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Made by Pixel event set for August 20 — Pixel 10, Pixel Watch 4 and more

Made by Pixel event set for August 20 — Pixel 10, Pixel Watch 4 and more

Tom's Guide2 days ago
Google has sent out invitations to its next "Made by Google" hardware event, giving us a firm date for when we can expect to see the next generation of Pixel 10 phones. In addition to the latest flagship phones from Google, this year's launch should also include our first look at a new Pixel Watch 4.
The event takes places Wednesday, August 20, where Google says it "introduce the latest to additions to our Pixel portfolio of devices."
The invitation doesn't specify what will debut on August 20. But the timing would suggest that the Pixel 10 lineup — which is likely to include the Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold alongside a standard Pixel 10 — would appear.
Last year, Google moved its Pixel phone launch up from its traditional October release to the earlier August window and it appears that schedule is here to stay.
The Pixel 9a released earlier this year dropped Google's horizontal camera bar, but cases leaks point to the Pixel 10 keeping Google's standard camera design.
For the most part, screen sizes should also remain the same as last year models, with the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro both featuring 6.3-inch displays. The Pixel 10 Pro XL is likely to offer a 6.8-inch screen. A recent specs leak revealed an 8-inch inner display and a 6.4-inch cover screen for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, slightly bigger than last year's Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The big question will be what power these handsets. Likely it will be system-on-chip labeled the Tensor G5, the first chip Google has made entirely from scratch.
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It's been rumored that the G5 will be made at TSMC using its 3nm process, a move away from Samsung which had manufactured the previous Tensor processors.
Though recent leakers have claimed that the G5 is "basically TSMC-made version of G4" hinting at 4nm chip, and a prototype SoC was recently leaked with Samsung markings.
If Google has made the move to TSMC with its 3nm processor, expect a faster, more efficient chip compared to the Tensor G4. However, it's quite unclear at this moment
Beyond that, the Pixel 10s should launch with Android 16, which recently arrived and has already hit current Pixels, bringing a number of unique and exclusive software features. An interface redesign is coming, too.
Unlike the Pixel 10 phones, not many rumors have sprouted up around the Pixel Watch 4. That said, there are a few upgrades we believe Google could announce.
In April, leaker OnLeaks posted renders of the new watch and unlike the new Galaxy Watch 8, Google seems to be sticking with a similar aesthetic as the Pixel Watch 3.
The renders did reveal a slightly thicker 14.3mm watch compared to the Pixel Watch 3 which measures at 12.3mm. It also showed two sizes; 41mm and 45mm with slightly thinner bezels.
They also showed a lack of charging pins which suggests that the Pixel Watch 4 will support wireless charging, a feature the Pixel Watch desperately needs even if the Pixel Watch 3 garnered near-perfect ratings in our review.
Beyond that, we don't know much else. We can look to Samsung's recent smartwatch releases for hints at what's coming with WearOS and health upgrades, but the Korean company's wearables are different enough that it's not a 1-to-1 comparison.
It's possible that Apple could announce other products, but for now, the Pixel 10 family and the Pixel Watch 4 are the only devices we expect to see.
Until then we have to wait a month for that August 20 reveal.
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AI-Generated Medical Podcasts Deceive Even the Experts
AI-Generated Medical Podcasts Deceive Even the Experts

