Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy Z Fold4

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, released in February 2025, represents a traditional flagship smartphone experience, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, launched in August 2022, offers a unique foldable design. These devices cater to different user preferences, primarily distinguished by their form factor, display technology, and the advancements in internal components and camera systems that come with their respective release years. Both operate on the Android platform, providing access to a broad ecosystem of applications and services.

The practical lifespan of a smartphone is influenced by its physical durability and the duration of software support it receives. These two Samsung devices present different profiles in this regard.

• Release Timeline and Software Support: The Galaxy S25 Ultra, being a 2025 release, benefits from Samsung's commitment to extended software support, promising 7 years of OS and security updates, with support expected to continue until 2032. In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold4, released in 2022, was promised 4 major Android OS updates and 5 years of security updates, meaning its major OS update cycle is nearing its conclusion by early 2026, with security updates extending until 2027.
• Physical Durability: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a robust traditional design, incorporating Gorilla Glass Armor 2 for enhanced screen protection and an IP68 rating for comprehensive dust and water resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold4, with its innovative folding mechanism, uses Ultra-Thin Glass for its inner display and Gorilla Glass Victus+ for the cover screen, alongside an Armor Aluminum frame. It carries an IPX8 water resistance rating, but lacks official dust resistance, which is a consideration for its folding design.
• Repairability: The Galaxy S25 Ultra has shown improvements in repairability compared to previous Samsung flagships, earning a provisional iFixit score of 5 out of 10, partly due to an easier battery swap and modular camera design. However, screen removal can be challenging. Information regarding the specific repairability score for the Galaxy Z Fold4 is less prominent, but the complexity of its folding mechanism generally implies a more intricate repair process.

Performance is a key differentiator, largely influenced by the processor generation and overall system optimization for each device's design.

• Processing Power: The Galaxy S25 Ultra is equipped with a current-generation processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, designed to handle demanding applications, intensive gaming, and complex multitasking with efficiency. The Galaxy Z Fold4 features a processor from 2022, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. While still capable for everyday tasks, multitasking, and moderate gaming, it may exhibit limitations with the most graphically intensive applications or very heavy multitasking when compared to newer chipsets.
• Multitasking and Responsiveness: The S25 Ultra offers a consistently smooth and responsive user experience across various tasks, supported by ample RAM for background processes. The Z Fold4, with its foldable design, excels in multitasking by leveraging its large inner screen, allowing users to run multiple applications simultaneously. Its 12GB of RAM supports this functionality effectively for its generation.
• Battery Behavior: The Galaxy S25 Ultra typically includes a larger battery capacity and benefits from a more power-efficient processor, contributing to extended usage times for many users. The Galaxy Z Fold4 has a 4400 mAh dual-cell battery. Powering two displays, especially the larger inner screen, can lead to more frequent charging for heavy users, though its processor was designed for efficiency.

The display experience varies significantly between these two devices, primarily due to their fundamental design philosophies.

• Display Technology and Size: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a single 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display, offering a consistent and vibrant viewing experience. The Galaxy Z Fold4 provides a dual-screen setup: a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover screen for quick interactions and a large 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X folding inner display that transforms the device into a tablet-like experience.
• Resolution, Brightness, and Smoothness: The S25 Ultra's display boasts a QHD+ resolution (3120 x 1440) and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, with high peak brightness levels up to 2600 nits, ensuring clarity and excellent outdoor visibility. The Z Fold4's main screen also offers a QXGA+ resolution (2176 x 1812) and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, providing a smooth visual experience. Its cover screen has an HD+ resolution (2316 x 904) with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both displays offer good brightness, though the S25 Ultra's peak brightness is higher.
• Unique Display Characteristics: The S25 Ultra's display is protected by Gorilla Glass Armor 2 and features an anti-reflective coating for improved viewing in various lighting conditions. The Z Fold4's inner display, while offering a vast canvas, includes a visible crease where it folds and features an under-display camera that is less noticeable than previous iterations.

Both devices offer capable camera systems, but the S25 Ultra, as a newer flagship, incorporates more advanced technology and features.

• Rear Camera Systems: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a versatile quad-camera setup, including a 200 MP wide-angle main sensor, a 50 MP ultra-wide camera, a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50 MP periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. This configuration allows for detailed photography and flexible zoom capabilities. The Galaxy Z Fold4 comes with a triple-camera system, comprising a 50 MP wide-angle main sensor, a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
• Photography Performance: The S25 Ultra excels in various lighting conditions, offering enhanced low-light performance and advanced features like 4K dual recording and 50MP macro shots. The Z Fold4 provides good photography performance in well-lit environments, with its main sensor being comparable to other flagships from its release year.
• Front Cameras and Video: The S25 Ultra has a 12 MP front-facing camera, suitable for high-quality selfies and video calls. The Z Fold4 features a 10 MP camera on its cover display and a 4 MP under-display camera on the main screen, with the cover screen camera generally offering better quality for selfies. Both devices are capable of high-resolution video recording, with the S25 Ultra supporting 8K at 30fps and the Z Fold4 supporting 8K at 24fps.