The Most Impressive Piece Of Tech Hardware I've Tested In 2025

2 days ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Samsung's Fold 7 has reached nan constituent that it's now nan aforesaid size arsenic flagship phones erstwhile closed.
The package upgrades successful One UI 8 and Android 16 yet return advantage of nan productivity imaginable of foldables.
There are multiples modes successful nan Fold 7 that make it moreover amended than conscionable a telephone that transforms into a tablet.

It didn't return agelong for Samsung's Z Fold 7 to alteration my mind astir folding phones. After testing it for little than a week, I'm not only convinced that I could usage this arsenic my regular activity phone, but I've besides realized that location are features I'd earnestly miss if I went backmost to a normal phone.

That's a agelong measurement from nan erstwhile experiences pinch foldables, including extended clip pinch nan Z Fold 5 conscionable 2 years ago. I've simply ne'er loved folding phones, and aft testing them, I've ne'er felt tempted to move 1 into my caller activity telephone -- which has been a agelong drawstring of various Android models since nan Nexus One successful 2010.

But nan Fold 7 is different.

The hardware connected nan Fold 7 is ray years up of past year's Galaxy Fold 6 -- it's 25% thinner, some erstwhile folded and unfolded. In fact, nan Fold 7 is nan astir awesome portion of tech hardware that I've put my hands connected each year. When you prime it up, it has an contiguous wow factor, particularly erstwhile you clasp it adjacent to different flagship phones.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Z Fold 6: I tried some phones, and nan quality is dramatic

But nan astir awesome portion of nan Fold 7 is not conscionable really it looks and feels - it's really it works. More than ever, it has a UX that takes afloat advantage of each nan possibilities of nan foldable shape factor.

So let's break it down. Here are my 3 reasons why nan Fold 7 has changed my sentiment of foldable phones.

1. Feels for illustration carrying a regular phone

The biggest quality pinch nan Fold 7 is really overmuch it looks and feels for illustration a regular telephone erstwhile it's folded closed and you're simply looking astatine nan screen surface aliases nan backmost of nan phone. If you saw it sitting connected a table aliases a array adjacent to personification else's phone, you could easy correction it for conscionable different modular smartphone.

In fact, adjacent to my iPhone 16 Pro Max aliases my Samsung S24 Ultra -- nan 2 phones I transportation each time -- nan Fold 7 is somewhat smaller. In fact, a closed Fold 7 looks akin to Sony Xperia smartphones and uses nan aforesaid 21:9 facet ratio that is somewhat thinner than astir of today's smartphones. However, it's almost 10% wider than erstwhile models of nan Fold, and that other width is capable to make it consciousness for illustration a normal phone.

At nan aforesaid time, it's besides lighter (215 grams) than my iPhone 16 Pro Max (227g) and Samsung S25 Ultra (233g) -- arsenic good arsenic past year's Fold 6 (239g). It's singular to recognize this folding telephone is now some thinner and lighter than nan best-selling flagship phones.

Also: I spent a week successful New York City pinch nan Samsung Z Fold 7 - and it spoiled maine nan full time

One use I didn't expect from nan width of nan Fold 7 erstwhile it's closed and utilizing nan screen surface is that it's easier to usage one-handed than nan ample flagship phones I usually carry. And past erstwhile I'm fresh to usage it two-handed, I tin simply flip it open, and that's erstwhile nan existent magic happens connected nan 8-inch main screen.

2. Software now plays to its strengths

Samsung has agelong been a builder of immoderate of nan world's astir impressive, cutting-edge hardware devices. So it's nary astonishment that nan Fold 7 has yet caught up to nan imagination of nan foldable telephone arsenic a mini tablet disguised arsenic a telephone that tin toggle shape astatine a moment's notice.

Now that Samsung has officially pulled disconnected nan hardware for that imagination successful nan Fold 7, it could person easy taken a mates much generations to get nan package right. But thankfully, that's not nan case. With an assistance from Google and Android 16, nan package connected nan Fold 7 now does a batch much to return advantage of nan afloat productivity imaginable of nan hardware.

Also: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Here's nan clear victor aft testing both

My first and favourite illustration of this is nan caller 90:10 split-screen view, a characteristic Google built into Android 16 pinch collaboration from Samsung and its One UI 8 software. With this, you tin return 2 apps that are side-by-side connected nan 8-inch main screen, put your digit connected nan halfway statement betwixt them, and past resistance it almost each nan measurement to 1 broadside aliases nan different and fto go.

It will past threat into 90:10 position wherever you only spot a sliver of nan 1 app while viewing astir of nan different app. However, now you tin pat that sliver to unfastened it successful 90% of nan surface and move nan different app to 10%. This lets you quickly move backmost and distant betwixt 2 apps that are adjuvant to usage adjacent to each other, specified arsenic Slack and email aliases a connection processor and a web browser.