Medscape

time7 minutes ago

  • Medscape

AI-Generated Medical Podcasts Deceive Even the Experts

For the first time, researchers have evaluated the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate podcasts from peer-reviewed scientific articles. Using Google's NotebookLM application, the team created podcast scripts based on studies published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing ( EJCN ). The results were eye-opening: Half of the authors did not realize the podcast hosts were not human. The study assessed whether AI could simulate a realistic scientific dialogue between two speakers discussing published research. Findings were presented at this year's Annual Congress of the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions and simultaneously published in EJCN . Too Polished to Be Human? The AI-generated podcasts averaged 10 minutes. Without knowing the content was machine-produced, most authors said their research was summarized clearly, in simple language, and with structured delivery. Some even remarked that the 'hosts' sounded like they had clinical or nursing backgrounds. But not all feedback was glowing. Several participants felt the delivery was unnaturally smooth — lacking hesitation, repetition, or organic back-and-forth — prompting suspicion of AI involvement. Others flagged mispronounced medical terms and factual errors. One podcast, for example, focused on heart failure diagnosis instead of management. Another spoke exclusively about women, even though the study included men. Some authors were also distracted by the overly enthusiastic, American-style tone of the narration, with superlatives used to describe modest results. A more academic tone, they suggested, would be more appropriate — particularly if the tool is used for scientific audiences. Promise for Science Communication Led by Philip Moons, PhD, from the KU Leuven Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven, Belgium, the researchers created 10 podcasts based on EJCN articles. Despite imperfections, they concluded that 'AI-generated podcasts are able to summarize key findings in an easily understandable and engaging manner.' 'Podcasts were found to be most appropriate for patients and the public but could be useful for researchers and healthcare professionals as well if they were tailored accordingly,' the authors wrote. 'It was striking how accurate the podcasts were in general. Knowing that we are just at the beginning of this kind of AI-generated podcasts, the quality will become better over time, probably within the next few months,' Moons said in a press release. He believes the tool could help researchers more effectively disseminate their work. Moons got the idea after testing NotebookLM with one of his own papers, shortly after Google launched the feature in September 2024. 'When I did a first test case with one of my own articles, I was flabbergasted by the high quality and how natural it sounded.' After generating the podcasts — ranging from 5 to 17 minutes — researchers were asked to evaluate the content through a questionnaire and a 30-minute video interview. Missing Context but Strong Engagement All participating authors agreed that the podcasts effectively conveyed the key findings of their research in simple, accessible language. Many also found the conversational format between two 'hosts' made the content more engaging. Several praised the hosts' professionalism. 'I was curious about their background — it really seemed like they had medical or nursing training,' one author said. However, some were unsettled by the lack of introductory context. The podcasts provided no information about the identity of the speakers or how the audio was produced, leaving listeners uncertain about the source. Overall, most found the content reliable, though a few pointed out factual errors. One author noted that obesity was described as a 'habit,' potentially misleading listeners by implying it is merely a lifestyle choice. Despite these issues, half of the authors — one of whom was an AI expert — did not realize the podcasts were machine-generated. Many said they were 'shocked' or 'amazed' by the quality. Most of the participants were regular podcast listeners. Even those who suspected AI involvement were surprised by how natural and fluent the results sounded. Expanding Research Reach All authors agreed that future versions should clearly disclose AI involvement. Most also recommended adopting a more academic tone if the target audience includes researchers, along with a greater focus on study methods and limitations. Although patients and the general public were identified as the primary audience, the researchers noted that AI-generated podcasts could serve as a cost-effective, scalable way for healthcare professionals to stay current with new research. They also suggested the format could help broaden the visibility and reach of scientific publications. 'This could be a sustainable model to get the message out to people who do not typically read scientific journals,' Moons said. Still, he emphasized the need for human oversight 'to add nuance.' He envisions a hybrid model in which AI-generated content is supplemented with human input. That vision may already be taking shape. The beta version of Google's NotebookLM (currently available only in English) now allows real-time interaction with the AI. After launching a podcast, users can ask questions directly to one of the 'hosts.' The AI generates a spoken response, and the podcast then continues — seamlessly integrating human-machine dialogue.

