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I compared Samsung, Motorola, and Google’s premium foldable phones – and I’d buy this one


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Motorola Razr Fold vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold

Kerry Wan and Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

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Motorola’s first-ever book-style foldable is finally here. After checking it out at CES and MWC earlier this year, I was curious to see the price tag and how it compares to two popular models from Samsung and Google. I have tried all three foldables and have some thoughts.

Also: Motorola Razr Fold review

Each one of them has its unique appeal, but that doesn’t mean all three hold equal value. Some might prefer a thin, lightweight design, while others might want a more durable form factor. Here’s how the new Motorola Razr Fold compares to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. And which one’s perfect for you.

You should buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 if…

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 with Prakhar Khanna in the background.

1. You want the slimmest and lightest foldable phone

Samsung surprised me with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last year. While I’m looking forward to what it does with the Fold 8, the current-gen. foldable remains the best-looking foldable in the US right now. The updated slim and lightweight design is more comfortable to hold and use than larger flagship phones like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra. 

Also: Own a Samsung phone? I changed 10 settings to greatly improve its performance

At 215 grams, it is one of the most comfortable big phones on the market right now. The Google and Motorola foldables don’t stand a chance if you want a folding screen form factor but are used to a slab phone design. At just 8.9mm thin when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the closest a folding phone has gotten to a slab phone.

2. You like the One UI experience

I love whatever Samsung has been doing with One UI lately. It is one of the most polished Android skin experiences on any smartphone, and its multitasking capabilities are only enhanced by Fold 7’s big screen. You can split-screen with gestures, swipe from the side bar to add a pop-up app, add transparent widgets, and expand its capabilities with the Good Lock app. 

I like it better than barebones Pixel UI and slightly more than Motorola’s clean UI.

Samsung also offers a suite of Galaxy AI features, where some of them are actually useful. I like AI Select, which is just one swipe away and a damn good object eraser tool. You can also run Gemini features and avail free six months of Gemini AI Pro to try Veo 3, NotebookLM, etc., with the Samsung foldable.

You should buy the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold if…

Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

1. You need dust-tight durability

While the Samsung and Motorola are IP48 and IP49 rated for dust and water resistance, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold remains the only foldable phone with a dust-tight design. It is IP68-rated, meaning it is truly dust-resistant.

In comparison, IP48 means protection against solid particles larger than 1 millimeter, but dust particles are smaller than 1 millimeter, so dust and pocket lint can penetrate the Fold 7 and the Razr Fold’s hinge gaps. This is an important factor to consider if you live in or work in a dusty area. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold will serve you better in that regard.

2. You want PixelSnap and Pixel-exclusive AI features

If you are an Apple user looking for a foldable phone, you likely already have MagSafe accessories. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the only of these three foldables that will support your magnetic accessories, thanks to PixelSnap, which is essentially MagSafe for Android. 

It lets you mount MagSafe-compatible accessories to your Pixel phone. It comes in handy when you need to quickly connect charging pads, power banks, or even tripods.

Also: The best Google phones in 2026: How does the Pixel 10 Pro Fold stack up?

This is paired with an OS that delivers the latest and greatest Gemini AI features as soon as they’re released. Google is also offering a year’s worth of Gemini AI Pro subscription for free with its Pixel 10 Pro series. So, you can claim access to features like access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Veo 3 for AI-generated videos, 2TB of cloud storage, and previews of upcoming AI tools. 

Then there’s Pixel-exclusive Magic Cue, which automatically populates responses, helpful context, and more based on your on-screen content. I love it, but I wish it were more consistent.

You should buy the Motorola Razr Fold if…

Prakhar Khanna holding the Motorola Razr Fold.

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

1. Your screen time is regularly more than 8 hours

I haven’t faced battery life issues with the Samsung and Google foldables on moderate use, but they can’t stand my heavy phone use days. For those of us with more than nine hours of screen time, the Motorola Razr Fold might be a better bet.

Also: I’ve tested every Razr and Galaxy Flip: 3 reasons Motorola crushes Samsung at foldables

It packs a 6,000mAh cell that’s considerably larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s 4,400mAh capacity and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s 5,015mAh cell. Motorola also gave it 80W fast wired and 50W fast wireless charging, which can top up the phone quicker than its rivals. If you prioritize battery life, the new Razr Fold would better suit your needs.

2. You need a stylus for the big canvas

Samsung removed S Pen support from the Fold 7, which annoyed a few Galaxy fans. If you’re one of them who like to jot down notes on their folding phone (or like to draw on the big canvas), the Razr Fold is the best alternative.

It has the Moto Pen Ultra (sold separately), which works on both the phone’s 6.6-inch external display and its 8.1-inch inner screen. The Pen’s fine tip delivers high-pressure sensitivity, low latency, and tilt detection for shading and adding texture. You can use it to sketch, annotate, clip, move text or images, capture screenshots, and more.