Another bully productivity characteristic is nan "Continue apps connected screen screen" option. This is particularly effective now that nan screen surface is nan size of a normal telephone screen. I for illustration to group this up by going to Settings > Display > "Continue apps connected screen screen" and past selecting "Swipe up to proceed app."

Then, erstwhile you are moving connected an app specified arsenic your almanac connected nan main surface and you request to adjacent your phone, a round-up arrow pops up connected nan bottommost of your screen surface that says "Swipe to continue". You simply swipe up and proceed moving connected your app connected nan screen screen. Previously, your Fold would person turned disconnected nan screen, and you would person had to unlock it and reopen nan aforesaid app connected nan screen surface to proceed working.

There are a batch much package options for illustration this. Look for a early article wherever I supply a database of productivity hacks from nan expanded UX connected nan Fold 7.

3. Multiple modes to thrust productivity

One of nan champion things astir nan Fold 7 is that it's not simply for illustration having some a telephone and an 8-inch tablet successful your pocket. Because of nan folding shape factor, it tin besides do immoderate things that a modular 8-inch tablet can't. But earlier I get up of myself, let's talk astir nan modular modes first. Then we'll get to nan imaginative stuff.

If each nan Fold 7 did was move your flagship telephone into a tablet erstwhile you had some hands free and were fresh to multitask, past it would beryllium a win. As mentioned above, nan improvements successful nan package now make multitasking a batch better, much efficient, and much productive.

Being capable to tally two, three, and moreover 4 apps connected nan main surface of nan Fold 7 feels for illustration speeding successful a sports car compared to nan normal ways of flipping betwixt apps connected a phone, which feels pedestrian by comparison. There are besides immoderate cases wherever simply having a overmuch larger surface to position things for illustration spreadsheets, edifice menus, nan desktop type of web pages, and moreover video calls connected Zoom and Google Meet tin beryllium a immense improvement.

Also: 24 hours later pinch Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Why I'm leaving nan S25 Ultra behind

I often for illustration to return 1:1s and meetings while stepping extracurricular to get immoderate caller aerial and workout astatine various times passim nan day. One of nan biggest challenges connected these walks is erstwhile thing comes up wherever I request to entree aliases position a archive aliases a connection that's not easy to look astatine from my phone. The Fold 7 is simply a champ successful those instances because I tin flip it unfastened and usage that 8-inch surface to position things successful a overmuch much usable way.

Now let's talk astir Flex Mode -- 1 of my favourite hidden gems connected nan Fold 7. To participate this mode, you move nan Fold 7 sideways erstwhile you're connected nan main surface (make judge "Auto rotate" is turned connected successful nan Quick Settings Panel), and past you fold nan telephone to 90 degrees truthful that it looks for illustration an unfastened laptop and group it down.

You tin do this while you're successful YouTube and nan video will spell connected nan apical surface and controls will spell connected nan bottommost screen. You tin do it successful a typing app for illustration Slack, Gmail, aliases ChatGPT while nan keyboard is unfastened and nan app surface will spell connected apical and nan keyboard will spell connected nan bottom. You tin do it pinch a video telephone app for illustration Google Meet and nan video tiles will spell connected nan apical surface and nan gathering controls will spell connected nan bottommost -- you tin besides set nan surface for illustration a laptop to halfway yourself successful nan framework for nan video call.

Not only tin nan Fold 7 enactment for illustration a mini laptop, it tin besides enactment for illustration a desktop computer, utilizing Samsung DeX and new upgrades successful Android 16. You tin link your Fold 7 to a machine show aliases a TV via a cablegram (such arsenic HDMI to USB-C) aliases wirelessly, and you tin connect a keyboard and rodent via Bluetooth. DeX has gradually gotten much usable complete nan years, but Google did Samsung a coagulated successful Android 16 by integrating immoderate caller features specified arsenic "desktop windowing" that now allows you open, move, and resize aggregate windows wrong DeX mode truthful that nan situation looks and feels a batch much for illustration Windows aliases a Mac.

I person immoderate tips for optimizing this benignant of setup that I'll put successful a early article, but nan bottommost statement is that this telephone tin usability for illustration a afloat machine and since nan Fold 7 is apt to already person each of your astir utilized apps and data, it tin beryllium a functional activity machine successful a pinch. It's astir apt not going to switch your full-time PC but it mightiness really beryllium much productive than a Chromebook aliases a tablet.

Final thought

These are my first impressions of nan Samsung Fold 7. I've sewage a batch much to opportunity astir it and much things I want to test. But there's nary uncertainty that nan Fold 7 is simply a breakthrough instrumentality that brings nan committedness of a existent 2-in-1 telephone into reality. The Chinese phonemakers person been building devices for illustration this for a mates years and Apple will reportedly merchandise its first foldable iPhone successful 2026. But for now, nan Samsung Fold 7 is nan champion foldable disposable successful nan US -- and it whitethorn moreover springiness america a peek astatine what nan early of each flagship phones could look like.