The new reputation risk: When AI misquotes you
The new reputation risk: When AI misquotes you

Fast Company

time7 minutes ago

  • Fast Company

The new reputation risk: When AI misquotes you

AI summaries are everywhere now. They appear above search engine results, in chatbots, and as part of the tools customers use when deciding which brands to trust. But what happens when those summaries are wrong, and they're the first thing people see about you? Welcome to the new era of hallucinated reputation. AI OVERVIEWS ARE FAST—AND FLAWED In May 2024, Google launched AI Overviews to millions of U.S. users. The tool uses generative AI to answer search queries with a synthesized answer pulled from across the web. But within days, the cracks showed. One user asked how to make cheese stick to pizza. Google's AI Overview replied, 'Add a little non-toxic glue.' That response was pulled from a sarcastic Reddit post, not a food blog or scientific source. AI Overviews has treated satirical websites as if they were genuine news outlets and given detailed answers to nonsense questions like 'Can you lick a badger twice?'. With AI-powered search and summaries being integrated into other major platforms, these issues aren't simple one-offs. Far from rare, their impact will have lasting consequences. BAD DATA IN, FALSE NARRATIVES OUT Unlike traditional search results that link directly to verified content, most AI systems don't cite reliable sources consistently. In some cases, they cite them incorrectly; other times, they just make things up. That's a big problem for businesses and public figures. At for example, we worked with a local HVAC service provider that shared a similar name with a much larger national provider, so AI Overviews and chatbot responses were blending the two. When someone searched 'Is [Company Name] legit?' or 'reviews for [Company Name],' the summaries pulled in Reddit threads and Quora comments about the national chain, even after adding narrower search terms like the local business' city or suburb. The generated reviews cited complaints and service issues that had nothing to do with the local provider. One summary even listed an out-of-state headquarters address and misidentified the owners. AI hallucinations aren't the only concern. Fake reputation services are now bundling AI tools into their offerings. Need a dozen fake press mentions? They'll generate them with GPT-based models and upload them to abandoned blogs. Need a fake bio or testimonial? It's just a prompt away. These fabricated mention often pass initial detection and are hard to trace. This isn't just about bad jokes or trivia. It's about trust. When customers, investors, or media search for your name or company and see an AI summary that's flat-out wrong, it can quickly distort public perception. And because these AI summaries are designed to reduce clicks, users may never scroll past the top answer to see a correction. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final ruling to ban the creation and sale of fake reviews and deceptive testimonials, including those generated by AI. Meanwhile, the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority pressured Google into tougher content moderation policies, including warning labels for businesses that manipulate reviews. The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) now mandates transparency around algorithmic recommendation systems. But these enforcement systems are still playing catch-up. Hallucinated AI summaries don't clearly fall into categories like defamation or review fraud. They're just wrong. And right now, no one is really accountable. The burden shouldn't just fall on the occasional business that gets caught. There needs to be more accountability for the platforms that enable this kind of manipulation in the first place. Government fines help, but they're only hitting a fraction of the problem. WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT Reputation isn't just about what people say anymore. It's about what machines think people say. Your online presence is being read, summarized, and judged by large language models. And your reputation is being reduced to a few AI-generated lines. If those lines are wrong, misleading, or based on outdated content, your brand or name can take a hit before you even know what's out there. This is the new reality, and you can't opt out. But you can influence what AI sees. The first step is to audit your public presence. Search your name or brand across major search platforms and AI tools with browsing enabled. Take note of summaries, bios, or claims that are inaccurate or outdated. If something's wrong, don't just wait for it to go away—address it. Then, update your bios, About pages, and press mentions with consistent facts. Make sure the first three to five search results for your name reflect who you are today, not who you were years ago. These are the signals AI pulls from most often. It's not just about ranking anymore. People are asking chatbots and AI tools things like 'Is [Your Name] legit?' or 'What do people say about [Your Company]?' That's why long-tail keywords and conversational Q&A content matter. AI models prioritize natural language and structured answers when summarizing reputations. In a world where machines write the first draft of your reputation, the real risk is staying silent. AI doesn't understand nuance. It just summarizes whatever is most visible and frequent. Make sure the version of you they find is the one you actually want seen.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: The first foldable I'd actually buy
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: The first foldable I'd actually buy

Tom's Guide

time37 minutes ago

  • Tom's Guide

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: The first foldable I'd actually buy

