The day was a real cooker as I approached the Brooklyn Navy Yard, site of the Samsung Unpacked event that would feature the new Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and the latest addition to the foldable family, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
I’d heard whispers about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE; rumblings from the street, you might say. We knew it would be a cheaper version of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but how was Samsung going to pull it off? What corners would be cut? What features would get left out in the cold?
I couldn’t concentrate on cold; it was too hot outside. I waited through the Galaxy Z Fold 7 announcement. Did the suit on stage really misspeak and say it would cost $199.99? I guess some prices are too high even for Samsung’s own people to swallow.
I sat through the Galaxy Z Flip 7 announcement, thinking I’d made a huge mistake. I put my partners on the trail of the Flip 7 and the even more expensive Fold 7. I figured my time slumming it with Motorola’s base model Razr would make me the right gumshoe to sniff out the details on the cheap new Flip FE.
Then I saw the bezel on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover display and I felt the green monster — jealousy — breathing down my neck.
Fine, I thought, you can’t have every phone. Sometimes you have to let the good ones go if it means saving a buck or two. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has looks, sure, but those come at a high price: $1,099.99. That’s too rich for my blood.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review: price and specs
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Starts at $899 / £849 / AU$1,499 for 8GB RAM / 128GB storage
Cheaper than Galaxy Z Flip 6, but still very pricey
Finally, the moment of truth arrived. The Samsung rep faked a retreat then stepped back to the front of the stage with that old chestnut: and one more thing… it was the Galaxy 7 Flip FE. My quarry. I finally had my eyes on the prize. But what exactly was I seeing?
Samsung laid it out in black and white – literally. That was the first thing I noticed about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. It came in black or white. Shiny, glossy, like 88 ivories ready to be played. No other colors.
I grabbed my notebook. This couldn’t be right, could it? For a Galaxy FE? I flipped back a few months to the Galaxy Tab S10 FE, Samsung’s iPad Air competitor. Didn’t that tablet come in blue? The blood drained from my head. The room started to go dark.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE in rich colors (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
I flipped back even further to the Galaxy S24 FE. Mint! I have it in mint, and I know there was a blue. Was this a dream? Some sawbones once told me that dreams are often in black and white, but I don’t pay much attention to doctors.
Why would the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE be available only in black and white? I may have a long memory for Samsung’s favorite hues, but Samsung only has its eye on one dame… the Apple iPhone 16e.
Samsung used to show up at the bargain table wearing bright colors like it was Easter Sunday. Then Apple reminded the world that every day can be a funeral, and the iPhone 16e launched in black and white – the first monochromatic iPhone I can recall since the iPhone 3GS.
If I had to guess, I’d say that’s why Samsung changed its FE look. I would also guess that the overpriced iPhone 16e is the reason Samsung priced the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE like a premium flagship, not a bargain phone. The Flip 7 FE will start at $899.99. I gasped when Samsung flashed the number.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 FE
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Motorola Razr 2025
Price at launch:
$899 / £849 / AU$1,499
$1,099.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,799
$699.99 / £799.99 / AU$1,199
Dimensions (folded):
85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm
85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm
88.1 x 74 x 15.9
Dimensions (unfolded):
165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm
165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm
171.3 x 74 x 7.3mm
Weight:
187g
187g
188g
Main display:
6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED
(1080 x 2640), 120Hz refresh rate, 2,600 nits peak brightness
6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED
(1080 x 2640), 120Hz refresh rate, 2,600 nits peak brightness
6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED
(1080 x 2640), 1-120Hz refresh rate, 3,000 nits peak brightness
Cover display::
3.4-inch Super AMOLED
(720 x 748), 60Hz refresh rate, 2,600 nits peak brightness
3.4-inch Super AMOLED
(720 x 748), 60Hz refresh rate, 1,600 nits peak brightness
3.6-inch AMOLED
(1056 x 1066), 90Hz refresh rate, 1,700 nits peak brightness
I headed to the hands-on tables and sidled up next to Lance, who was parked in front of the gorgeous, mint green Galaxy Z Fold 7. The room was filled with tables and shmoes like me, looking for a scoop.
All I saw were bright colors, but my target had none of that. I was looking for the colorless suspect in the center of it all: the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
The massive warehouse was decked out in more color than I could comprehend. There was bright graffiti covering one corner. OLED TVs showed off Samsung’s commitment to ecology in bright green and poison-dart frog orange.
A more colorful Galaxy Z Flip 7 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
After a tour of the gigantic space, I found my FE back near where I started. There were three on a table: two black and one white. These were the only Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE phones in the room.
Clearly, Samsung didn't expect a big crowd for its so-called bargain.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: display
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
You'll be jealous when you see the Flip 7's cover display
Inner screen is large but not as big as a Moto Razr or Flip 7
Frankly, I don't blame them. It's hard to work up a sweat over a cheap phone that costs $900, even on a hot day like today. With a good sale happening, I can get two Motorola Razr phones for the same price – one for work and another for the weekend.
After a few minutes with the Flip 7 FE I’m onto Samsung’s jig. The FE is the exact same size and weight as the Galaxy Z Flip 6. It’s got the same screens, inside and out, down to the pixel.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
To be fair, the Flip 7 FE can get brighter, but that’s according to Samsung. I’ll let my folks in Future Labs run tests at the clubhouse before I declare this phone the winner.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE almost seems designed to disappoint. No colors. No big cover screen. No Snapdragon inside – this phone runs on the Exynos 2400 that flummoxed Galaxy S24 buyers who weren't in the US. It even has less RAM than the Galaxy Z Flip 7: eight gigabytes instead of 12.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: cameras
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
50MP main camera, 12MP ultra wide
Same camera specs as Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and Flip 6)
I check out the cameras – not bad? At least it keeps the same shooters as the normal Flip7. There’s a 50MP wide cam that’s a solid option for selfies, and I can see my kisser in the cover screen with the Flip 7 FE closed.
At least the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE doesn't seem to be a downgrade in that department. I'll need to take it for a spin to be sure, but the cameras look identical to what the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is packing.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: final word
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Why not just keep the Galaxy Z Flip 6 around at a discount? Samsung feeds me a line and I chew on it, but I don't swallow. It said the Z Flip 6 couldn't run DeX, but the Exynos in the Z Flip 7 will make it happen. A likely story, since the Flip 6 and the Galaxy S24 had the same chips.
But what about the Flip 7 FE? It's unclear what it can and can't do.
I can't imagine anyone picking the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE over a Galaxy Z Flip 7, except by accident. I'll need to spend some quality time with this phone before I can write its full review story, but my gut tells me if last year's phone gets a discount, steer folks toward an older, more colorful Flip 6 before sending them after this black-and-white 'bargain.'
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the closest thing to a tech inflection point we have at the moment. It's by far the best large-screen foldable ever made – super-thin, super-light, exquisitely made, undeniably powerful, and full of AI smarts – and goes straight to the top of our list of the best foldable phones you can buy.
It's Samsung's first foldable to almost entirely not underdeliver on cameras, featuring the line's first-ever 200-megapixel camera. This feels like more than progress; it's a folding phone revolution.
I like it so much that I find myself frantically searching for weaknesses. I probe each part looking for a place where Samsung may have miscalculated and, with very few exceptions, I can't find any weaknesses.
If I had to pinpoint where Samsung trips up, it would be in two areas: the removal of the digitizing layer, which leaves the Galaxy Z Fold 7 unable to work with the S Pen, and the price, which now flirts with $2,000 in the US. That's a lot to spend for any phone, though in fairness this really is like two devices in one – a flagship phone and 8-inch tablet – and so you might be able to justify the outlay.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review: price and specs
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,899, which is $100 more than the previous model in the US, and AU$150 more in Australia – there's no price hike for buyers in the UK. The base model comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. At the time of writing, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is on preorder now, and ships from July 25. It's available in Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, and Jetblack, plus a Samsung online-exclusive Mint.
Those prices make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 one of the most expensive foldables you can buy – in the US it now costs $100 more than a similarly configured Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, for instance. There will be deals, especially for trade-ins, so look out for those.
I agree, this is a lot to pay for a smartphone, but the Z Fold 7 is not just a phone. It's also a tablet, yet so thin and light that someone glancing at it in your hand might have no idea it's a two-in-one. The question is, are you willing to pay more for something that is truly special?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Dimensions (folded):
72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9mm
Dimensions (unfolded):
143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2mm
Weight:
215g
Main display:
8-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED
(2184 x 1968), 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz)
Cover display::
6.5-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED
2X Display(2520 x 1080, 21:9), 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz)
Chipset:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Mobile Platform for Galaxy
RAM:
12GB / 16GB (1TB only)
Storage:
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
OS:
Android 16 / One UI 8
Primary camera:
200MP f1.7
Ultrawide camera:
12MP f2.2
Telephoto
3x 10MP f2.4
Cover Camera:
10MP f2.2
Inner Camera:
10MP f2.2
Battery:
4,400mAh
Charging:
30 mins with 25W adapter (wired)
Colors:
Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow and Jetblack [Samsung.com Exclusive] Mint
Value score: 4 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: design
Super-thin unfolded, and almost as thin as a standard smartphone when folded
Weighs less than the single-screen Galaxy S25 Ultra
Excellent materials and construction
Hinge mechanism is pleasingly stiff and strong
If you think the pace of smartphone and flagship innovation feels somewhat ho-hum, you probably haven't seen or touched the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
This is one of the best design upgrades I've seen in a while, not because it's radically different to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 that came before it, because it isn't, but because it's so much better in all the ways that truly matter.
I'll start with the physical specs, because they're the most remarkable thing about of this new handset, especially when compared with the Z Fold 6 and, yes, even the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Unfolded, the Z Fold 7 is just 4.2mm thick – that's 1.4mm thinner than the Z Fold 6. Folded, the Z Fold 7 is 8.9mm, 3.2mm thinner than the Z Fold 6 and only 0.7mm thicker than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Think about that: this foldable, which when folded is hiding a gorgeous 8-inch display, is almost imperceptibly thicker than a single-screen flagship device.
