for buyers who prioritize photography. A 50MP ultrawide and selfie shooter, combined with 8K recording, puts the Razr Ultra in flagship-flat-phone territory. Samsung's 12MP ultrawide and 10MP selfie are serviceable but clearly a tier below on paper. Whether Samsung's computational photography — the software processing applied to images after capture — closes that gap in real-world output is a question that will require hands-on testing of the Z Flip 8.

The cover-display story is more nuanced. Samsung's decision to enable full native app functionality on a 4.1-inch FlexWindow is a meaningful software commitment, potentially reducing the friction that has historically made flip-phone cover screens feel like glorified notification panels. Motorola's 4.0-inch panel runs at a higher refresh rate, but the verified facts do not indicate equivalent full-app support.

For buyers weighing the two today, the calculus is straightforward. The Razr Ultra is available now, offers stronger display and camera hardware, and commands a premium for it. The Z Flip 8 undercuts it by $300, is meaningfully lighter and thinner, and gambles on software-driven cover-display utility to compensate for lower-spec hardware in other areas. Both devices share the same IP48 durability rating and neither offers expandable storage, so the storage configuration chosen at purchase is final.

The broader context here is that the flip-phone category has moved past the experimental phase. These are no longer first-generation devices with visible compromises in hinge durability or display crease. The spec gap between the two competitors is narrow enough that price, weight, and cover-display software may matter more to most buyers than raw megapixel counts or peak brightness figures.