Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Which will be Samsung’s ultimate phone?

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra took its place as Samsung’s ultimate phone this spring, delivering the best features that the electronics giant includes in its handsets. But the S21 Ultra is about to get some company.

Samsung has scheduled a new Galaxy Unpacked event for August 11, where it’s expected to roll out its fall lineup of phones. And unlike years past when a new Galaxy Note model was the highlight of the latter part of the year, rumors point to Samsung turning to new versions of its foldable phones to capture the attention of shoppers this time around. Specifically, the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 3 sounds like it’s going to be Samsung’s marquee release in a couple weeks’ time.

From the sound of things, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could challenge the S21 Ultra’s place at the top of Samsung’s pyramid. Many of the high-profile features found in the Galaxy S21 Ultra — a powerful processor, a screen with a refresh rate that adjusts dynamically, even S Pen support — are expected to find their way to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

This Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra round-up looks at the expected similarities between the two flagship devices as well as how Samsung plans to differentiate two of its more feature-packed offerings.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Price

Though Samsung took $200 off the price of 2020’s Galaxy S20 Ultra when it released the S21 Ultra this spring, you’re still paying a starting price of $1,199. That makes the Galaxy S21 Ultra one of the most expensive Samsung phones on the market. 

That is, until you get to Samsung’s foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 debuted at $1,999 last year, though Samsung has subsequently cut $200 off that device’s price, too. Still, at $1,799, a Galaxy Z Fold 2 still costs $550 more than a Galaxy S21 Ultra that maxes out on 256GB of storage.

Samsung reportedly wants to do something about the high cost of its foldables, with rumors suggesting the company is eyeing a $1,599 price for the Galaxy Z Fold 3. A more recent rumor, though, places the foldable’s price much closer to the $1,999 the Z Fold 2 originally cost. Regardless of what happens, it’s pretty clear that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will remain as the relatively cheaper option of these two high-end Samsung releases.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Design

The starkest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra contrast is the approach Samsung takes to design with both phones. The S21 Ultra is a fairly conventional smartphone, albeit one with curved edges and a contour-cut design that blends the rear camera array into the side of the phone. The Galaxy Z Fold takes on an entirely different form — it’s a little bit thicker, but that’s to allow the phone to open up and reveal a larger display inside.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 could introduce a design innovation that no Samsung phone has offered up until now. The foldable may use an under-display camera for the selfie cam on its interior display. That would allow for a screen that flows from one edge to the other without an obtrusive camera cut-out like the one in the top center of the S21 Ultra’s display. Under-display cameras only become visible when they’re needed to capture a shot.

Samsung is also rumored to be improving the durability of its foldable phones. To that end, there’s a rumor that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 may feature IPX8 water resistance, matching the S21 Ultra’s ability to withstand dunks in around 1 meter of water without suffering any damage.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Display

The pride and joy of the Galaxy S21’s 6.8-inch screen is its ability to alter the refresh rate based on whatever activity you’re performing. When you’re doing something that benefits from a faster refresh rate, such as playing a game, the S21 Ultra can ramp things up to 120Hz for a much smoother experience. When your activities are more static — viewing still photos, say — the S21 Ultra’s refresh rate can scale all the way down to 10Hz to preserve battery power.

We mention this because that fast refresh rate is likely to come to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — and not just on one display either. Both the exterior cover display and the interior display should be able to ramp up to 120Hz when needed.

The cover display on the Z Fold 3 is rumored to be 6.23 inches. While smaller than the S21 Ultra’s screen, bear in mind that the Z Fold can open up to provide a tablet-like display. That interior screen is expected to range between 7.5 and 7.7 inches, depending on which rumor you believe.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Cameras

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the best camera phones and should remain Samsung’s camera king even after the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s release. To review, the S21 Ultra features a 108MP main camera, augmented by a 12MP ultrawide shooter and a pair of 10MP telephoto lenses. The S21 Ultra is definitely the phone to turn to when you need to zoom in on your subject, thanks also to a Zoom Lock feature that keeps those shots steady and free of noise.