Even the weight is impressive. Between versions, Samsung shed a whopping 24 grams, and the Fold 7 is even 3 grams lighter than the S25 Ultra. Yep – two screens, and it's still lighter than the flagship.
Perhaps that shouldn't be so surprising. When I hold the Z Fold 7 up to the S25 ultra, the foldable is smaller than the Ultra, which is 162.8mm x 77.6mm, while the Z Fold 7, when folded, is 158.4mm x 72.8mm.
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Carrying the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is now like holding a secret. At a glance, it looks like a standard, 6.5-inch smartphone. It's not until you take a closer look that you notice the seam down one edge and the hinge on the opposite side.
Size and weight aside, the phone feels good in my hand because of the excellent materials. Its Armor Aluminum frame is covered, front and back, with Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. A substantial, pill-shaped three-camera array sticks out of the back. Whenever I put the phone down camera-side-first, it tips at an awkward angle. I guess that's the price I have to pay for a better imaging system.
On the top edges when you're holding the phone (there are two when it's folded) are a pair of microphone holes, a vent, and a SIM slot (yes, this phone still uses a nanoSIM card, along with a multi-eSIM option).
The bottom edges feature more microphone holes, a speaker slot (its stereo pair are along the top edge of the cover screen), and the USB-C data and charging port. The tolerances here are quite something – the USB port appears to just barely fit in the space.
The only buttons are the long volume rocker and the power / fingerprint reader / Gemini button.
The foldable screen hinge, which has been shrinking over each Z Fold generation, is the thickness of an average No. 2 pencil, and its subtlety and unobtrusiveness further help it pull off the 'standard flagship' masquerade.
Samsung has reengineered the hinge, and it's noticeable. The phone is firmly closed when folded (magnets inside help with that) and has considerable, but not overly resistant, tension as you open it and it snaps into position as a fully flat 8-inch tablet.
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Yes, it can handle the water (but not dust or sand). (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
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Unfolding the phone you're greeted with a flexible display surrounded by a roughly 2mm, forgiving raised border that keeps the Fold 7 from making a metallic snapping sound when you close it.
There's still a crease, but it's far less pronounced than what you see on the Z Fold 6. That's due in part to the new teardrop-shaped screen fold hidden in the redesigned hinge, meaning the thin, flexible screen curves into a perhaps more forgiving teardrop shape when the phone is folded. This is likely what accounts for how it can more easily unfold to a nearly perfectly flat plane. I can only see whatever minimal crease remains at certain odd angles, and more so when the screen is off. To the touch, it's barely perceptible.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is IP48-rated, which means it can handle a sustained dunk in fresh water (not salt water!), but I would keep it away from dust and sand. I ran my device under a tap with no ill effects.
Design score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: displays
The main display is now 8 inches
There's a noticeable punch hole for the camera
The cover display is also larger
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
A wider and taller Z Fold means not one, but two bigger screens. The cover display is now a 6.5-inch 21:9 display that is finally indistinguishable from a standard flagship phone display.
Where the Z Fold 6 has a 968 x 2376 resolution, the Z Fold 7 cover screen is an expansive 2520 x 1080, 422ppi, 1-to-120Hz AMOLED 2X screen. It has a punch-hole for the 10MP selfie camera, but it does not feature an under-the-screen fingerprint reader – that's integrated with the power button (and works quite nicely, as does unlocking with your face).
It's a lovely, bright screen that's now wide enough to more easily accommodate a more usable virtual keyboard, and fully serviceable when you don't want to unfold and use the main display.
Like the cover display, the main display is larger this year. It's now an 8-inch display, up from the Z Fold 6's 7.6 inches. It's also got more pixels, jumping from 2160 x 1856 to 2184 x 1968. It's still QXGA+ and supports the dynamic 1-to-120Hz refresh rate.
While that display size now matches Apple's iPad mini, the sixth-generation mini's 8-inch screen has an aspect ratio of 3:2, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is now 5:6. This makes the Z Fold 7 more of a square as compared to the iPad's slightly rectangular display.
In practice, this means that on the Z Fold 7 some videos and games may have larger black borders at the top and bottom. It doesn't bother me, but you might want to see what Netflix looks like on the phone before placing your order.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The main screen is big, bright, and responsive. It was useful in bright sunlight, and all motion looked fluid and smooth. I left it on the default setting, which lets the system adjust the refresh rate on the fly, up to 120Hz and down to 1Hz, which is not as energy efficient as locking in at 60Hz. Both screens are rated for a max brightness of 2,500 nits.
In Future Labs testing and with HDR enabled we got up to 2,245 nits on the main screen and 2,060 nits on the cover screen. Those are admirable numbers, and mean you shouldn't have any trouble viewing these displays in direct sunlight.
There's no digitizing layer in the foldable display, but you can still use an analog capacitive stylus to draw on and navigate the screen (Image credit: Future)
To achieve the 4.2mm thickness, Samsung made some changes to the panel configuration, most notably dropping the digitizing layer that, in the Z Fold 6, offered support for specially tipped S Pens. I was initially pretty upset about this, but I did find that I could still draw with my finger – it's not as precise, but it's not terrible, and I can still use my finger to mark up images for Generative Editing and Sketch to Image. My doodles for the latter are not as good as those drawn with an S Pen, but the screen had no trouble interpreting my rough sketch and transforming it into a very realistic mouse.
I can report, though, that while the S Pen or any digitizing stylus will not work, a classic dumb, capacitive-compliant stylus – one you can buy for six bucks on Amazon – does work with the display. It won't record pressure or angle, but it makes it a lot easier to draw.
That punch hole is larger than before, but with good reason (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The other thing you might notice on this new Galaxy Fold 7 display is the noticeably larger camera punch hole. It's not only bigger in order to accommodate a better, 10MP camera (it was just 4MP on the Fold 6); the hole is also no longer covered with pixels, so it remains visible at all times. It's positioned a tiny bit more centrally along the top edge than the punch hole on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold's flexible display, on which the equally large hole is positioned towards the far-right corner and is maybe a bit more out of sight.
These things aside, I love this big, multi-tasking screen, which has room for a couple of apps, or larger-screen views of favorite apps like Weather and Maps. It's also a nice canvas for Gemini Live, which makes the most of the larger space.
I also enjoyed drawing on it, streaming shows on Netflix, and playing action games.
The benefit of a flexible screen is that the Galaxy Fold 7 doesn't have to be only flat or folded – it can also be 'L' shaped, which I found useful when I was checking over an interview transcription, which I recorded and used AI to transcribe on the Fold. A 90-degree fold also proved useful for watching videos on one half of the screen while the rest of the Fold served as a steady base.
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Try the Fold 7 at a 90-degree fold! (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
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Displays score: 4.5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: cameras
200MP sensor is the upgrade the Fold line needed
Main-display camera is no longer an afterthought
The cameras are capable of some beautiful photography
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
There was nothing much wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6's camera array. It has a nice 50MP lens, a 10MP, and a 3x optical zoom 10MP, but I was very aware that this was a flagship-class phone with a flagship-level price, and it bothered me that the best camera array was reserved for Samsung's Ultra line.
That is no longer the case. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a new camera system, with two notable upgrades and one disappointment.
Here's the full camera system:
200MP wide
12MP ultra-wide
10MP 3x telephoto
10MP cover-screen
10MP main-screen
The big news here is the new 200MP sensor that, while similar to what's found in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, has been reengineered to fit into the Z Fold 7's super-slim frame.
Like most high-megapixel smartphone cameras, this one defaults to a 12MP shot, combining (or pixel-binning) the information from multiple pixels for better clarity, contrast, and colors. It does a nice job, but there is a very good reason to shoot at the full 200MP (it's easy to do – you just select between 12MP, 50MP, or 200MP): doing so lets you crop into almost any picture detail without losing clarity.
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200MP of information means you can crop in on an image, without losing detail to get your perfect composition (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
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You can see some of my sample photos above. While the detail is excellent, I did notice that I probably need to stand a bit more still if I plan to crop in on these huge, full-resolution images. No matter what, though, I love that this sensor, with all the versatility it affords, is included.
While there's now closer parity between the Galaxy Ultra and this Galaxy Fold, the latter can perform a trick that's impossible with the S25 Ultra: you can shoot selfies with the main camera using the 'Cover Screen Preview' setting. This means that if you unfold the phone and choose that option in the camera app, you can use the cover screen as a viewfinder and control for the main, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses. I used the setting to take a 200MP selfie – I would show it to you, but the clarity is so good it's horrifying.
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I used all the camertas in a range of scenarios to capture these images. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
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I'm also pleased that the main-screen camera is now a full 10MP – 4MP for selfies and even video calls seemed a bit anemic. The tradeoff for that better camera is a bigger punch-hole in the flexible display, and one that isn't covered with pixels when not in use. I think future Z Folds should shift this camera closer to one of the bezels.
The 12MP wide-angle has a solid 120-degree field of view, enough for some truly dramatic shots, but I think its macro capabilities are far more impressive. Look at the detail in the flowers below. Leave aside the excellent color accuracy – just look at the drama inside these blossoms, and in particular the ants transiting the petals. Well done on this lens, Samsung.
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The macro photography capabilities are quite good (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
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I'm less impressed with the zoom lens; not because it's bad, but it remains underpowered for a flagship. While the S25 Ultra has a nice 10MP 5x optical zoom, the now more ultra-y Fold 7 only gets a 10MP 3x optical zoom. Yes, I am fully aware of the Space Zoom options that go up to 30x, but that's a digital assist, and drags in way too much artificial information for my tastes. When I want zoom, I like it to be optical all the way.
The 3x optical zoom does a nice job, and it's definitely useful, just not as strong as I had hoped. In situations where you want to get closer to a subject you might instead choose to shoot with the 200MP main camera at full resolution and then crop in on the detail you want – at least you know the visual information will all be real, and not partially digitally generated.
I was also pleased with low-light photography and videography. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 shoots high-quality video up to 8K 30fps, though many video editors still can't handle that video resolution.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Overall, I think this is a great camera system, especially because Samsung's ProVisual Engine is finally doing a decent job of maintaining visual fidelity (unless you choose less-real presets).