It's pretty rare that I'm so excited by a foldable phone that I'm tempted to buy it. This is one of those times. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is not yet another iterative upgrade. It is a huge leap forward in terms of design. It's so thin and light I was shocked every time I picked it up for the first week of using the phone. You're no longer being penalized for wanting a phone and tablet in one device. In fact, the Fold 7 is lighter than both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra and also thinner than both of those phones when open. That's pretty frickin' amazing for a foldable with a ginormous 8-inch display on the inside (one I can run three apps at once on), a 6.5-inch screen on the outside and a powerful new 200MP camera. At the same time, Samsung is charging a staggering $2,000 for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is the second price hike on this model in two years. And the phone maker made some sacrifices to get he Fold this thin. Bye-bye S-Pen! Now that I've been living with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, here's my reasons to buy (and skip) in my full review — and how it stacks up to other flagships like the S25 Ultra. Who is this for? Power users looking for a tablet and phone in one device — without the usual foldable phone penalty of heft and bulk. What does it cost? The Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999/£1,799 / AU$2,899. That's a $100 price hike over the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in the U.S. What do I like? The amazingly thin and light design, the larger displays, more advanced 200MP camera and the seamless integration of Gemini Live AI. What do I not like? Other than the sticker shock of that price, the unsightly punch hole camera on the main display and the just-okay battery life. Some may miss the S Pen. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999 for 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. No, that's not a typo. That's $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the most expensive phone you can buy in the U.S. The Fold 7 is more affordable in the U.K. and Australia, with prices starting at £1,799 / AU$2,899. Opting for the 512GB model will run you $2,119 / £1,899 / AU$3,099. Want 1TB? You're looking at $2,419 / £2,149 / AU$3,549, but at least that includes a bump in RAM to 16GB. Price From $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,899 Main display 8 inches AMOLED (2184 x 1968, 1-120Hz) Cover display 6.5 inches AMOLED (2520 x 1080, 1-120Hz) Chipset Snapdragon 8 Elite RAM 12GB (16GB for 1TB) Storage 256GB/512GB/1TB Rear cameras 200MP wide (f/1.7), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), 10MP telephoto (f/2.4, 3x optical, 30x space zoom) Cover camera 10MP (f/2.2) Main display camera 10MP (f/2.2) Charging 25W Battery 4,400 mAh Dimensions 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm (folded), 143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2 mm (unfolded) Weight 215 grams (7.5 ounces) IP Rating IP48 Colors Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jet-black, Mint Let's get something out of the way. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 may not be the thinnest and lightest book-style foldable in the world. But it is such a huge improvement over the Z Fold 6 that it feels like a totally new device. Measuring 8.9mm thick unfolded and 4.2mm unfolded, the Z Fold 7 is 26% thinner than the Fold 6. And when I hold them side by side the contrast is dramatic. Seriously, it's the difference between wanting to carry this phone in my front or back pocket and using a coat pocket or my bag. For those scoring at home, the Honor Magic V5 is reportedly 8.8mm thin when closed and 4.1mm when open, but that's not a phone that's available for sale in the U.S. Samsung says it's made the Fold 7 more durable, too, thanks to a new Armor FlexHinge that more evenly distributes stress, an advanced Armor Aluminum in the frame and hinge that increases strength and a main display that's thinner but stronger. During my time with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it felt pretty durable despite being so thin. And I like how the hinge barely protrudes when closed. But note that this foldable is just IP48 rated once more, meaning it's water resistant but not dust resistant. I won't be taking the Fold to the beach. I do have some nitpicks with the design. The first is the camera for the inner display. Samsung moved from an invisible under-display camera to a punch hole, it's an eyesore. I also wish the camera bump wasn't so thick. As a result, the phone wobbles when you press use it on a table. One more thing. I think the Z Fold 7 could be slightly easier