iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8: Which Foldable to Buy in India

India now has two book-style foldables at the top of the market: Apple’s first, the iPhone Duo, and Samsung’s eighth, the Galaxy Z Fold8. Both fold like a book (a phone outside, a small tablet inside) and both make big brochure promises. Here’s how they compare where it counts.

The numbers side by side

	iPhone Duo	Galaxy Z Fold8
India price (256GB)	₹2,99,900	₹1,79,999
Weight	254 g	201 g
Thickness folded / open	11.3 / 5.2 mm	9.7 / 4.5 mm
Screens (inner / outer)	7.6″ / 5.4″	7.6″ / 5.5″
Rear cameras	48MP main + 48MP ultra wide	50MP main + 50MP ultra wide
Telephoto	No	No
Dust and water	IP68	IP48
Battery	4,883 mAh (teardown)	4,800 mAh
Stylus	Apple Pencil (USB-C)	No S Pen support
SIM in India	eSIM only	Physical SIM + eSIM

Price: a ₹1.2 lakh gap

At 256GB, the Fold8 costs about ₹1.2 lakh less. Samsung’s bigger Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra (₹1,99,999) still undercuts the Duo by about ₹1 lakh, and brings the camera the other two lack. The Duo is also hard to buy right now: pre-orders placed before its 23 October launch were quoting January 2027 delivery.

Weight and thickness: Samsung’s clear win

A foldable lives in your pocket all day, and 53 grams is a lot: the Duo weighs about as much as two regular phones’ worth of difference, and reviewers single out its weight as its biggest physical drawback. The Fold8 is thinner both folded and open. If you’ve carried a heavy foldable before, this alone may decide it.

“IP68 vs IP48”: the spec that favours Apple

The second digit is water: both survive it. The first digit is solids. 6 means sealed against dust; 4 only stops objects bigger than 1 mm, so fine dust and sand aren’t covered. A hinge is exactly where grit does damage, so for Indian roads, beaches and construction dust, the Duo’s IP68 is a genuine advantage.

One Duo caveat: on 26 October, according to MacRumors, Apple acknowledged an inner-screen problem on a small number of units, with cracks along the fold. Samsung’s hinge is on its eighth generation.

The crease

Both have one. Apple says its screen minimises crease visibility, and reviewers rate the Duo’s as the best-hidden yet: mostly invisible head-on, still visible at an angle and felt with a finger. If the crease bothers you, see both in a shop before deciding.

Cameras: neither zooms well

Both pair a main camera with an ultra-wide, and neither has a telephoto lens. Zoom past 2x and both rely on digital cropping. Reviewers found the Duo better in low light. The Duo’s selfie camera on the inner screen sits under the display, which keeps the screen clean but gives soft photos (it’s fine for video calls). The Fold8 has 10MP cameras on both screens.

If zoom matters, the Fold8 Ultra is the foldable to look at: a 200MP main camera and a 3x telephoto, for ₹1,99,999.

Battery and charging

The batteries are close in size, but the Duo lasted longer in reviewers’ tests: about 13 hours of web browsing against the Fold8’s 10 in one test, and about even for video playback in another. The Fold8 charges at up to 45W wired and 20W wireless. The Duo reaches 50% in about 20 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter, and does 25W wireless. Neither comes with a charger.

The India-specific catches

• eSIM only (Duo): no SIM tray. Jio, Airtel and Vi support eSIM; BSNL isn’t on Apple’s list.
• Touch ID, not Face ID (Duo): it unlocks with a fingerprint in the side button.
• Apps (Duo): some popular apps weren’t yet laid out for its big screen at launch. Samsung’s foldable apps have had years to mature.

Honest verdict

• Best value, and best for Android users: the Galaxy Z Fold8 at ₹1,79,999. It’s lighter, thinner and ₹1.2 lakh cheaper. Its weak spots are the IP48 rating and no telephoto.
• Best camera on a foldable: the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra at ₹1,99,999.
• Best for iPhone users: the iPhone Duo, if your life runs on iOS and you can absorb the price, the weight and some early-adopter risk. Buy AppleCare+ with it. More in our iPhone Duo decode.