The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra has taken top marks in Consumer Reports, the independent US testing body, scoring a perfect 5 out of 5 across every display and camera test it ran, from rear photos and video to the front selfie camera. The foldable earned an overall Consumer Reports score of 84 and a CR Recommended badge, placing it at the top of the publication's foldable smartphone ratings.
For Malaysian buyers weighing a foldable, an independent lab result is a useful counterweight to a launch pitch, because it tests the picture and the screen rather than describing them. The Fold8 Ultra is already on sale here, so the ratings speak directly to a device people can buy today.
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Where the foldable scored, and where it did not
The perfect marks were specific to the picture and the screen. In Consumer Reports' lab tests the Fold8 Ultra took 5 out of 5 for rear image quality, rear 1080p video and selfie image quality, and 5 out of 5 for its display. Performance, sound and calling were also rated 5 out of 5. Battery and charging and durability each scored 4 out of 5, so the top-line result is not a clean sweep of every category. The foldable passed the water resistance test, carries a 200-megapixel main camera and an eight-inch inner screen, supports Wi-Fi 7, and recorded 43 hours of battery life in testing.
We put the folding flagship through its paces in our own hands-on, which lines up with the lab scores on the camera and the big inner screen.
Among owners surveyed, the latest Galaxy Z8 foldables recorded a Predicted Reliability score of 91 out of 100 and owner satisfaction of 83 out of 100, which speaks to the durability worry that has long shadowed folding phones. For the full written verdict, read our Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra takes a rare battery honour
Samsung's non-folding flagship also featured. The Galaxy S26 Ultra recorded a combined Consumer Reports score of 88, with high marks in seven of the ten performance categories, including display, rear camera image quality, battery and charging, durability and ease of use. Consumer Reports awarded a great battery score to only one of the 30 top smartphones it evaluated, and that was the S26 Ultra, which ran for 51 hours and 30 minutes in testing despite its 6.9-inch display. The phone was also named among the leading choices by consumer publications in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Sweden.
What it means for Malaysian buyers
Independent recognition matters most when the device is one you can actually buy, and the Fold8 Ultra is in the market here now. For local pricing and pre-order details, see our guide to the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra price and specifications in Malaysia, and our first impressions of the Galaxy Z8 series.