Writer’s choice

PRakhar taking out the Galaxy Z Fold 7 from pocket.

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

While I like Google’s dust-tight design and Motorola’s dependable new foldable, I prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for its slim and light form factor. There’s something enjoyable about having a folding phone in the slab phone form factor inside my pocket that the other two foldables can’t replicate… yet. 

It is not a perfect phone, and I wish it had a bigger battery, but there’s not much to fault experience-wise. I’ve loved using the Fold 7.





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Your single router is why Wi-Fi dies in your bedroom—why a mesh network is the only real fix


The first time I encountered mesh Wi-Fi was when I went to university. One Wi-Fi password, but no matter where you roamed on campus you’ll stay connected. I’ve always thought of mesh networks as enterprise technology that you need an IT department to handle, but then router makers figured out how to make mesh easy enough for mere mortals.

Now I consider a mesh network the default for everyone, and if you’re still using a single non-mesh router you might want to know why. So let me explain.



















Quiz
8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge

Home Networking & Wi-Fi

Think you know your routers from your repeaters — put your home networking know-how to the ultimate test.

Wi-FiRoutersSecurityHardwareProtocols

What does the ‘5 GHz’ band in Wi-Fi offer compared to the ‘2.4 GHz’ band?

That’s right! The 5 GHz band delivers faster data rates but loses signal strength more quickly over distance and through walls. It’s ideal for devices close to the router that need maximum throughput, like streaming 4K video.

Not quite — the 5 GHz band actually offers faster speeds at the cost of range. The 2.4 GHz band travels farther and penetrates obstacles better, which is why smart home devices and older gadgets often prefer it.

Which Wi-Fi standard, introduced in 2021, is also known as Wi-Fi 6E and extends into a new frequency band?

Correct! 802.11ax is the technical name for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. The ‘E’ variant extends the standard into the 6 GHz band, offering a massive swath of new, less-congested spectrum for faster and more reliable connections.

The answer is 802.11ax — that’s Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. Wi-Fi 6E adds support for the 6 GHz band, giving it far less congestion than the crowded 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. 802.11be is actually the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 standard.

What is the default IP address most commonly used to access a home router’s admin interface?

Spot on! The vast majority of consumer routers use either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 as the default gateway address. Typing either into your browser’s address bar will bring up the router’s login page — just make sure you’ve changed the default password!

The correct answer is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. These are the most common default gateway addresses for home routers. The 255.x.x.x addresses are subnet masks, and 127.0.0.1 is your own machine’s loopback address, not a router.

Which Wi-Fi security protocol is considered most secure for home networks as of 2024?

Excellent! WPA3 is the latest and most robust Wi-Fi security protocol, introduced in 2018. It uses Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) to replace the older Pre-Shared Key handshake, making it far more resistant to brute-force attacks.

The answer is WPA3. WEP is completely broken and should never be used, WPA is outdated, and WPA2 with TKIP has known vulnerabilities. WPA3 offers the strongest protection, and if your router supports it, you should enable it right away.

What is the primary difference between a mesh Wi-Fi system and a traditional Wi-Fi range extender?

Exactly right! Mesh systems use multiple nodes that talk to each other intelligently, handing off your device seamlessly as you move around your home under one SSID. Traditional range extenders typically broadcast a separate network and can cut bandwidth in half as they relay the signal.

The correct answer is that mesh nodes form one intelligent, seamless network. Range extenders are actually the ones that often create separate SSIDs (like ‘MyNetwork_EXT’) and can significantly reduce speeds. Mesh systems are far superior for large homes with many devices.

What does DHCP stand for, and what is its main function on a home network?

Perfect! DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is the unsung hero of home networking. Every time a device joins your network, your router’s DHCP server automatically hands it a unique IP address, subnet mask, and gateway info so it can communicate without manual configuration.

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, and its job is to automatically assign IP addresses to devices on your network. Without it, you’d have to manually configure a unique IP address on every single phone, laptop, and smart device — a tedious nightmare!

What is ‘QoS’ (Quality of Service) used for in a home router?

That’s correct! QoS lets you tell your router which traffic gets priority. For example, you can prioritize video calls or gaming over a family member’s file download, ensuring your Zoom meeting doesn’t freeze just because someone is downloading a large update.

QoS — Quality of Service — is actually about traffic prioritization. By tagging certain data types (like VoIP calls or gaming packets) as high priority, your router ensures latency-sensitive applications get bandwidth first, even when the network is congested.

What does the ‘WAN’ port on a home router connect to?

Correct! WAN stands for Wide Area Network, and the WAN port is where your router connects to the outside world — typically to your cable modem, DSL modem, or ISP gateway. The LAN ports on the other side connect to devices inside your home network.

The WAN (Wide Area Network) port connects your router to your ISP’s modem or gateway — essentially your entry point to the internet. The LAN (Local Area Network) ports are for connecting devices inside your home. Mixing them up can cause your network to not function at all!

