The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is smaller, cheaper, and has fewer cameras than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but it may end up being the most popular Galaxy foldable to date.Why? Because its 7.6-inch inner screen has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is supposedly “the new standard for viewing content,” as Samsung told us in an interview — and if there’s one thing most of us can’t get enough of in 2026, it’s content.The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, meanwhile, has an eight-inch inner screen with a 10:9 aspect ratio, which is great for spreadsheets and multitasking, but less brilliant for movies and YouTube videos.Don’t believe me (or Samsung)? I compared the experience of streaming Netflix, watching YouTube, and scrolling through Instagram Reels on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — in both portrait and landscape orientations, where possible — to help you visualize the aspect ratio differences between these two devices.Check out the side-by-side comparisons for each platform below, and let me know in the comments section which phone you’d prefer to use for watching videos. I've also included a roundup of each model's respective size specs for added context.Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 UltraSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 8Dimensions (unfolded):158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1mm161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mmDimensions (folded):158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mmDisplay (unfolded):8 inches, 10:97.6 inches, 4:3Display (folded):6.5 inches, 21:95.5 inches. 16:10NetflixZ Fold 8 (10:16) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:21)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (4:3) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (10:9)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (3:4) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future)YouTubeZ Fold 8 (16:10) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (21:9)With either phone in this orientation, expanding the YouTube video automatically switches the orientation to landscape (see the next photo) (Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (10:16) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:21)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (4:3) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (10:9)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (3:4) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future)Instagram ReelsZ Fold 8 (16:10) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (21:9)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (4:3) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (10:9)(Image credit: Future)Z Fold 8 (3:4) / Z Fold 8 Ultra (9:10)(Image credit: Future)VerdictFor Netflix and YouTube, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 provides a cleaner viewing experience than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in every orientation except 3:4. The black bars above and below the video are noticeably narrower than those on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and there's no awkward pillarboxing (i.e., bars on either side of the video) when using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in 10:16 (you'll notice that content wraps around the phone's punch-hole camera, which doesn't happen on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra).Of course, if you use the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in 3:4, the black bars are much bigger than those on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but Samsung itself admits that this orientation is “more natural for reading e-books or browsing the web,” which gives the smaller device another nice win over the pricier model.The Instagram Reels-watching experience is pretty similar across both phones, but given the Galaxy Z Fold 8's lighter weight (201g vs 215g), I'd give it the edge here, too.So there you have it: if watching videos and scrolling through social media is your priority, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a better buy than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.Of course, there is much more to both phones than their respective displays — the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has better cameras, for instance — so I wouldn't jump headfirst into buying one over the other until you've read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 comparison.Side note: You're not able to watch videos in 16:10 (Z Fold 8) or 21:9 (Z Fold 8 Ultra) on Netflix, nor videos in 10:16 (Z Fold 8) or 9:21 (Z Fold 8 Ultra) on Instagram, hence why these options don't appear in the above comparison.