to open. It's so thin you have to dig your nails in there. How about colors? If you want to stand out, get the bold Blue Shadow option. I love it. If you don't like fun get the Jetblack or Silver Shadow option. There's also an exclusive Mint color on The Galaxy Z Fold 7 gets three major display upgrades versus the Z Fold 6. Both the cover and main displays are now larger, and the crease on the unfolded main display is definitely less noticeable. Starting with the inside, the Galaxy Z Fold 7's main display has grown from 7.6 inches to 8 inches, which is a pretty big jump. I appreciated the extra real estate when watching the Superman trailer on YouTube but especially when working on spreadsheets in Google Sheets. You can see a lot more info without scrolling. And it's nice being able to see several open tabs at once when surfing the web in Chrome. Brightness (Nits, HDR) Color (DCI-P3) Accuracy (Delta-E) Galaxy Z Fold 7 2,310 96%/105.2% (Natural/Vivid) 0.22/0.28 (Natural/Vivid) Galaxy Z Fold 6 2,317 81.2%/96.9% (Natural/Vivid) 0.24/0.24 (Natural/Vivid) Pixel Pro 9 Fold 2,319 78.9% / 89.2% (Natural/Adaptive) 0.19/0.33 (Natural/Adaptive) Galaxy S25 Ultra 1,860 90.8%/107.3% (Natural/Vivid) 0.24 iPhone 16 Pro Max 1,553 80.9% 0.26 The other plus is that Samsung has worked hard to minimize the main display's crease. It's still there but it's much less noticeable. I put the Z Fold 7 and Z Fold 6 side by side and the line running down the middle of the screen is a lot more subtle from various angles. So one of the biggest complaints about foldable phones is (almost) no more. I will say, though, that the Galaxy Z Fold 6's panel looked a bit richer side by side next to the Z Fold 7 with slightly wider viewing angles. Meanwhile, the Z Fold 7's cover display is now 6.5 inches, up from 6.3 inches on the Fold 6. It's wider, too, so I found typing more comfortable. It's certainly not as wide as the S25 Ultra's 6.9-inch panel, but I had no problem checking emails, responding to Slack messages and changing tracks on Spotify, and so on. In our labs, the Z Fold 7's main display delivered a peak brightness of 2,310 nits when displaying HDR content, compared to 2,317 nits for the Z Fold 6. So they're comparable. The S25 Ultra, by comparison, reached 1,860 nits in the same test. The Fold 7's main display also registered 96% of the DCI-P3 color space in Natural mode and 105.2% in Vivid mode. That's better than the Z Fold 6, and the S25 Ultra was slightly better in Vivid mode and slightly worse in Natural mode. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has three major camera upgrades, and one of them is controversial. Samsung has upgraded the main wide camera from 50MP to 200MP. And that means you not only get more detail but can crop in more on your shots so you have more creative freedom. You also get autofocus on the 12MP ultrawide camera, which means you can get some very detailed macro shots. Just take a look at this shot of a Rose of Sharon flower. The Z Fold 7 delivers much more details in the petals, stamen and even the flecks of pollen vs. the Z Fold 6. Just keep in mind that the S25 Ultra's 40MP ultrawide camera can capture even sharper looking macros, as you'll see in the gallery above. The third major change is the inner selfie camera. Samsung has ditched the under-display 4MP camera on the Fold 6 for a 10MP punch hole camera on its new foldable. And while aesthetically it's not pleasing, it does take better looking photos. Check out this selfie comparison. The Z Fold 7's shot is more colorful and there's more detail in my eyes and shirt. The Fold 6's image is blurrier and a bit washed out by comparison. The main camera did a great job with this photo of the fountain in Bryant Park. The blue forget-me-not flowers really pop, and the fountain itself has a subtle blur effect. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's pic is more evenly focused throughout, but there's more of a haze to the image. The fountain gets a bit lost in the iPhone 16 Pro Max's image. With the sun behind the clouds I took this somewhat moody image of Bryant Park using the Z Fold 7's ultrawide camera. In this case I prefer the brighter shot taken by the S25 Ultra. But the Fold 7 does a better job of capturing the clouds than the S25 Ultra. So how about portraits? The Z Fold 7 holds its own versus the competition. My green shirt with white stripes looks vibrant, and there's good definition in my hair and hands. Still I slightly prefer the brighter exposure from the Z Fold 6 and S25 Ultra. The Pixel 9 Pro's image looks a bit flat and dull, while the iPhone's image has the best contrast. In low light, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 captured a fairly impressive photo of string lights outside a restaurant. There's a good amount of detail in the bricks and trees, and the Modelo-branded umbrellas pop. I'd give a slight edge to the iPhone 16 Pro Max because you can make out the lights a bit better in the foreground. Indoors the Galaxy Z Fold 7 struggled with this photo of a checkerboard lamp in a dark room with two candles behind it. It had trouble focusing but actually fared better than the S25 Ultra, whose pic turned out quite dark. