iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8: Apple's Foldable Tested Head to Head

On the outside, the Duo uses an asymmetric display with square corners on one side and rounded ones on the other, which crops video content. Apple also applies a matte film to the folding panel that reduces reflections and makes the crease less visible. The inner screen's gloss reading is just 2 GU, against 93 GU for the Fold 8.

In measurements, the Duo's outer screen reaches 815 cd/m² in standard manual brightness versus 494 cd/m² for the Samsung. In HDR it is slightly ahead, with 1,553 cd/m² against 1,468 cd/m². In full sunlight with boost mode, the Fold 8 wins narrowly: 3,014 cd/m² against 2,904 cd/m² outside, and 3,206 cd/m² against 2,807 cd/m² inside. Colour accuracy also favours Apple, with an average Delta E 2000 of 0.8 to 0.9 in sRGB and 1 in DCI-P3, versus 2.6 outside and 2.4 inside for the Fold 8 in P3.

Performance, software and cameras

Apple Silicon is far ahead in every benchmark the testers ran. Software is the Duo's weak point: the iOS version built for it launched unfinished, with numerous bugs, apps not yet updated (YouTube shows an odd asymmetry on the outer screen) and a slow Touch ID. Samsung, backed by years of work with Google on large-screen Android, sees apps adapt well despite the Fold 8's notable change in screen size.

Cameras are hard to separate, with a wide, an ultrawide and two selfie modules on each. The Duo's colours are slightly flattering and its low-light 4x zoom is limited; the Fold 8 is a little duller and closer to reality, with stronger shadows and equally limited zoom. Samsung narrowly wins on battery and charging.