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Khaleej Times
43 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Is it worth Dh7,599?
Foldables have often felt like prototypes wrapped in premium packaging. But with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung seems to have finally struck gold. It's slimmer, lighter, more refined, and with Galaxy AI baked into the DNA of the device, it's no longer just about the fold. So let's unfold what it could mean for the everyday user. In the UAE, we're aware that luxury intersects with utility and aesthetics matter as much as specs. That said, the Fold 7 is one of Samsung's most convincing flex yet. Display Now, I'll be honest here: I've never really liked foldables. They always felt clunky, fragile, and like a compromise. A phone I had to think about too much before using. But after trying out Samsung's latest, it felt different. At just 8.9mm when closed and a wafer-thin 4.2mm when open, the Fold 7 feels radically different in hand. Weighing only 215g, it's the first Fold that doesn't feel like you're carrying a mini tablet in your pocket, even though you technically are. The 6.5-inch outer screen is perfectly usable, thanks to its 21:9 aspect ratio. You won't feel forced to open the phone every time you want to get something done. It's a proper smartphone when folded, and a tablet when open. And yes, if you're a first-time user, it still takes a bit of muscle memory to open and close regularly. Once you do, the 8-inch inner display, is Samsung at its best: QXGA+ AMOLED, 120Hz refresh, and peak brightness. This is also the phone for multitaskers. I was able to run up to five apps at once, switching between Google, WhatsApp, Camera, YouTube, and Docs without breaking a sweat. It's a productivity beast. For content creators, the Fold 7 is practically a mini production studio. Open it up, drag your clips into timeline mode, edit with precision, and upload — all from the same screen. Performance & AI Under the hood is the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, a 3nm powerhouse designed in collaboration with Qualcomm. It could handle all the multitasking and gaming like a breeze. Paired with up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, there's very little this phone can't do. But the real game-changer? Galaxy AI. Features like Live Translate, Circle to Search, Generative Edit, and Audio Eraser feel less like gimmicks and more like essential tools. Imagine speaking in Arabic while your voice call gets translated to Hindi in real time. Or editing a photo of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque without tourists in the frame — cleanly, with a single AI tap. Cameras, battery, and where's the S pen? Samsung has finally dropped the compromise. The 200MP main sensor, 10MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto with 3x zoom deliver flagship-level results. Photos are crisp, dynamic range is excellent, and video is silky even in low light. Front-facing 10MP cameras are functional, though not spectacular. Still, the rear setup is strong enough to use in Flex Mode for vlogging or hands-free shooting. Samsung sticks with a 4,400mAh battery, and while efficiency has improved, this is not a two-day phone. Moderate users will get a full day, power users won't. 25W wired and 15W wireless charging remain painfully slow compared to Chinese rivals pushing 80W+. For a phone that costs over Dh7,000, this is an area where Samsung needs to stop playing it safe. The absence of S Pen support will sting for Galaxy Note loyalists. But in Samsung's defense, ditching the stylus allowed the phone to finally slim down. It's a trade-off — weight and thinness over functionality. For creatives and execs who liked scribbling on the Fold, this may be a deal-breaker. To sum it up, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a genuine productivity and creativity tool. Given our lifestyle, this foldable makes sense today, not in some futuristic roadmap. Sure, the charging speed is underwhelming, and stylus fans will have to look elsewhere. But as a daily driver, productivity machine, and creative canvas, it finally feels complete. UAE pricing and availability The price for Galaxy Z Fold7 starts from Dh7,599 with 12GB RAM and 256GB Storage. It comes in four colours: Silver Shadow, Jet Black, Mint and Blue Shadow. Prices go up to Dh9,349. Should you buy it? Yes, if you: Want the best foldable experience money can buy Juggle work, content, and creativity on the go Appreciate Galaxy AI's genuinely useful tools Skip it if you:
Tahawul Tech
43 minutes ago
- Tahawul Tech
Future is 'Agentic' and already unfolding
Let me take you on a journey, not into some far-off sci-fi future, but into a tomorrow that's just around the corner. Imagine walking into your workplace and finding that some of your 'colleagues' are no longer human. They're not robots in the traditional sense, but autonomous software agents trained on vast datasets, equipped with decision-making power, and capable of performing economic, civic, and operational tasks at scale. These agents write policies, monitor supply chains, process health records, generate news, and even govern our digital interactions. This isn't a scene from a movie. A tectonic shift is heading our way, one that will transform how we work, how governments function, and even how communities operate. In this world, digital public infrastructure (DPI) will not be a convenience. It will be a lifeline. This shift is already progressing in the heart of the Middle East. Ambitious projects like NEOM in Saudi Arabia are exploring how agentic AI can be woven into the fabric of urban life. They aim to build an ecosystem of autonomous agents that redefines how cities are developed and managed. Sovereignty in the Age of Agents We like to say, 'Everyone has data.' But the real question is: Where is it? Who controls it? Who governs access to it? In a world run by agents, these are not purely technical questions but ones of power, accountability, and autonomy. A sovereign nation that cannot locate, trust, or manage its data risks losing control.. A government that cannot verify what its own agents have learned, or with whom they are communicating with, is no longer governing. To