The colors in all my shots are good and accurate – I'm impressed with how the cameras handle challenging Manhattan street shots that are so full of detail and riotous colors.
They also did well with backlit shots where a bright Manhattan sky might have overwhelmed the foreground – I think the Z Fold 7 found a decent balance. When I tapped on the sky to adjust the exposure in favor of the sky I got better cloud detail, but also surprisingly accurate blue sky color. Nothing is too saturated, and this I consider a victory.
Portrait mode does a nice job on people and objects, such as in my image of planter in the main gallery above, where it had a lot of detail to handle and acquitted itself nicely. It’s not perfect – some small leaves got lost – but I’m still pleased with the result.
Cameras score: 4.5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Software and AI
The phone will ship with Android 16
There's deeper Google Gemini integration
Gemini Live fills the main screen
Using Maps on the main screen is one of may favorite things to do with the Fold. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
In the software space, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a harbinger of releases to come. It's the first flagship to release with Android 16, well ahead of the next big Pixel launches – including, we expect, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold – on August 20, and it also has the latest Samsung software in the form of One UI 8.
That former landmark is by Google design, with the tech giant rearranging its development flow to ensure that its big partners have these new releases in time for their latest flagship phones. As for the latter, Samsung just seems to be getting faster and more efficient at updating and improving its own Android overlay.
Both platforms are also infused with AI in the form of Samsung's Galaxy AI and Google's Gemini, though where one ends and the other begins may not always be obvious.
Broadly, Android is now as polished and useful as Apple's iOS. It has many of the same features, including Live Updates in widgets, Quick Share (so much like AirDrop), and endless customization. It's also a fantastic partner for the Fold because the platform is optimized for the larger 8-inch screen, so things like mail, weather, and maps all appear built for the flexible display. Even Google Gemini Live is right at home on the Galaxy Z Fold 7's main display.
One UI 8 brings things like the Now Bar and Now Brief, a compendium of all the things you need to know at any point in the day. It's well designed, accessible, and relatively useful. I check it because the Now Bar is always greeting me on my lock screen with a "Good morning!", "Good afternoon!" or "Good evening!" and it almost seems rude not to acknowledge it by digging into the details of my Brief.
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Gemini Live is right at home on the big Main screen. It can look at what's on your Fold, and what you show it through the camera (Image credit: Future)
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When I tap to open it, I see a weather forecast, a calendar of events, news of interest, and music. I can choose to add more elements from my phone, which I assume might make the Brief more useful.
There is, of course, a lot of AI on this phone. Google handles the Circle to Search and Gemini side, and the rest of the AI found on the phone is Samsung Galaxy AI.
At any point I can long-press the home-screen button to launch a Circle to Search task. After the press, I use my finger to circle something on the screen that Google Search can look at and offer results related to.
New here is the ability for Circle to Search to work in games. I used it while playing the racing game Asphalt 9 and PUBG. It works, but it's not necessarily intuitive to bring up the home button and press it during gameplay. On the other hand, I do appreciate not having to leave the game or even capture a screenshot. I just long-press, circle, and Google Search does the rest. When I'm done, I return to the race.
You can ask Circle to Search about almost anything you circle on the screen, including this sketch I did with my finger. The results are hilarious (Image credit: Future)
Gemini is summoned by a long press of the power button. It has all the strength of Gemini 2.5 Flash on the web, and also Gemini Live. Gemini Live works in full-screen mode on the large main display, but I find it more useful when you share your screen with Gemini Live and it then operates in the background, offering insights based on what it can see on-screen and the questions you ask it.
You can also just have Gemini look through the camera and see your world, and ask it what it sees – unless you want everyone to hear your Gemini Live conversation, this would be a good time to invest in some Galaxy Buds Pro 3 headphones if you plan to be out and about with the Z Fold 7.
You can use Object Erase to remove objects from your photos… (Image credit: Future)
Other Galaxy AI-powered features remain, and are little changed from the last time I tested them on a Fold. I can use Sketch to Image to instantly add photo-realistic elements to existing photos – I added a mouse to my coffee table, although as I've mentioned it's a bit harder to sketch the right image idea without an S Pen.
It's also easy to remove unwanted objects from images and replace them with the right background. This, depending on the size of the object, is generally effective, though there do seem to be more steps than in Apple's Clean Up. On the Fold, I scribble on what I want to remove (it can be multiple objects), hit the erase icon, and the phone removes them, but I also have to hit 'Generate' to replace the background. My iPhone 16 Pro Max does both in one step.
…and Sketch to Image to add objects (Image credit: Future)
Drawing Assist, which lets you turn rough doodles into much higher-quality artwork and is another feature that benefited from S Pen support, also still works, and may come in even more handy now that you'll likely be forced to use your fingertip to make your rough sketch.
(Image credit: Future)
Galaxy AI's reach extends to video, and I used Audio Eraser to clean up the sound on a video shot in the heart of New York City's Times Square. The capabilities more or less match those in Apple's Audio Mix tool, although how the tools pinpoint which extraneous sounds to target differs quite a bit. Audio Eraser focuses on crowd noise, voices, and wind, and the results were good, though my voice did end up sounding just a tiny bit robotic, although not dissimilar from the results I got with Audio Mix the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
I am, naturally, only scratching the surface of Android 16, One UI, and their AI capabilities, which also include things like Live Translation, Text Translation, and Chat Assist. Overall, though, this is a platform I could easily love. If you're already an Android fan, Android 16 will be a welcome upgrade. If you've used a Galaxy before, One UI will be instantly familiar but also improved. The AI is deeply embedded but never intrusive. It looks and feels the way I thought Apple Intelligence would on an iPhone, and how I hope it will look and feel when Apple eventually delivers the updated Siri.
Software and AI score: 4.5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Performance and Battery
Custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
Plenty of RAM and strong overall performance
Battery is still 4,400mAh, but all-day battery life is real
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Not only does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 pack Qualcomm's best silicon, it's a customized chip produced just for Samsung's latest foldable: the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Samsung. The difference between the standard Elite and the Samsung version is small but notable: most reports put the 8 Elite's max clock speed on its 2-core cluster at 4.32GHz. On the Galaxy Z Fold 7, according to Geekbench 6, it's running at 4.47GHz. The six-core cluster is running at 3.53Ghz, which is the same speed as the standard 8 Elite.
Samsung backs this powerful, AI-ready silicon with 12GB of RAM for the 256GB Z Fold 7. The 1 TB model gets 16GB of memory.
I ran Geekbench 6 three times for both the CPU and GPU, and the numbers are impressive. This is the first time in memory that an Android phone's multicore performance has beaten the latest flagship iPhone; in this case the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Here are my average numbers:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Single-core Avg: 2,512
Multi-core Avg: 8,986.67
OpenCL: 17,391
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Single-core: 2,892
Multi-core: 8,327
GPU Metal Score 33,001
Yes, Samsung (really Qualcomm) beat Apple on the multi-core scores. It may look like Apple handily beat Qualcomm on the GPU side, but those numbers (OpenCL versus Metal) are not directly comparable. What matters here, though, is the performance, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has power to spare.
I found it fast and fun for everything from web browsing to video games and video editing.
I tried stressing out the system by opening 51 tabs in Chrome and Gemini Live, which is probably a more resource-intensive operation. A funny side note here: when I allowed Gemini Live to view my screen and asked it how many browser tabs I had open, it said "10." I tried to guide it to the number listed next to the microphone icon, and it said "11". When I pointed out its error, Gemini Live apologized and said it had no idea why it made that mistake.
I wasn't done pushing the system, so I also launched PUBG. The game opened without issue, I started to play (quickly, to my delight, finding an ultralight aircraft to fly around the island) and the phone never skipped a beat (the back got a little warm). I even used Circle to Search to learn more about a car I found.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Put another way, this is a thin, light, and very powerful system, and it's ready to multitask like the private productivity wonder it is. Plus, there's now true differentiation between the Fold 7 and its little sibling, the Galaxy Flip 7, which runs the ostensibly less powerful Samsung Exynos 2500 processor. That's a fun little foldable phone with a full-screen cover that can accommodate Gemini Live, but it's not about getting things done. And that's the beauty of the Z Fold 7: with its now standard flagship-sized cover screen and even larger 8-inch main screen, it's the perfect blend of pocket-sized power and portability.
Audio performance out of the stereo speakers is loud but also clear. Do not expect booming bass, but if you want the Fold 7 to power a party via your Spotify playlist – which, yes, you can summon through Gemini – the Fold 7 has you covered.
Battery life for the 4,400mAh battery is rated by Samsung at 24 hours of video playback. However, in mixed use, battery life is anecdotally between 12 and 18 hours in my tests. Future Labs, which runs a more rigorous and intense web-browsing rundown, got just under 11 hours. This is a case where your mileage will vary, but I think you can expect a full workday of battery life.
The Qi wireless charging is supported, and while the phone only ships with a charging cable and not the adapter, I was able to charge the phone to 50% in 30 minutes using a 45W charger.
Connectivity on the T-Mobile 5G network was solid, and, in my neighborhood, better than what I get from Verizon. I'm also happy to report that the phone supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Performance and Battery score: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7?
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The most expensive foldable out there, but it might also be worth it
4 / 5
Design
Excellent, slim and light design that still feels elegant and solid.
5 / 5
Display
Two fantastic and now larger screens. The crease is almost gone, but so is support for an S Pen.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Better than the best Qualcomm chip on other Androids, and the performance knocked our socks off.
5 / 5
Software
Android 16! One UI 8! So much AI. It may sound like a lot, but it's a winning combination.
4.5 / 5
Cameras
The 200MP sensor is a major upgrade, and overall photography is excellent. We would have liked a 5x optical zoom.
4.5 / 5
Battery
Really good battery life
4.5 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a powerful yet gorgeous foldable There are other super-thin foldables out there, but not all are globally available. Samsung has led the way with the form factor, and really defines foldable design for the modern era.
You wanted a foldable and the best camera Samsung has finally put an Ultra-level camera in its best foldable, and it will make a difference in your photography.
