Samsung Interview: Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 product manager talks new designs, more AI — and that missing S Pen
Kadesh Beckford is Smartphone Specialist Product Manager at Samsung UK, and one of the first people to use these devices over a long period of time. So since he's had more of an opportunity than almost anyone else in the world right now to try out the new Samsung foldables and smartwatch, we thought we'd ask him our most pressing questions about the lineup.
"To be honest and transparent, I've experienced the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for a couple of weeks now," Beckford admitted during our interview. "I've been very knowledgeable about the product for a little while, obviously while having it under lock and key. But then I've seen every single time I pick it up and have the capability of looking at it, it blows me away."
Why does it blow him away? That has a lot to with the big design upgrade the new Z Fold has seen from previous generations. "Every single time I picked it up, I completely forgot it was a Fold. It screams out a normal phone, but when you open it, I'm like, "Okay, this is great."
While Beckford's more of a Z Fold fan, he still gets the appeal of the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 7.
"With the Z Flip series, the customers love the portability, the practicality of the device and its design. And the fact is we've made improvements on that: stronger, thinner, a bigger battery. Our R&D guys, our engineers, are amazing."
There are plenty of hardware changes to talk about, but Galaxy AI still looms in the background as a big part of Samsung's mobile device plan. A few new features are debuting on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, so I asked Beckford what he liked best out of the fresh additions.
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"My favorite one probably is Suggest Erases. Last week, my colleague, Tom, actually, we were in our office, I was taking a few pictures around and I'm taking a picture of Tom. And I'm in the background because there's a mirror in front of us.
'I thought I looked pretty good in the picture at the time, but just the fact that AI picked me out, literally drew a line around me, and I then could literally just press a button and erase. It wasn't me going in to erase it, it made the suggestion at an instant and it removed me."
Beckford also named the Now Bar as another favorite. The live app notification feature was introduced with the Galaxy S25, but it takes on new life on the cover screen of the Z Flip 7, where it's visible without opening the phone.
'I use Uber now and then. So now with the Now Bar, you'll get your Uber notifications.. I can now look at that on the Z Flip, just on the left-hand side. For me, that's fantastic.'
The Now Brief summary has also proven beneficial for Beckford's fitness goals. 'I wouldn't say I'm a great runner, but I recently committed to not driving to the gym. I either walk or get a [dockless hire] bike. And what I'm finding is that with my device, I'm able to view all my metrics. I do wear a Galaxy Ring. I do wear a Galaxy Watch, but the fact is in my Now Brief, I'll get all of my weekly health insights."
This data is important for Beckford, who has set himself the goal of running a marathon distance by September this year ("I haven't said in what time I'll complete it in," he adds). This follows his completion of the popular "75 Hard" fitness plan earlier this year. And he gives Galaxy AI a good amount of credit for helping him.
"75 Hard is… hard! But with [Galaxy AI] what I was able to say okay, Monday's scheduling is chest and bicep day, then it's going to be back and tricep day, then it's going to be shoulders and abs day, and legs and abs day. I was able to just say it [to Galaxy AI] and then ask it to repeat this for X time frame and it kept me true to form.
"Even at lunch breaks… because Bixby Routines knows I've got into the office, and it's coming up to around lunch time, it will make the suggestion of going for a walk. So these are small little things that I was able to implement. And especially when we pair it up with the improvements to Now Brief and Galaxy Watch.
Yes, we must not forget about the other strand of Galaxy Unpacked — the new Galaxy Watch 8 series. "The watch is definitely a complementary factor when it comes to these devices. It looks sleek, it looks sexy as far as I'm concerned, with the stainless steel finish on the Watch 8 Classic. when I partner that up with probably a Silver Shadow Fold 7. It's going to look complete."
For as much as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has improved on its predecessors, it's taken a step back by losing S Pen compatibility.
But Beckford explained the reasoning: "When we look at the insights from what our customers were using on the Galaxy Z Fold series and what they wanted, fundamentally they wanted a thinner and lighter device. And with us we definitely pay attention and listen to our customers. So with those insights, we implemented what they asked."
Now that he can talk about the phone openly, the last thing I wanted to know from Beckford was the first thing he'll show off once he's moved on to the Z Fold 7 from his current Galaxy S25 Edge.
"I'll just show [people] the design. Fundamentally, it will be to put the phone in the palm of the hands of everyone. And I want their opinion and their reaction. It's easy for me to talk about all of the plus points on this device."
"But I truly believe once people get it in the palm of their hands and they compare it year on year or even since 2019… they are going to be like, "Yeah, this is epic.""
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