I’ve always been a fan of Samsung’s Galaxy S Ultra lineup. Like many Samsung fans, I see it as the company’s ultimate smartphone. It has everything I want from a flagship: a large display, a big battery, Samsung’s fastest charging speeds, excellent cameras with fantastic zoom, and just about every premium feature Samsung has to offer.The Galaxy Z Fold series is Samsung’s most ambitious smartphone lineup. Every year, it’s the phone that grabs the headlines and shows what Samsung’s engineers are capable of. But despite its higher price tag, it has never felt like a true replacement for the Galaxy S Ultra.The Galaxy Z Fold is taking major steps forward this yearI’ve complained about the Fold’s cameras before, particularly the zoom camera. Compared to the Galaxy S Ultra, the Fold has always asked buyers to accept a compromise. But over the years, that hasn’t been the only compromise.The battery has lagged behind the Ultra for years. The ultra-wide camera also doesn't match Samsung’s best hardware. Even when the Fold supported the S Pen, it wasn’t built into the phone and had to be purchased separately. The Fold has always been an incredible device, but it has never quite matched the Galaxy S Ultra when it comes to offering Samsung’s complete flagship experience.Don’t mistake this for a lack of experience with Samsung’s foldables. I use every Galaxy Z Fold throughout the year, long after the review is published. Whether it's testing One UI features, using Flex mode to take hands-free video calls and pictures, or or checking how well games run on the larger display, the Fold is a regular part of my life.I know exactly what it does well, and it's still the foldable I would recommend to anyone who wants that form factor. It just isnt the phone I would choose for myself.That’s why I’m actually pleased with many of the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra upgrades. A larger 5,000mAh battery is something Fold fans have wanted for years, and it looks like Samsung is finally delivering. Faster charging is another welcome improvement, and so is the new 50MP ultrawide camera that's replacing the 12MP one on existing Folds.For me, this is a more exciting list of improvements than in previous years. The problem is that the Fold isn't the only Samsung phone taking a step forward this year.But the Galaxy S Ultra lineup didn’t stand stillI’ve spent enough time using the Galaxy S26 Ultra to realize that I’ve become surprisingly attached to one of its newest features: the Privacy Display. It wasn’t something I expected to care about when I first used it. But now it's one of those features I’d miss if I switched phones.Unfortunately, current rumors suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series won’t get the same feature. Samsung also appears to be sticking with a 3x telephoto camera, which still can’t compete with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s superior zoom capabilities. The Fold 8 Ultra's wired charging speed will top out at 45W, while the S26 Ultra can go up to 60W. So while Samsung is finally fixing some of the Fold’s biggest weaknesses, it also introduced new reasons for me to stick with the Galaxy S Ultra.Combine all that with what will likely be another price increase, and my buying decision hasn’t changed. The Fold is taking some big steps forward, but so did the Galaxy S Ultra earlier this year.Until Samsung stops asking Fold buyers to give up some of the best features available on its more traditional flagship, I’ll just have to admire the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra from afar while keeping the Galaxy S26 Ultra in my pocket. Buy a new Samsung smartphone Samsung Shop