You want a foldable that looks like a regular phone When it's folded you get to stare at the Galaxy Z Fold 7's lovely 6.5-inch 2:19 cover screen, which is indistinguishable from a standard smartphone.
You want productivity-ready power The Z Fold 7's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Samsung is faster than any other 8 Elite out there. It's ready for anything.
You want Android 16 now You don't have to wait for the next Pixel to get Android 16 – the Z Fold 7 is more up-to-date than most other Android handsets.
Don't buy it if...
You want a cheap foldable phone The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the most expensive smartphones on the market.View Deal
You want a tough phone Even with refinements in design, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 isn't a phone to weather the elements. View Deal
You want the best telephoto camera A 3x zoom is fine but it can't stand up to the 5x optical zoom of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. View Deal
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Also consider
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is, to my mind, the best, most widely available folding phone on the market, but it may not satisfy your foldable itch in every aspect. Here are some other worthy choices.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold If Samsung's One UI software has never appealed to you, then consider Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which has the most Android-y Android software available. It also boasts a bigger main display and a fetching flat-sided design.
OnePlus Open The OnePlus Open offers a slightly different foldable phone experience, with a cover display that looks more like a normal smartphone, yet yields a sizable inner display. A solid specs sheet completes the package, though the phone is getting a little long in the tooth.
155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1mm (unfolded), 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5mm (folded)
153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8mm (unfolded), 153.4 x 73.3 x 11.7mm (folded)
Weight:
257g
239g (black); 245g (green)
Main display:
8-inch Super Actua display
2076 x 2152 / 1080 x 2424 pixels
7.82 inches (2440 x 2268)
Cover display::
6.3-inch Actua display
6.31 inches (2484 x 1116)
Chipset:
Google Tensor G4
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM:
16GB
16GB LPDDR5X
Storage:
256GB / 512GB
512GB UFS 4.0
OS:
Android 14
Android 14 with Oxygen OS 13.2
Primary camera:
48MP main
48MP (wide)
Ultrawide camera:
10.5MP ultrawide
48MP (ultrawide 114°)
Telephoto
10.8MP 5X zoom
64MP (3x telephoto)
Cover Camera:
10MP
20MP; 32MP
Inner Camera
8MP f/2.0
Battery:
4,650mAh
4,805mAh
Charging:
30W (wired)
67W SUPERVOOC (proprietary)
Colors:
Porcelain, Obsidian
Emerald Dusk (green); Voyager Black
How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Review test period: one week
Testing included: everyday use, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, and music playback
Tools used: Geekbench 6, and Nit-brightness-testing system
I carried the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 with me everywhere and used it as often as possible for everyday productivity, entertainment, and creativity tasks.
I spent a lot of time with the UI and with all the AI, as well as myriad systems and third-party apps.
I played games like Asphalt 9 and PUBG, and watched streaming video content.
I handled it with as much care as I give any other smartphone, but did also purposely ran it under water.
I did my own battery performance testing, but also relied on Future Labs for its lab-based results.
The Mous Charging Station with Qi2 is a 2-in-1 wireless charger featuring a raised Qi2 pad for compatible smartphone charging and an inlaid Qi pad for wireless earbud charging. It also has an 18W USB-C output on the back and a Pogo connector on the right-hand side, meaning it can be teamed with a USB-C cable or the Mous Elevated Apple Watch Charger to power up additional devices.
Available from the Mous website and Amazon, the Mous Charging Station with Qi2 comes in a choice of three finishes: Walnut, Aramid Fiber, and Matte Black. The list price varies from $79.99 – $89.99 / £69.99 – £79.99, depending on the finish, with Matte Black costing the least, and Aramid Fiber being the most expensive.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
As things stand at the time of writing, I’d highly recommend purchasing this charging station directly from Mous rather than Amazon. This is because Mous includes the 65W power adapter needed to run the charging station efficiently when ordered from their website, but for some reason, one isn’t included when purchasing from Amazon. This would have made some sense if the Amazon listings were discounted, but as I type this, they are in fact more expensive than buying from Mous directly. Go figure!
Aside from this, everything else appears to be the same. There’s a 59-inch / 1.5m USB-C to USB-C charging cable with a soft braided outer included, which, if you’ve seen my guide to the best wireless chargers, you’ll already know is a big positive, as these woven coverings can significantly increase cable lifespan, plus they tend to look a bit nicer, too.
(Image credit: Future)
The charging speeds of the Mous Charging Station with Qi2 delivered were fairly average, taking 132 minutes to fully charge our testing iPhone 13 Pro, which has a 2,600mAh battery capacity, and 269 minutes to charge our 4,610mAh Xiaomi 14, when charged separately.
As it only weighs 9.6oz / 272g, and the non-slip base is a little, well, slippy, this isn’t the sturdiest charging station out there. This light weight is good news if you intend to use it in different locations, but as it was so easy to shuffle it across my desktop every time I touched my phone, I’d wager this isn’t the charging station you’re looking for if you want something that’ll stay put. Skittishness aside, I was pleased with the strong grip of the Qi2 pad and had no concerns over my phone being knocked from it.
The Mous Charging Station with Qi2 looks good aesthetically and appears to be well-made. The materials feel and look nice, including the top surface of the charging station, which is actual walnut, rather than just a printed effect. The entire unit feels suitably robust, with no flexing, despite my best efforts. The only thing that let the aesthetics down was the Mous logo on the top, as some of the white finish was missing, leaving black specks behind.
(Image credit: Future)
I was pleased to find that Mous had used mostly paper-based packaging for the Charging Station with Qi2, though the unnecessary plastic wrap around the housing of the USB-C connectors and what seemed to be a plastic coating on the paper cable ties mean there’s some room for improvement.
For the most part, it was fairly easy to clean the Mous Charging Station with Qi2 when it got dusty, as most of the surfaces were smooth and easy to wipe down. The only sticking points were the fine gap around the edge of the walnut plate, the debossed Mous logo, and the silicone ring of the Qi charging pad, which dust really liked to cling to.
(Image credit: Future)
Overall, I’d say the Mous Charging Station with Qi2 is pretty pricey for an average-performing charging station. That being said, it is very nicely made, and the real Aramid Fiber and Walnut material plates might make it worth the cost if you want something a little more interesting than your run-of-the-mill black plastic finishes. So if aesthetics and the ability to charge extra devices are your top priority, then you’ll be quite happy with the Mous Charging Station with Qi2. If you’ll only be charging one device at a time, and like the sound of good charging speeds at a fraction of the cost of the Mous Charging Station with Qi2, I’d recommend checking out the ESR Qi2 Mini Wireless Charger instead.
Mous Charging Station with Qi2 review: Price & specs
Price
$79.99 – $89.99 / £69.99 – £79.99
Model tested
A839
Output
15W Qi2, 5-7.5W Qi, 18W USB-C, 5W Pogo connector
Devices charged
2 wirelessly, more with add-ons
Connection
USB-C
Charging tech
Qi, Qi2
Recommended input
60W
Weight
272g
Dimensions
175mm x W: 87.5mm x H: 20.1mm
Should I buy the Mous Charging Station with Qi2?
Buy it if…
You want a fancier finish The use of aramid fiber and walnut sets this charging station apart from its competitors, making it worth considering if you want something a little different from run-of-the-mill black plastic chargers.
You want something expandable It’s not uncommon to find wireless charging stations with a USB-C output, but as these are often limited to 5W for Apple Watch Charging, it’s good to see an 18W output on offer here. Not only that, there’s the option to add on an Apple Watch charging module via the Pogo connector.
Don't buy it if…
You want a steadfast station The light weight and inefficient non-slip areas on this dual pad charger meant it wasn’t difficult to knock it around as I charged my phone on my desktop.
You want a charger that’s easy to dust While the majority of the charger is easy to wipe clean, the silicone areas and gaps on the surface make things more difficult when it comes to keeping this charging station dust-free.
Mous Charging Station with Qi2 review: Also consider
ESR Qi2 Mini Wireless Charger If you’re after something cheaper and faster, and you’re happy to charge one device at a time, then this Qi2 charging pad is worth considering. It delivered satisfying charging speeds, plus it’s easy to hold and has a reinforced cable, making it a bargain buy considering the low price. If you’d like to learn more, check out my full ESR Qi2 Mini Wireless Charger review.
The Anker Nano Charger 45W with USB-C Cable is a model that feels almost too good to be true. For a very modest price you get a highly compact, foldable and hi-tech phone charger and a USB-C cable thrown in for good measure – at a very modest price. But the truth is, it really isn’t too good to be true. Anker has, simply put, delivered yet another great wall charger that’s ideal for on-the-go use.
It’s fair to say that ‘Anker Nano Charger 45W with USB-C Cable’ is quite the title… so let’s just stick with Anker Nano 45W from here on out, if that’s OK with you? Ah, great – then let’s power on. The Anker Nano 45W is a single-port wall charger that has plenty of power for most handsets. Some models, like the OnePlus 13 phone, for instance, support 80W charging, but 45W will be plenty for most Samsung phones and iPhones.
Typically, when I’m reviewing the best iPhone chargers and best Android phone chargers, I juice up my trusty Samsung Galaxy S24 FE – which has a 4,700mAh battery capacity – from 0% to 100%. And when testing the Anker Nano 45W, that was no different. I’m pleased to report that the charger got my phone back to full health in around 80 minutes – exactly what I’d hope to see from a charger with this level of power.
Of course, if you’re going to charge up a more power-hungry device like one of the best MacBooks, for example, that 45W isn’t gonna be enough for you, and I’d instead seek out a mightier model like the five-star UGreen Uno Charger 100W. Also, there’s only one port, so it will be a one-at-a-time situation if you’re also looking to juice up a pair of the best wireless earbuds or best headphones.
Regardless, as a single-port charger, you’re getting great performance from the Anker Nano 45W. But this model’s merits go well beyond performance alone.
This charger has fantastic build quality and an intelligent hi-tech design. There’s GaN technology, meaning Anker’s been able to fit a lot of power into a tiny shell – this is a smaller-than-pocket-sized charger that’s also super easy to slip into your pocket thanks to foldable prongs. You’re also getting Anker’s ActiveShield 3.0 tech for smart heat monitoring. The charger will occasionally feel warm, but never so much so that it’s of any concern.
