For someone who has seen the evolution of book-style folding phones with the launch of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold in 2019, it is a form factor that has improved drastically, especially in the last two years. This year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is, of course, slim, light and powerful, but it may also pave the way for more companies to launch similar products. It’s still expensive, but the list of use cases for it keeps getting longer. We have been using the Fold7 for the following tasks.

Casual games and puzzles

A personal favourite is the crossword. There are plenty of websites dedicated to the puzzle. Firing up the neurons in the language centre of your brain has benefits that match light exercising for balance and coordination. When you have a bigger screen, it’s easy to play the game, especially if you are tackling the complicated version of the puzzle.

Instructional videos

Putting a coffee machine together or gardening projects, it’s helpful to have the video on one side of the screen, instructions on the other side, and somewhere floating are tools to order from an e-commerce platform. It is possible on the Fold7.

Reading e-books and comics

My wife’s favourite device is the iPad Mini when it comes to reading books. She spends at least two hours each day reading books by the likes of Lucilla Andrews, Georgette Heyer and Noel Streatfeild. I tried to do the same — with a different set of authors — on the Fold7. It works like magic. Foldable phones are the best when it comes to reading digital versions of comic books, thanks to brilliant colour reproduction and screen size. What about the Kindle? It’s great, but lately I have stopped carrying too many devices while travelling.

Spacious keyboard

On the Galaxy Fold7, the keyboard is spaced out, and typing speed increases once you get used to the split-style typing setup. It helps when you are emailing or have a long document to type.

Flexing Flex Mode

The Flex Mode on the phone allows the device to be partially folded and propped up, which is excellent for hands-free video calls, self-timed photography or videography, or simply enjoying media content at a viewing angle of your choice.

Mount it on the dashboard

Listen to music or follow the map on a large screen, foldable phones can change the way you go about everyday tasks. Suddenly, all the turns appear on a large screen… you can’t go wrong.

App continuity

There are many tasks that we start on a small screen and then want to move to a larger screen. For example, a note may keep getting longer to take the shape of a document. Begin your work on the outer screen and then simply open the phone to access a large screen without having to restart the task. It also helps when you have to deal with Excel sheets or even video editing.

Streaming and complex games

Watching movies while waiting for the dentist or playing Diablo Immortal while travelling on the subway, nothing compares to using a big screen that can be easily folded.

Benefits of a large screen

I often find myself working on online articles that involve embedding videos and other links. Working on any content management system becomes easy on a book-style foldable phone, and the form factor makes multitasking realistic, with, at least, two apps side-by-side.

Travel light

If your work profile requires frequent travel, you’ll want to carry fewer devices. You will have no problem writing using the on-screen keyboard, communicating with colleagues, answering emails, and editing photos taken on the phone.

Video calls

Fold7 is a good solution whether you’re making Zoom calls or using WhatsApp video all day for work. Instead of tying up your computer or laptop or relying on the tiny screen of your phone, making video calls on the Fold allows you to free up your other devices and increase productivity.

Never again exit an app

Since Fold7 comes with substantial RAM and storage, besides a powerful processor in the form of Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, this device can run heavy applications easily. You can easily move between apps.