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 captures crisp video up to 8K at 30 fps and promises better results in low light thanks to Samsung's ProVisual Engine. I shot this video of a creek on a very muggy day right before a thunderstorm hit, and the Z Fold 7 recorded colorful footage with rich greens and browns against a grayish-white sky. As I zoomed in, the camera did a fine job rendering the ripples in the water. In this footage of the Bryant Park fountain, the Z Fold 7's footage looks more evenly exposed, while the Z Fold 6's video appears overly bright and washed out. The Fold 7 clip also offers more details in the stone and water as I zoomed in. To test the ProVisual Engine's chops, I shot this footage of a pool in near darkness. The Z Fold 7's clip looks brighter and a bit crisper, especially as I zoom in on the basketball net. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is so far ahead of the iPhone on AI it's almost sad. While there aren't many new features versus what the S25 Ultra introduced, Samsung deserves credit for making more of its Galaxy AI tools foldable friendly. And Gemini steals the show. I love that you can just long press the Z Fold 7's side button and then quickly launch into a live audio and video chat with Gemini Live. The window just pops up on the bottom right side so it doesn't cover up the app you're using. I also like that you can share your screen with Gemini and ask questions about it. For example, I opened a photo of the Bryant Park Fountain and asked about when it was made. I learned that the Josephine Shaw Memorial Fountain in Bryant Park was dedicated in 1912, and it's the first major public memorial dedicated to a woman in New York City. You can even ask Gemini questions while you're playing a game. I asked where I should go next in Wuthering Waves and Gemini gave me directions (head North) to get to the next checkpoint. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is also super smart when it comes to generative AI photo edits. I just tapped the eraser button and it automatically recommended a bunch of people to zap out of my photo. With a couple of taps they were gone. I appreciate that you can see the before and after side-by-side on the big 8-inch display. The same thing goes for other generative AI image tools like turning you and your friends into a comic, 3D cartoon, watercolor or sketch. You can even have AI fun with your pets now, including a funky Fisheye lens option. One of the more popular Galaxy AI tools gets a boost with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and that's Audio Eraser. You can now remove background noise not just from video recordings in the Gallery app but also in Voice Recorder, Notes and call transcript. In one video, I could easily remove unwanted voices in the background in auto mode, and then I could fine tune from there for the exact desired result. It took me playing only a few minutes of Wuthering Waves on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to know this is a powerhouse phone. The graphics look stunning, and the frame rate stayed super smooth as I battled a ginormous monster and ran for my life. I could also easily run three apps at once using the Multi Window feature, such as Slack, Gallery and Spotify. And it's neat that you can drag and drop images from one window to another. Geekbench Adobe Premiere Rush 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited Galaxy Z Fold 7 3,052 / 9,735 52 seconds 41.2 fps / 10,812 Galaxy Z Fold 6 2,172 / 6,901 40 seconds 28.6 fps / 7,513 Galaxy S25 Ultra 3,031 / 9,829 52 seconds 42.4 fps / 11,140 iPhone 16 Pro Max 3,386 / 8,306 21 seconds 28.1 fps / 7,396 On Geekbench, which measures CPU performance, the Galaxy Z Fold 7's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip paired with 12GB of RAM notched 3,052 on the single-core portion of the Geekbench test and 9,735 on multicore. That's about the same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The results were similar on our video transcoding test using Adobe Premiere Rush, taking 52 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. Strangely, last year's Fold 6 finished in a quicker 40 seconds. The iPhone 16 Pro Max was way faster than them all. However, the iPhone lags the Fold 7 on the 