On top of that, its glossy surface and textured outer casing is highly appealing, with the gray-black color hammering home that classy, premium feel. I do still wish that Anker added a few other color options though, as we saw with the great Anker Nano USB-C Wall Charger 30W.
At $34.99 / £24.99 (about AU$50), this is already a great value-for-money option, just based off of its power-to-size ratio and luxury build. But things get even better. There’s a 6ft USB-C cable included in the box, which makes this charger an absolute steal. Yes, you could technically get a 45W charger for even less than this, but given the sheer quality on offer, this is a top-value option.
And really, that sums up the Anker Nano 45W. It’s great value for money, beautifully sized and powerful enough to charge most phones in a jiffy. Sure, you could get even more power, ports and such from rivals. But if one port is all you need, it really doesn’t get much better than this.
Should I buy the Anker Nano Charger 45W with USB-C Cable?
Buy it if…
You want a phenomenal value option With 45W of power, GaN technology and even an included USB-C cable, the Anker Nano 45W is phenomenal value for money. Sure, there are cheaper models around. But if you also want a durable, ultra-compact build, this is the full package.
You need a compact charger that doesn’t sacrifice charging speed So, I mentioned it above, but it really is impressive how much charging power has been packed into such a tiny charger. This model impressed me, charging my phone in around 80 minutes – on par with a lot of great models like the Anker 335 Charger 67W.
You’re looking for a top-class laptop charger So, if you want to charge your laptop, this model might not quite have enough firepower for you. There’ll also be some phones that can harness much more than 45W while wired charging, such as the OnePlus 13 phone. So, if you want great charging speeds for laptops or Macbooks, I’d recommend instead checking out the Anker Charger 140W, 4 Port, PD 3.1 – it even has a display!
Anker Nano Charger 45W with USB-C Cable review: also consider
UGreen Nexode RG 65W Want a charger with a bit more personality? Then let me draw your attention to the UGreen Nexode RG 65W, a robot-shaped, display-enabled wall charger with three ports and a good amount of power to go around. Yep, you’re getting more ports, an expressive screen and a 20W higher maximum power output – not bad! Even though this model has a list price that’s $15 / £10 higher than its Anker rival, I’ve seen it on sale for closer to the $33 / £27 mark. It’s worth noting, though, that there’s no USB-C cable included in the box. Read our full UGreen Nexode RG 65W review.
Samsung understood the assignment with the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it didn’t strive for extra credit. The goal was to make a Galaxy S25 Plus that’s easier to hold, but Samsung did not set out to make the thinnest phone possible – in fact the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t even the thinnest phone Samsung makes today. Instead, it did what Samsung does best: it gave us a little more inside a little less.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very good phone, and it feels like something unique compared to every other phone I’ve reviewed. The difference is noticeable; it’s much slimmer and lighter than almost everything else, even when wearing a case. Still, the S25 Edge isn’t a revolutionary new design, and I can’t help but anticipate the competition it’s going to face from Apple in the shape of the rumored iPhone 17 Air.
This is the thinnest Galaxy S device Samsung has ever crafted. It’s 1.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Plus, and almost 2.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 UItra.
Could I feel that millimeter in my hand? I’m not sure, but between the thinness and the weight reduction – it’s almost a full ounce lighter than the Plus and two ounces lighter than the Ultra – the Galaxy S25 Edge is undoubtedly a standout.
Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the phone for you if you want the thinnest phone possible. It’s the phone for you if you want a Galaxy S25 Plus, but wish it were easier to hold. It’s the Galaxy S25 Ultra, minus the extra bits that you wouldn’t use, like the S Pen stylus. It’s not something totally new, but it’s a better option for the right buyer.
But why didn’t Samsung go for broke? Why not make the Edge the absolute thinnest smartphone ever? The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 5.6mm thin when it’s unfolded. Had it shaved another 0.3mm off the Edge, Samsung could have at least said that this is the thinnest Samsung phone you can buy.
The answer, of course, is battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is super thin, but the battery is split between the two halves. Each half of the Z Fold 6 packs only about 2,200mAh of battery life (for 4,400mAh total), which is a lot less than the 3,800mAh the Galaxy S25 Edge offers.
A thinner Galaxy S25 Edge would have meant a smaller battery, and based on my testing, the S25 Edge is using the smallest battery it can get away with.
The Edge had trouble lasting past dinner time in my testing period. If Samsung had made the Edge the thinnest phone ever!, it probably wouldn’t last through my lunch break. I have no doubt Samsung could build such a phone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
That makes the S25 Edge a pleasantly thin phone that is simply not very special. There are no special features that set it apart from the rest of the Galaxy S25 family. There’s nothing new here. It’s a well-crafted device that delivers exactly what I expected; no more and no less. That’s not a bad thing! It’s just… predictable.
Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The big problem is that Samsung is competing against a specter. The iPhone 17 Air could arrive later this year, and it’s hard not to see the Galaxy S25 Edge as a preemptive attack by Samsung on Apple’s next design concept. Because make no mistake, Apple is going to make a big deal out of going thin.
Apple is going to pretend it invented the millimeter. If and when Apple launches an iPhone Air in September, it will act like thinness is the biggest design innovation since the capacitive touchscreen. All other specs be damned! And I think Apple will be willing to shrink the battery and cut back on cameras even more severely than Samsung.
If that happens, the iPhone 17 Air will probably be less capable than the Galaxy S25 Edge in many ways, but it will give Apple the all-important bragging rights. Apple could use the dual-OLED display found on the iPad Pro, and recent rumors suggest the rumored phone will be around 5.5mm, making it thinner than any phone Samsung currently sells.
In a way, this takes the pressure off Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very nice phone, and it fits neatly into Samsung’s price ladder as a little nicer than the Galaxy S25 Plus, but not as feature-packed as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn’t need to prove anything – the Galaxy S25 Edge does fine with less, without trying to be the most.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Price and availability
Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 256GB/12GB configuration
That’s $100 / £100 / AU$500 more than S25 Plus, $200 / £150 less than the Ultra
Left to right: Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge slots in neatly between the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup. It’s closer to the Plus, which makes sense because it lacks more of the Ultra features than it possesses – there’s no S Pen, no telescopic zoom lens, and no big battery inside, for instance, although it is, like the S25 Ultra, built from titanium.
Otherwise, you get most of what you’d expect from the Galaxy S25 Plus, minus the zoom camera. It packs a sensor with a lot of megapixels, and that sensor is actually larger than the main sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both cameras use sensors that are smaller than the main 200MP sensor on the mighty Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Now I need a moment with my Australian friends, because something very odd is happening down under. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has come down in price by AU$400 since launch, which means it costs less than the Galaxy S25 Edge by AU$100. Also, the S25 Edge seems priced a bit high in Australia compared to the rest of the world – it’s AU$500 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus?! That seems like a mistake, but it’s the real price for now, so I would wait until Samsung offers a discount to buy the Edge.
Storage
US price
UK price
AU price
256GB
$1,099
£1,099
AU$1,849
512GB
$1,219
£1,199
AU$2,049
Value score: 4 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Specs
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (left) and Galaxy S25 Plus (right) are very similar inside (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, the S25 Edge gets 12GB of RAM to support the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset inside. This platform has proven powerful and very efficient in my reviews of the best Android phones this year.
The 6.7-inch display on the S25 Edge seems to be identical to that on the S25 Plus. The main camera uses a new 200MP sensor that we haven’t seen before, which is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but larger than the 50MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. There’s no telephoto lens, but the Edge seems to use the same 12MP ultrawide camera as the S25 Plus.
The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery under its display, which is even smaller than the 4,000mAh battery beneath the Galaxy S25’s 6.2-inch screen. That’s what you sacrifice when you make a phone thin.
Samsung Galaxy S25
Dimensions
158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm
Weight
163g
OS
OneUI 7, Android 15. 7 major Android upgrades promised.
The real selling point for the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the thinness, it’s the lightness. You have to hold this phone to appreciate it; you can’t just look at the S25 Edge if you want to experience how thin and light it is. Photos don’t do justice to the remarkably light weight, and that’s a big part of the experience.
If you get pinky-finger fatigue from balancing your phone, the S25 Edge might be the phone that will save your favorite digit. Even though it has a huge 6.7-inch display, the Galaxy S25 Edge is lighter than the iPhone 16 (6.1-inch screen, 170g), or the Pixel 9 (6.3-inch screen, 198g). It’s only one gram heavier than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, but it feels lighter since it’s less dense.
I almost always use a case with my phone, and since Samsung did not have cases ready for my review period, I asked my friends at Casetify to send over their thinnest cases for the Galaxy S25 Edge. Even with a case on the phone, it still feels remarkably thin and light, especially considering that huge screen size. My S25 Edge in a protective Casetify shell is still lighter than my Galaxy S25 Ultra with no case.
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The Galaxy S25 Ultra is almost as thick as the Galaxy S25 Edge in a case, including the camera bump (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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The MagSafe magnets make this Casetify case worth buying (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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Still thin, even in a case (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The design overall looks nearly identical to that of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but on very close inspection things are less impressive. Frankly, the build quality of the Galaxy S25 Edge seems messy compared to the Ultra or to any Apple iPhone.
There are gaps between the frame and the back glass. The SIM card tray doesn’t line up perfectly. There’s a gap between the camera bump and the back of the phone that I worried would pick up dirt – and by the end of my review period, that was the dingiest part of the phone.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
This phone could have been special. Samsung could have tried something new, like capacitive buttons on the side – a trick that rumors say Apple is considering. It could have had super-fast charging to go with that slim battery. It could have had unique colors or a unique finish.
Instead, it’s just a slimmer version of a phone we got six months ago, and it’s not even a really nice version at that.
Design score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Display
More Galaxy S25 Plus than Ultra, but that’s pretty great
Fingerprint scanner was totally unreliable
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge, like the Galaxy S25 Plus, is sort of a hidden gem in Samsung’s lineup when it comes to display quality. While the S25 Ultra has a slightly-larger 6.9-inch screen, all three phones all have the same resolution. When you pack the same pixels into a smaller display, you get a screen that’s technically sharper, in terms of pixel density.