Challenge Complete

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Mesh Wi-Fi solves a problem most homes already have

The internet is no longer confined to one spot in your home

In the early days of home internet, there was no real reason to have Wi-Fi coverage all over your home. You installed the router in your home office, or near the living room, and that was enough. People didn’t have smartphones, tablets, or smart home devices that all needed access to the LAN.

As Wi-Fi devices proliferated, that central router became a problem. There’s only so much power you can push into the antennas, and the inverse square law drains that signal of power in very short order.

It was a problem that had many suboptimal solutions. Wi-Fi repeaters destroy performance, access points need long Ethernet runs, and Powerline Ethernet only works well in ideal conditions. Most older homes can’t provide that with their aging wiring. In short, trying to expand a central router’s reach has usually involved some janky mishmash of solutions.

A modern mesh router kit just solved that problem without any fuss. The biggest problem you’ll have is how to position them. Everything else is usually just handled automatically.

Brand

eero

Range

1,500 sq. ft.

Mesh Network Compatible

Yes

The eero 6 mesh Wi-Fi router allows you to upgrade your home network without breaking the bank. Compatible with the wider eero ecosystem, you’ll find that this node can either start or expand your wireless network with ease.


Mesh systems prioritize consistency over peak speed

Good enough internet everywhere

Top view of the contents of the Netgear Nighthawk MK93S mesh system. Credit: Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek

I think it’s important to point out that with Wi-Fi it’s much more important to get consistent and reliable performance wherever you are in your home than to hit crazy peak speeds. Sure, if you buy an expensive router, you can blast data when you’ve got line of sight and are a few feet away, but then you might as well just connect to it with an Ethernet cable.

For the price of one very fast centralized router, you can buy an entry-level mesh router kit and have fast enough internet everywhere, and never have to think about it again. I’m still running a Wi-Fi 5 mesh system in my two-storey rental home and I get 200+ Mbps minimum anywhere. If I need more speed than that on a single device, it’s going on Ethernet.

As prices come down on Wi-Fi 6 and 7 mesh systems, we’ll all eventually get access to that gigabit or better wireless tier, but I’d rather have a few hundred Mbps everywhere rather than a few Gbps in just one place and zero internet elsewhere.

Setup and management are finally user-friendly

Your dog could do it if it had thumbs

TP-Link Deco Mesh Wi-Fi Puck sitting on a desk beside two stacked books Credit: TP-Link

It’s hard to overstate just how easy modern mesh routers are to set up. After you’ve got the first unit up, usually by using a mobile app, adding more is generally just a matter of turning them on close to any previously activated router and waiting a few seconds.

As for the actual management of the network, on my TP-Link system you can see the topology of your network, how the pods are doing in terms of bandwidth, and you can automatically optimize for network interference and signal strength. The days of cryptic and largely manual router configuration are over. Even port forwarding, which has always tripped me up on old routers, now just works with a few taps on my phone screen.

The price argument doesn’t hold up anymore

There’s something for every budget

The biggest reason I think people have avoided mesh systems is cost. That’s perfectly fair, because mesh systems are more expensive than a single router. The thing is, prices have come down significantly, especially for mesh on older Wi-Fi standards.

But, even if you want newer Wi-Fi like 6E or 7, you don’t have to start your mesh journey with a full kit. You can buy a single mesh router, use that as your primary, and then add more as you can afford it. Even better, if you’ve bought a new router recently, there’s a chance it already supports mesh technology. It doesn’t even have to be that recent, since some older routers have gained mesh capability thanks to firmware updates.

If you already have a router that’s mesh-capable, then extending your home network any other way would be silly. Also, keep in mind that all the routers in your mesh network don’t have to be identical. That’s a common misconception, but the only thing they need to have in common is support for the same mesh technology. Just keep in mind that your performance will only be as good as the slowest device in the chain.

Mesh is for everyone

The bottom line is that mesh network technology is now cheap enough, mature enough, and easy enough that I honestly think everyone should have a good reason not to use it rather than looking for reason to use it. Wi-Fi should be like water or electricity. You want everyone in your home to have easy access to it no matter where they are. Mesh will do that for you.

The Unifi Dream Router 7.

9/10

Brand

Unifi

Range

1,750 square feet

The Unifi Dream Router 7 is a full-fledged network appliance offering NVR capabilities, fully managed switching,a built-in firewall, VLANs, and more. With four 2.5G Ethernet ports (one with PoE+) and a 10G SFP+ port, the Unifi Dream Router 7 also features dual WAN capabilities should you have two ISP connections. It includes a 64GB microSD card for IP camera storage, but can be upgraded for more storage if needed. With Wi-Fi 7, you’ll be able to reach up to a theoretical 5.7 Gbps network speed when using the 10G SFP+ port, or 2.5 Gbps when using Ethernet. 




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