survive and thrive in this new ecosystem, DPI must evolve into Digital Shoring: a foundation for sovereign, trusted, and open environments built on four pillars: Open Data – depends on trust. It requires clear data lineage, verified provenance, and accountable governance. Knowing where your data came from and where it's going is essential for any system that relies on it.. Open Source Software – because critical infrastructure built on black boxes is neither secure nor sovereign. Open Standards – because without shared protocols, agents can't cooperate, institutions can't interoperate, and governments can't govern. Open Skills – because the capacity to read a balance sheet, or audit a neural net, shouldn't belong to a privileged few. This is the backbone of an agentic society that is fair, sovereign, and resilient. Agentic Intelligence: More Than Just Fancy Tools Let's talk about what agents actually are – and what they aren't. Imagine I hand a company's financial statement to two readers: a junior analyst and a seasoned economist. Both might understand the numbers, but only one can extract strategic insight. Similarly, agents can read, analyze, and reason. But the quality of their actions depends entirely on the skills they are equipped with. These skills can be trained, acquired, or, most importantly, shared. In public sector contexts, this presents an extraordinary opportunity. Why should every institution reinvent the same agent? Why can't the skills of a fraud detection agent used in one department be transferred, securely and ethically, to another? Just like people share their expertise, we need infrastructure for sharing agentic capabilities across digital institutions. This is where organizations like the UN can help, by setting the standards and helping everyone through the lens of the Global Digital Compact initiative. From 'Sovereign Cloud' to 'Sovereign AI Platforms' Right now, a lot of talk is around keeping data inside national borders. But in the world of agents, that is just not enough. What really matters is where and how models are trained, how they are managed, and how we keep them in check. We need Sovereign AI Platforms – akin to the way HR departments manage employees: verifying credentials, ensuring alignment, monitoring performance, and enabling collaboration. Companies such as Cloudera, are developing the scaffolding for such platforms: secure hybrid AI environments, open-source data pipelines, governance-first orchestration layers, and modular LLM serving infrastructure that respects national compliance frameworks. But no company can do this alone. This is a global mission. Open by Design. Governed by Default Governments around the world are already realising that private AI cannot be built on public cloud monopolies. Digital identity and agent oversight need to be open and transparent, not hidden, ad hoc, or opaque. So the future must be open by design – in code, in data, in protocols, and being governed by default. From Digital IDs that authenticate not only humans, but also agents and their behavior, to full knowledge graphs that maintain shared institutional knowledge across systems, together with audit trails that document every decision, every inference, every prompt. This goes beyond technology. It involves creating a new kind of digital society that is designed to empower states, safeguard citizens, and align intelligence with democratic values. The Path Forward This transformation will not be easy. It will require bold policy, sustained investment, cross-border cooperation, and, above all, technical leadership grounded in values. But make no mistake, digital cooperation is not optional. It is the condition for sovereignty in an agentic world. Without it, we are left with silos, vendor lock-in, and algorithmic drift. With it, we build a future where intelligence, human or machine, serves the public good. So let's move beyond the buzzwords. Let's build platforms, protocols, and public goods that are open, modular, and sovereign. Let's treat agents not just as tools, but as members of a digital society in need of governance, trust, and cooperation. And maybe, when we look back at today from the vantage point of tomorrow, we'll remember this moment not as a crisis, but as the moment we chose to govern the future together. This opinion piece is authored by Sergio Gago Huerta, CTO at Cloudera.
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Mideast Stocks: UAE stocks gain on trade optimism and higher oil prices
Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates closed higher on Friday, mirroring gains in oil prices, with Dubai's index leading the advance, driven by a surge in the real estate and telecom sectors. Oil prices - a key catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets - rose on Friday as optimism surrounding trade talks supported the outlook for the global economy and oil demand, offsetting reports of a possible spike in oil supply from Venezuela. There was increasing optimism of a trade agreement between the U.S. and the European Union after the U.S. and Japan secured a trade deal this week. Two European diplomats said the EU was moving towards a deal involving a baseline U.S. tariff of 15% on EU imports, plus possible exemptions. Dubai's main index extended its winning streak to a third session, climbing 0.6%, buoyed by a 2.6% rise in blue-chip developer Emaar Properties and a 1.3% gain in toll operator Salik Company. Among other gainers, telecom operator Emirates Integrated Telecommunications (known as Du) gained 1% after reporting growth of 25% in its second-quarter net profit to 726.8 million dirhams ($197.89 million). Banks propelled Abu Dhabi's benchmark index to close 0.4% higher. Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, the UAE's third-largest lender jumped 3.3%, while Bank of Sharjah surged 4.9%. Easy Lease Motor Cycle Rental climbed 3.5% after the firm reported a more than fourfold increase in its second-quarter net profit, with quarterly revenue also rising 96% year-on-year. Both indexes recorded a fifth week of gains, with Dubai ending 0.9% higher and Abu Dhabi adding 0.8%, according to LSEG data. ABU DHABI up 0.4% to 10,340 DUBAI rose 0.6% to 6,150 ($1 = 3.6728 UAE dirham)