Which is to say the Galaxy S25 Edge has a fantastic screen, one of the best you can find on any phone. It is plenty bright, even in bright sunlight, though the Ultra does beat the Edge thanks to the addition of the remarkable coating that Samsung has been using for a couple of years to eliminate glare on its flagship flat phone.
The display can refresh at up to 120Hz – take that iPhone 16 Plus – and thanks to LTPO tech you can even get a full-color always-on display that refreshes as slowly as 1Hz to save power.
I’ve never had great luck with Samsung’s fingerprint scanners, and the S25 Edge didn’t recognize me any faster than other Galaxy phones, and unlocking failed more often than not. I know I have fingerprints because my OnePlus 13 sees them with 99% accuracy, so I assume this is a Samsung problem, not a me problem.
Display score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Software
OneUI 7 is well built, but doesn’t add much to the Edge experience
AI features can be useful, but many feel like even more bloat
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
For better and for worse, the Galaxy S25 Edge uses the same One UI 7 interface as the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, with Android 15 serving as the engine. Samsung and Google seem to be locked in a perpetual struggle to control Samsung’s phones, so you’ll get two web browsers, two photo gallery apps, even two wallets and two different password managers.
It’s getting to be a bit much. I’m the first to insist that Samsung’s software – like its Internet web browser – performs better than Google’s alternative. But nobody wants two of everything; you don’t get an extra steering wheel when you buy a car. It’s time for Samsung to end the duplicate-apps project.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
There are plenty of Galaxy AI features on the phone, and it comes with Google Gemini preloaded and ready to take over the power button at your beck and call.
I think we may have already hit the wall with AI features. Samsung has been touting its Now Brief widget and app since the Galaxy S25 launched, and it’s a completely useless piece of software. It’s supposed to learn things about me and then offer information tailored to my needs, but nothing like that happens.
I’ve been wearing a Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro while using the S25 Edge for weeks. The Now Brief offers no more than today’s weather, a missive that feels creepy coming from an AI (‘Wishing you well’?!), and the first few events on my work calendar, which are usually the first three people who took the day off and logged it properly.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
At worst, Now Brief offers me partisan political news. I filter out most politics from my social feeds, and I don’t talk about politics in my text messages, so I’m not sure why Now Brief thinks politics are what interests me. It’s inescapable.
Thankfully, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S25 Edge will get seven years of major Android and security updates, so it should last through Android 22, just like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family.
Software score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Cameras
Exactly what I expected based on the specs
Samsung’s processing can be fun, or inconsistent
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
When I heard that the Galaxy S25 Edge would use fewer cameras than its S25 stablemates, with one big 200MP main sensor and a supporting ultra-wide, I was excited at the prospect. After all, one of Leica’s most popular cameras, the Leica Q3, uses a single large sensor and a wide lens, and fakes all of the zoom with digital cropping. If anybody can pull off the same trick on a camera phone, it’s Samsung.
Nope. I’m disappointed to say the cameras are fine, but not groundbreaking. I was hoping the Edge would be a trendsetter. Instead, it runs down the middle of the road without faltering. It does a great job at the things Samsung camera phones do well, but it can’t handle the all-in-one duties of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
There are no surprises with the Galaxy S25 Edge cameras. The main camera uses a 200MP sensor with a wide lens, and that sensor is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. No surprise then that the Ultra is still the best Samsung camera phone, in more ways than one.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The main camera produces images that are a bit fuzzier than what I got from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I was surprised to find the colors dialed back a bit as well. The Edge’s cameras don’t seem to be tuned to pop colors as much as the Ultra cameras do. It still managed to take excellent food photos and warm portraits, like I expect from Samsung.
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Taken with Galaxy S25 Edge (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Galaxy S25 Edge 100% crop
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Taken with Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Galaxy S25 Ultra 100% crop
If you need a zoom lens, the S25 Edge isn’t going to satisfy you. The digital zoom doesn’t come close to providing the detail and quality I get with optical zoom on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. A heron across the river looked like a white, featherless blob when I snapped a pic with the Edge. The iPhone and Galaxy Ultra images revealed a beak and some plumage.
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Taken with the Galaxy S25 Edge (Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)
Galaxy S25 Edge 10X digital zoom
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Taken with the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
iPhone 16 Pro Max 5X optical zoom, enhanced to 10X
If you take a lot of photos outdoors, the S25 Ultra has a coating on the display to reduce glare, and it makes a big difference even compared to the S25 Edge, which has a nearly-identical display otherwise. The Edge can get bright, but it’s much easier to see the Ultra’s screen if the sun is shining directly on you.
Camera score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Camera samples
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Performance
Excellent performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
The Edge stayed very cool under conditions that break other phones
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
I was expecting excellent performance from the Galaxy S25 Edge, and this phone delivered beyond my expectations. It was plenty fast, with that overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset providing a bit more boost than you’ll get on a non-Samsung Snapdragon phone. Samsung has also done a remarkable job of keeping the phone cool, even when you push the performance to the limit.
I perform a stress test where I run multiple mapping apps on a phone, and play music over Bluetooth, then sit the phone above my car dashboard in the sunshine. Most phones take less than an hour of this punishment before they shut down due to overheating.
The S25 Edge never quit, managing to stay cool enough to function for as long as I needed. That’s incredible – every iPhone, Pixel phone, and Galaxy phone I’ve tested has failed this endurance test. The Edge really lives up to Samsung’s claims of much better cooling – that 10% larger vapor chamber clearly makes a real difference.
This makes the Galaxy S25 Edge an easy contender for a best gaming phone ranking. It offers great performance and superior cooling – everything a gaming phone needs.
I also had fun playing games with the Galaxy S25 Edge clipped onto my Xbox wireless controller using a cheap third-party attachment from Amazon. The phone is so lightweight that gaming for long periods was a breeze – it’s a nice way to kill time while I wait for my Switch 2 to arrive.
Performance score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Battery
Good battery for the thin size, but not great
Couldn’t last a full day if I used it aggressively
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
As I said above, Samsung could have made a thinner Galaxy S25 Edge, but the battery life would be terrible – as it is, during my review period the S25 Edge often needed a recharge while I was eating dinner, especially if I played games, took a lot of photos, or otherwise taxed the phone heavily.
If I scrolled my social feeds and listened to music on the train into work, I would be concerned about whether the battery would last until the train ride home.
It’s too bad Samsung didn’t use the latest silicon carbon battery technology found in the OnePlus 13, which might have helped it to pack in more power. I also wish this phone charged faster than other Galaxy S25 models, not slower – if it had 80W charging like the latest OnePlus phones I wouldn’t be worried about having to top up throughout the day, because that top-up would take less than 15 minutes.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
As it stands, 15 minutes of charging got me just past 25%, and a full charge took about an hour. That’s pretty slow by today’s standards, especially considering that this battery is smaller than any other inside a Galaxy S25 phone.
Samsung might also be exaggerating its battery claims. It told us to expect the Edge to offer longevity somewhere between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, but in our lab benchmark tests the S25 Edge lasted for less than 13 hours of constant use where the Galaxy S24 lasted more than 13 hours, and the Galaxy S25 topped 15 hours.
If you really need good battery life the Galaxy S25 Plus is the Samsung champ, delivering almost 19 hours of screen time in our rundown test. But it’s not the Edge’s lack of battery life as such that bugs me; it’s how long it takes to top the phone up.
Battery score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge score card
Value
Not a bad price for the svelte design and pocketability. You know what you’re getting, there are no surprises, so it seems like a fair upgrade from the Galaxy S25 Plus (or is it a downgrade from the Ultra?)
4/5
Design
A bit thinner and much lighter than any other flat phone you’ve tried. You can’t tell by looking; you have to pick it up to feel the difference. The finish is a bit shoddy, but the design might still satisfy buyers with a sore pinky.
3/5
Display
The same great display I saw on the Galaxy S25 Plus (with the same lousy fingerprint scanner). It’s super sharp and very bright, though if you’ll often be in bright sunshine the Ultra has a better anti-glare coating that makes it worth a look.
5/5
Software
Samsung’s One UI looks as good as ever, though the AI features are starting to wane in terms of their usefulness. Thankfully, this phone gets seven years of updates, so it will have no problem running your favorite apps and hopefully improving in the years to come.
3/5
Cameras
You get fewer cameras on a thinner phone, but the main camera still takes fantastic shots, albeit ones that are a bit subdued by normal Samsung standards. They don’t pack the same detail as the Ultra, but food photos and portraits are especially gorgeous.
3/5
Performance
Fantastic performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is paired with some of the most impressive cooling I’ve experienced on a smartphone. I couldn’t get the Edge to fry itself, no matter how much I pushed past its performance limits.
5/5
Battery
Battery life isn’t terrible considering the weight reduction, but I wish the smaller battery came with faster charging to make me forget how long I need to wait. I had to charge the phone most nights after dinner, unless I was careful.
3/5
Buy it if...
The Galaxy S25 Plus would be perfect if it were easier to hold The Galaxy S25 Edge is the Galaxy S25 Plus minus millimeters and ounces, so it’s easier to grab and easier to hold for longer.
You want the second-thinnest Samsung phone The Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest Galaxy S phone, and if you don’t like foldable phones it’s the thinnest Samsung phone you care about.
Don't buy it if...
You thought it would be the thinnest The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t really the thinnest anything, but it is very light, and that might be more important when you’re holding it for a long time.
You’re taking photos in bright sunlight… from far away The Galaxy S25 Ultra remains the Samsung camera champ, with its anti-glare screen coating that helps in bright light plus its real optical zoom lenses… plural.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Also consider
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus The Galaxy S25 Plus isn’t as thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it has the same specs with much, much longer battery life. It even gives you a real zoom camera.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra If you don’t need an S Pen, or anti-glare, or two zoom lenses, or incredible battery life and faster charging, or up to 1TB of storage, you don’t need the Ultra, but you want it.
Benchmark testing is for comparison, not scoring purposes
I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for more than two weeks before posting this review. I received the Edge before I traveled to Google I/O, and I took the phone along as my primary work device and for entertainment on flights.
