Phones
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8 carry lower battery cycle ratings
Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8, and Fold 8 Ultra come with lower battery cycle ratings than their predecessors. Samsung’s new foldable phones introduce a significant battery upgrade, but the EU’s EPREL label tells a different story.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8, and Fold 8 Ultra are rated for 1,200 battery charge cycles. This is a decrease of 800 cycle counts from last year. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 batteries carry 2,000 battery charge cycles.
This year, Samsung brought silicon-carbon batteries to its new foldable phones. This is a massive upgrade, which the company managed to keep secret till Unpacked. Future Galaxy phones should also receive such a battery bump.
1,200 charge cycles translate to around 3.3 years if charged once a day, as reported by GSMArena. After hitting the guaranteed lifespan, the phone’s battery would be sitting at 80% of its initial charge capacity.
Lesser cycle counts are a known disadvantage of silicon-carbon batteries. In comparison, lithium-ion batteries offer a longer lifespan. While this sounds like a downgrade on paper, it doesn’t arrive as a pure surprise from Samsung.
Galaxy S26 Ultra also features 1,200 cycle counts as per the EU label. It’s less than what the Galaxy S25 Ultra offered last year. Still, Samsung’s product has a better rating than Apple and Google, which promise around 1,000 cycles.
Samsung’s silicon-carbon battery approach brought bigger batteries to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The company maintained the lightweight and sleek design, while upgrading capacity by up to 600mAh.