3DMark graphics test. The foldable reached 41 frames per second (fps) on the demanding Solar Bay Unlimited portion of the test, compared to just 28 fps for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The bad news is that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 packs the same size 4,400 mAh battery as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. This at a time when Chinese phone makers like Honor and Oppo are rolling out higher capacity silicon carbon batteries. For example, the Honor Magic V5 packs a 6,100 mAh battery using the new technology and the Oppo Find N5 offers a 5,600 mAh cell. Samsung has told us that it is investigating silicon carbon batteries but for now it is prioritizing safety. Battery size (mAh) Battery life (hrs:mins) Galaxy Z Fold 7 4,400 mAh 10:55 Galaxy Z Fold 6 4,400 10:25 Pixel 9 Pro Fold 4,650 mAh 10:32 / 11:29 (Smooth display on / off) Galaxy S25 Ultra 5,000 mAh 17 review:14 iPhone 16 Pro Max 4,685 mAh 17 review:35 On the Tom's Guide battery test, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 lasted a somewhat mediocre 10 hours and 55 minutes when surfing the web over 5G. Compare that to 10:25 for the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max both lasted over 17 hours, or 6 hours longer than the new Fold. Alas, the charging picture isn't much prettier. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 supports relatively slow 25W charging. That means you get a 54% charge in our testing in 30 minutes. The S25 Ultra's 45W charger got to 71% in the same amount of time. Meanwhile, the above Honor and Oppo phones boast 80W charging, but we haven't measured their charging speed yet. The Galaxy Z Fold runs Samsung's One UI 8 software on top of Android 16, and there are some notable upgrades for foldable fans. As mentioned above, Gemini Live is now enhanced with multimodal AI, which means it can process information from your voice and what the camera 'sees' in real-time, as well as what's on your screen. The Gemini Live interface floats on top of whatever you're doing, so it doesn't feel like it's taking over your phone, and when you're sharing your screen and talking to Gemini you'll see an indicator in the top left corner that it's listening, so you can tap there to pause or turn it off at any time. Circle to Search gets an upgrade in One UI 8, too. You can use Circle to Search when playing a game and get instant tips or find out more about characters or enemies. Another AI perk is that you can now drag and drop AI-created content from one window to another when using the multi window feature, including images. Thanks to its larger screen, there's a revamped Studio video editor in the gallery that lets you edit videos almost like on a computer. What makes it unique is how it's laid out, along with the ability to layer tracks much like on professional video editors. For creators, it's a helpful tool that offers on-device editing to save you time. This is exclusive to the Z Fold 7 for now, as the Z Flip 7 doesn't have it. As for Android 16 features, some of the biggest highlights include live updates for ride-share and food delivery apps (which is coming to Samsung's Now Bar). Another welcome upgrade is grouping notifications from a single app for reducing clutter on your lock screen. As with other Samsung flagships, the Z Fold 7 comes with seven years of OS and security updates. However, it only comes with 6 months of free Gemini Advanced — whereas Google's Pixel 9 phones get a full year. Samsung has done it. They've won over a foldable phone skeptic with a design that just feels right. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a triumph of engineering, packing larger displays in a design that's so thin and light you forget that you're carrying a foldable around. You get two vibrant screens in one device, awesome multitasking power and a flagship-grade camera system. And the AI features really shine on this bigger canvas, especially Gemini Live screen sharing. So what's the problem? The $2,000 price is super steep, and I wish Samsung found a way to pack in a larger battery. I personally can live without the S Pen, though creatively-inclined users may be peeved, and I really don't mind the punch hole camera. The megapixel upgrade makes up for it. I think the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better option if you want longer battery life, even better cameras and S Pen support for hundreds less. But if you're even thinking about splurging for a foldable, you'll be more than happy with the Z Fold 7. It's the best foldable phone you can buy in the U.S. and maybe the world. It finally feels like the future we were promised is here.

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