When I got back from Google I/O I had Covid, so the Galaxy S25 Edge was my primary couch companion, and my source of entertainment and contact with the world. I used it to play games, watch movies, and listen to audiobooks.
When I’d recovered, I took the S25 Edge car shopping and connected it to a number of different cars to test. I used the phone to take photos, research cars, and more. I even asked for help from Google Gemini and Samsung’s Galaxy AI to do research, answer calls, and respond to solicitors.
I connected the Galaxy S25 Edge to a Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and an Xbox Wireless controller, among numerous other devices.
Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on video tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.
For battery testing we perform proprietary tests that are the same for every phone, which enable us to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.
When Motorola first started releasing its line of more affordable 'premium' Edge smartphones in 2020, it never could have expected that it'd be the last mobile brand to make truly eye-catching flagship phones.
That's not quite true, of course, but with expensive phones like the Samsung Galaxy S25, iPhone 16, and Xiaomi 15 all offering relatively boring designs that defy their hefty price tags, Moto is one of the few flagbearers whose top-end phones actually feel... well, top-end in 2025.
Moto has released a new generation of Edge phones each year since the debut of the Motorola Edge in 2020, and the Edge 60 Pro is the most advanced model of the current crop (at least until the next Ultra-branded model arrives). And thankfully, almost all of the previous models' selling points remain valid on the Edge 60 Pro.
Glancing at the phone's specs list, you might think it’s not an upgraded Edge 50 Pro, but rather a different ‘take' on it. And to a certain extent, that's true. The Edge 60 Pro and Edge 50 Pro are very similar phones, with the former bringing as many upgrades as downgrades. The newer model, for instance, has a bigger battery, a higher-res ultra-wide camera, and upgraded speakers, but those positives are counterbalanced by a lower screen refresh rate and slower charging (both wired and wireless).
Some users, then, might consider the Edge 60 Pro to be worse than, or equal to, its predecessor, but the proof is in the pudding, not on the specs sheet.
With the Edge 60 Pro, Motorola has rounded down some unnecessarily high features and balanced those perceived downgrades with upgrades that really matter. I don’t imagine many people need a 144Hz refresh display over 120Hz, for instance, or truly require the extra few minutes that 125W charging saves you over 90W.
The inclusion of Dolby Atmos speakers, meanwhile, tangibly improves the experience of watching movies and TV shows on the Edge 60 Pro, while the jump to another chipset provider results in a useful jump in power. The addition of reverse wired charging, too, is really useful if you're reliant on other gadgets.
These small-but-important improvements result in a phone that's strong in all areas, though not the best in any of them, and for the 99% of people who don't actually need the literal top specs available to them, that's okay.
The only exception comes in the camera department, which is still a weak point of the Edge series. A few annoying issues abound, but the real problem is that photos taken on the Edge 60 Pro are too devoid of color. They look lifeless and dull, as though the AI scene optimization shrugged and said, "I can't be bothered". The phone's camera performance doesn't compare to that of any top-end rivals.
That would be a bigger problem if the Edge 60 Pro were hampered by an extreme price tag, but it isn't. It undercuts pretty much all of the best Android phones by a decent margin, making it a borderline budget alternative that arguably feels fancier.
As sanded-down premium phones, Moto's Edge devices appeal to those who want to feel like they own a powerful phone but won't ever put that power to the test. Sure, the Edge 60 Pro won't win any benchmark battles, but in a year's time, when even the ultra-pricey Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has been transformed into an ugly box, Motorola's latest flagship will at least look the part. It's one of the best Motorola phones you can buy today.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Released in April 2025
Phone sells for £599 (roughly $800, AU$1,250)
Price matches predecessor
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro was announced alongside a non-Pro version in April 2025, roughly a year on from the release of the previous series, albeit with a different selection of sibling suffixes.
You can pick up the phone for £599 (roughly $800, AU$1,250). Due to precedent, we don’t expect that Moto will release the Edge 60 Pro in the US, but an Australian announcement seems likely later this year, especially with the Edge 60 Fusion already selling in the country.
That price makes the Edge 60 Pro the most expensive non-folding smartphone sold by Motorola, but in the wider smartphone world, it’s on the border of mid-range and premium – which means it undercuts a lot of big-name flagship rivals. The Google Pixel 9, Samsung Galaxy S25, and iPhone 16 all cost more, while the supposedly budget-friendly iPhone 16e retails for the same price.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: specs
Motorola Edge 60 Pro specs
Dimensions:
160.69 x 73.06 x 8.24mm
Weight:
186g
Screen:
6.7-inch FHD (1220 x 2712) 120Hz AMOLED
Chipset:
Mediatek Dimensity 8350
RAM:
12GB
Storage:
512GB
OS:
Android 15
Primary camera:
50MP, f/1.8
Ultra-wide camera:
50MP f/2.0 120-degree
Telephoto camera:
10MP, f/2.0 2x optical
Front camera:
50MP, f/2.0
Audio:
Dolby Atmos stereo speakers
Battery:
6,000mAh
Charging:
90W wired, 15W wireless
Colors:
Dazzling Blue, Sparkling Grape, Shadow
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: design
(Image credit: Future)
Premium curved-edge design
Thin and lightweight
Pantone-designed blue, khaki or purple
With companies like Samsung having seemingly jettisoned ‘attractive design’ from the list of important smartphone traits this year, I was worried that Motorola might abandon the Edge’s roots and follow suit. Fear not: the Motorola Edge 60 Pro is just as appealing as past entries (largely because it’s a dead ringer for past models).
To discuss the eye-catching part, we’ll have to start at the back: Moto typically offers these mobiles in a range of Pantone-designed hues, and it’s no different this time around. The model you see in the review images is Dazzling Blue, and there’s a greenish-khaki Shadow option too, but the real eye-catcher is Sparkling Grape, a vibrant and commanding purple. Unlike in some previous generations, Moto hasn’t included a literal color swatch on the back of the Edge 60 Pro, so you don’t feel like you’re texting on a walking paint advertisement.
Instead, the back features a slightly raised camera bump that’s incorporated well into the overall design; it's reminiscent of Oppo Find X phones before they became overdesigned. It doesn’t stick that far from the phone’s body, so you can put the handset flat on a surface without undue wobbling. The phone’s rear is also textured – slightly differently depending on the color option you pick – making it feel more premium than your average Android.
Moving to the sides reveals the Edge 60 Pro’s other premium feature: a curved-edge display (admittedly, the name does give it away). This means that the phone’s screen curves slightly at the edges to become incorporated seamlessly into the sides of the phone without ending at an abrupt angle. While curved edges are divisive, and admittedly are slightly frail and prone to accidental touches, they’re still considered a trait of premium mobiles. As a result, the Edge 60 Pro is much more comfortable to hold in the hand than your average flagship, and it just feels more advanced.
The edges of the phone also feature all the mandatory buttons, plus one extra one. The right edge has a power button – just about within thumb’s reach on my hand – and above it a volume rocker, which I had to stretch to use. But on the left side, high enough up that I couldn’t really reach it, is a new addition: the AI Key.
Pressing and holding this button brings up Motorola’s AI assistant, while double-pressing it either opens a note-taking function or quickly summarizes your notifications – all of these require a separate Motorola account. If you’ve no interest in AI features like this, you can turn them off in the settings menu.
Let’s briefly continue our tour around the Edge 60 Pro: the bottom edge has its USB-C charging port and the SIM card slot. There’s no 3.5mm jack for wired audio, like in past generations. And that's that in terms of design – except for the display, which we have a whole section about.
The total dimensions of the phone are 160.69 x 73.06 x 8.24mm, and it weighs 186g, so it’s on the lighter side of things.
Moto is also making a song and dance about the Edge 60 Pro’s protections. It has IP69 certification, indicating that it’s safe from dust ingress and high-pressure beams of water, plus the military MIL-STD-810H accreditation, which means it’s safe from shocks, high and low temperatures, high altitudes, and strong vibrations. We usually only see this kind of certification in rugged phones, but a growing number of consumer ones have them too – and it’s nice to know that your handset is protected from the unexpected.
Design score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: display
(Image credit: Future)
6.7 inches, 2712 x 1220resolution
120Hz refresh rate and 4500-nit max brightness
Various filters and modes to tweak
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro’s screen is 6.7-inches diagonally, a size Edge fans will be used to, and that’s not the only spec that the 60 Pro has in common with its predecessors: the resolution is once again 2712 x 1220, or FHD+, and the 20:9 aspect ratio makes the screen feel long and thin.
We can’t knock Motorola for a lack of design upgrades year-on-year, but some tech fans might be upset that the refresh rate has seen a downgrade from the Edge 50 Pro: it’s now 120Hz. But that’s matched by a massive brightness increase, of over double, to a new high of 4500 nits: suffice to say this is a phone that’s easy to use when you’re outdoors in the sun.
The screen is broken up by a pretty minimal punch-hole cut-out for the front-facing camera at the top. It has an embedded fingerprint scanner which… worked when it wanted to, let’s put it that way.
Motorola has stuffed quite a few design features into the Edge 60 Pro's display, including support for HDR10+ and DCI-P3 color space. There are also filters to reduce the amount of blue light coming from the display, which may placate people who use blue light filters to help them sleep (despite the scientific evidence that your phone’s blue light doesn’t affect sleep).
Pantone also shows its face for some display tweakery, with Moto’s listing for the Edge 60 Pro also mentioning “Pantone Validated Colour” and “Pantone Skintone Validated”, which suggests the color company had a hand in optimizing the screen.
Good job, too, because the Edge 60 Pro is pleasant to look at while watching movies and playing games, with nice contrast and vibrant colors.
Display score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: software
(Image credit: Future)
Android 15 with four years of updates
Customization options galore
Moto AI useful for small tasks, not big ones
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro comes with Android 15 as its default software. This is stock Android, ostensibly how Google designed it, but with every new generation, Moto adds more and more tweaks that make it feel distinct from Pixel or Nokia phones.