At least the Galaxy Z Fold 3 can compete on volume. Like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 that came before it, the Z Fold 3 is expected to have a triple camera array on the back (a main shooter plus ultrawide and telephoto lenses) complemented by selfie cams on both its cover display and interior display. (The latter one should be an under-display camera, as we mentioned earlier.) 

In fact, the number of lenses isn’t the only thing the Z Fold 3 could have in common with its predecessor — a recent rumor claims that the rear cameras will include the same trio of 12MP sensors found on the Z Fold 2. Only the selfie cam on the interior display is getting a boost, reportedly going from 10MP to 16MP.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Performance and 5G

There doesn’t figure to be much separating the Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra when it comes to performance. Most Samsung observers expect the new Galaxy Z Fold to adopt the Snapdragon 888, Qualcomm’s leading chipset (at least until the Snapdragon 888 Plus starts appearing in phones). The Snapdragon 888 also powers the Galaxy S21 series, including the Ultra, so we’d expect to see similar performance for both phones.

In fact, the phones should have matching memory, too. The Galaxy S21 Ultra features 12GB of RAM in its standard configuration, with the option of upping that to 16GB. Leaked Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs point to the same options.

Like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will support 5G connectivity. (There’s a 5G modem included with the Snapdragon 888 system-on-chip.) We’d anticipate Samsung’s foldable phone being able to connect to both sub-6GHz and faster mmWave-based 5G networks, just like the S21 does.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Battery life and charging

Even with 5G and an adaptive display, the Galaxy S21 Ultra lands on the best phone battery life list. That’s what a 5,000 mAh battery can do for you. With the adaptive refresh rate feature turned off, the S21 Ultra lasted 11 hours and 25 minutes on our battery test, where we have phones surf the web continuously. That’s an outstanding time. But even turning on the adaptive feature only knocked a little more than an hour off the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s battery test time, still placing it ahead of the average smartphone.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be hard-pressed to match that time, and not just because it has multiple displays to keep powered. Reportedly, the new foldable will feature a 4,380 mAh battery, which is actually smaller than the power pack inside the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It’s possible Samsung could be shrinking the battery to make room for an S Pen dock (more on that in a moment), but we’d expect the Z Fold 3 and its smaller battery will struggle to match the 10 hour-plus result of the Z Fold 2 on our battery test.

Initial reports suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will support 25W charging, the same speed as the S21 Ultra. Samsung didn’t include a charger in the box with any S21 model, though you imagine that wouldn’t sit too well with people already spending upwards of $1,500 on a phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Software and special features

Like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 should debut with Android 11 installed. That’s because the new version of Google’s software, Android 12, is still in beta. Plus, Google usually reserves first crack at its software updates for its own Pixel phones. We’d expect both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and S21 Ultra to get their Android 12 updates toward the end of this year.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy S21 Ultra should have something else in common. When it debuted earlier this year, the S21 Ultra became the first phone outside of Samsung’s Galaxy Note family to support the S Pen. That’s allegedly coming to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, too, though in the case of the foldable, regulatory filings point to the device supporting Samsung’s S Pen Pro. That version of the stylus includes Bluetooth connectivity, letting you use it as a remote control. (The S Pen Pro, announced back in January but not released yet, may work with the S21 Ultra, too.)

There could be another key difference between the two phones. The S Pen is an optional accessory for the Galaxy S21 Ultra — you can buy it or skip it, but if you do purchase it, you’ll need to also grab a case with a slot to store the pen. There are signs the Galaxy Z Fold 3 may ship with an included S Pen. If it does, you’d figure the Z Fold 3 would include a slot for the stylus just like the Galaxy Note models have over the years.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Outlook

While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy S21 Ultra seemingly have a lot in common, their differences indicate the two distinct audiences Samsung is hoping to serve. The S21, with its conventional design and powerful cameras, seems to court a more traditional consumer who wants the best of everything, particularly when it comes to mobile photography. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, in contrast, continues to be the device of choice for people who need the largest screen possible for getting work done on the go.

Of course, that all hinges on Samsung delivering upon the rumored specs slated for the Galaxy Z Fold 3. We look forward to revisiting our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra once the new foldable comes out, and we can see how the two phones actually measure up.