I’ve already discussed arguably the biggest software change – the AI key and Moto AI in general, which the brand seems to be presenting as something you’ll opt to use over Google Assistant for various tasks and needs.
Moto AI is at its best when you’re using it for little tasks around your phone: you can ask it to take notes, set an update reminder, or create a new background for your device. But like other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, if you start to ask it questions, it provides you with the usual factually inaccurate (and oftentimes totally irrelevant) gibberish that you love to mock.
Some of the features that Moto is touting most simply don’t make sense – unless you’ve received an absolute deluge of messages since you last checked your phone, it takes longer to use Moto AI’s notification summary tool than simply to check your messages. There’s also a function that creates a bespoke playlist based on your mood, but it only supports Amazon Music, so if you use Spotify or Tidal, you’re out of luck.
What's more, every time I used the AI Key, the pop-up appeared with my last search or command, which I’d need to backspace from before starting my new task. I found it pretty frustrating.
Beyond its AI, the Edge 60 Pro retains Moto’s suite of personalization features, from the big things like background, font, and color scheme to the shape of icons and the animation that appears when you use the fingerprint unlock.
You can now also generate wallpapers based on your own prompt or a photo from your gallery. I sent this feature a photo of a cat, and it returned some patterned decals that looked like a marbled chocolate cake. Thanks, but I think I’ll just use the photo of the cat as my background. The point being: some of the AI's creations were very tangential from the original photo, but I appreciate that none of them resembled the phony tripe you usually get from AI image generators, which is definitely a plus.
Motorola has committed four years of software updates to the Edge 60 Pro. It’s a perfectly acceptable amount of time that’ll future-proof your phone, though it falls just shy of being an industry-leading figure.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: cameras
(Image credit: Future)
50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto cameras
50MP front-facing
Pictures look dull and colorless
Offers the standard range of camera modes
There are three cameras on the back of the Moto Edge 60 Pro: a 50MP f/1.8 main snapper, a 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide one with a 120-degree lens, and a 10MP f/2.0 telephoto camera which supports 3x optical zoom.
On paper, that seems like a solid range of snappers, giving you a range of ways to take pictures, whether you want to zoom in from a distance or get yourself nice and close (the ultra-wide snapper also supports a macro mode). But Moto has yet to put out a killer camera phone, and the Edge 60 Pro doesn’t change that streak.
The main issue, which certainly isn’t new for Moto phones, is that pictures are just a little more dull and desaturated than they’d be on any other phone. While many brands pride themselves on the vibrancy of snaps you can take with their phone cameras, the pictures I took on the Edge simply weren’t social media-worthy due to how lifeless they look.
It’s a shame, because technically, the photos taken aren't terrible – I was really fond of using the telephoto lens, for instance, as its depth of field was exquisite, and thanks to the high-res snappers, photos have lots of detail. But while some photos could be saved by dropping them into Photoshop, this shouldn’t be a necessary step for smartphone photographs to look worthy.
(Image credit: Future)
That’s not my only issue with the Edge 60 Pro's cameras, though it’s the only one that can’t be deactivated. Firstly, the background bokeh blur on Portrait shots is intense – you can change this, but I only noticed after taking a few shots, so make sure to tweak it yourself. But the other biggie is macro mode, which by default turns on when you put the phone near a close-up subject.
When this mode turns on, it jumps over to the ultra-wide lens, which is lower positionally than the other two (when you’re holding the phone horizontally to take a shot). This often meant that the subject was in a different spot of the frame, or not in frame, causing the camera to decide that I was no longer trying to take a macro snap, and jump back to the main camera, whereupon it’d see the subject again. Rinse and repeat, you can see how this goes.
The camera app features most of the photography and video modes that you’re used to seeing on an Android phone, like slow-mo video, night vision shots, and tilt-shift photography. Video recording goes up to 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps.
The selfie camera is a 50MP f/2.0 snapper, and it uses an ultra-wide lens so that you can take wider group shots if you need, though it defaults to the one-person view. These pictures suffer from the aforementioned issues, specifically Portrait absolutely obliterating the background, and the color tuning being lackluster – in the examples below, there's an odd green hue to several of the images.
Camera score: 3 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera samples
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Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: performance and audio
(Image credit: Future)
Uses the Dimensity 8350 chipset
12GB RAM and 512GB Storage
Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro marks a shift for Moto in that it's moved from the dominant chipset maker Qualcomm to its underdog rival Mediatek.
The phone uses the Mediatek Dimensity 8350 chipset, a fairly powerful mid-range Android chip that we also saw in the Oppo Reno 13 Pro. Like in that contemporary handset, it provides good amounts of power, enough that most users won’t notice a difference between it and true top-end ones for most ordinary tasks.
A Geekbench 5 benchmark test on the Edge 60 Pro returned a multi-core score of 4,504, which is a solid upgrade on the roughly 3,000 score we saw on the Edge 50 Pro, and even better than the Reno 13’s 4,042.
The sole configuration on sale offers 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, which is generous: it means you’ve got loads of space to store years of photos and countless apps, and the RAM ensures the handset feels fast to use. There’s also RAM boost, which lets you sacrifice some storage space for a speed increase; a feature that has niche appeal but will be useful to certain users.
Audio-wise, Moto has long since binned off the 3.55mm jack in its Edge phones. However, you’re getting Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers instead, which isn’t quite as good as wired headphones, but it’ll do.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: battery life
(Image credit: Future)
Boosted 6,000mAh battery
90W wired charging, 15W wireless
Reverse wired charging is new
Motorola has packed the Edge 60 Pro with a massive 6,000mAh battery, which is markedly bigger than the cell in its predecessor, though that upgrade is counterbalanced – on paper, at least – by a decrease in charging speed.
A big power pack like this ensures that the Edge 60 Pro can breeze through a day of use without running out of power, which isn’t a guarantee with big-screen phones these days. I also found that the Edge 60 Pro could withstand lengthy gaming sessions without draining too much power.
However, the amount of battery drain ensured that this isn't a two-day phone; it'll need daily recharges.
The charging speed sits at 90W, which, while technically a downgrade from the 125W powering on the Edge 50 Pro, is still an impressive figure. The difference between the two can be measured in mere minutes of charging speed, and I think most people won’t even notice the downgrade.
Motorola estimates that the charging time for the Edge 60 Pro is 40 minutes; however, to get this speed, it recommends that you use a sold-separately charger, which I couldn’t actually find on its website (in the box, you get a USB-C to USB-C cable but no mains plug). Mind you, even when using a third-party fast charger, my charging times weren’t that much longer.
Like any good premium phone, the Edge 60 Pro also offers wireless charging, although it too has seen a speed downgrade versus the last-gen model. It can support wireless charging at 15W and, while there’s no longer support for reverse wireless charging, the Edge 60 Pro does offer reverse wired charging, which lets you use it as a little power bank to charge other gadgets.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: value
(Image credit: Future)
Throughout this review, I've been mentally referring to the Motorola Edge 60 Pro as a premium phone, which is both correct and wrong.
It's a correct designation in that the specs are all there, but wrong in that the phone doesn't actually cost quite as much as a Galaxy, iPhone, or Pixel.
The bottom line: the Edge 60 Pro is a great-value phone if you want a top-end mobile, because you're paying a bit less for mostly-similar specs. Sure, its cameras will leave you wanting, but in almost every other department, the Edge 60 Pro is a winner.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Motorola Edge 60 Pro?
Motorola Edge 60 Pro score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
You're basically getting a premium smartphone for a lower price, which sounds good to me!
4 / 5
Design
The phone feels and looks premium, and it's well-protected with military-grade accreditation.
4 / 5
Display
The Edge 60 Pro has a high-res screen with a top max brightness and useful extra features.
4 / 5
Software
It's a clean software with customization options and a long shelf life, even if Moto is relying too much on AI as a big new feature.
3.5 / 5
Camera
Photos look dull and there are one or two other issues with the cameras that lose it points.
3 / 5
Performance
The chipset suits most tasks and there's lots of storage and RAM to go around.
4 / 5
Battery
It's fast to charge and has a decently-sized battery, though there are some downgrades here.
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a premium phone (without the price tag) The Moto Edge 60 Pro is more or less a premium smartphone; however, it's cheaper than Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi rivals.
Looks are important Some people swaddle their smartphone in a case, but if you prefer to let people see the mobile you're rocking, this svelte and colorful Moto is what you'll want them to see.
You want a smart AI assistant If you're overly reliant on ChatGPT to make your shopping lists or plan your holidays, maybe Moto AI will be a good addition to your smartphone.
Don't buy it if...
You upload loads of pics to social media Photos taken on the Edge 60 Pro will take some work in an editing app to make them social media-worthy; not great if you want to upload them quickly and without fuss.
You don't like curved-edge displays Phones with curved-edge displays can be divisive and in the case of the Moto, the feature is so important that it's literally in the name.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: Also consider
Still not sold on the Motorola Edge 60 Pro? Here are some other comparable smartphones you should consider looking at instead:
iPhone 16e For the same price as the Moto, you can pick up Apple's newest budget phone. It's an option for people who would rather an Apple over an Android, though you'll lose out on myriad flagship specs.
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra This burly Android phone costs a little more than the Moto, but not much. It has more processing power, a higher-res display, and faster charging, but it suffers from a cluttered operating system,a smaller battery, and fewer cameras. It's pretty colorfu,l though!
Motorola Edge 50 Pro The previous-gen Moto was going to be an obvious comparison, but it's doubly true given that many of its specs actually trump the 60 Pro on paper. Plus, it's enjoyed a year's worth of price cuts.
I tested the Motorola Edge 60 Pro for two weeks in order to write this review.
In that time, I used it as my normal phone, which involved socializing, listening to music, taking pictures, and playing games, as well as lots of other normal tasks.
I also did some 'lab' tests with the phone, as you'll have read about in the performance section of this review, in order to get a more objective understanding of its power.
I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar for over six years now, and even reviewed the original Moto Edge models. So, I'm well-versed in the brand and its various handsets.
When Motorola first started releasing its line of more affordable 'premium' Edge smartphones in 2020, it never could have expected that it'd be the last mobile brand to make truly eye-catching flagship phones.
That's not quite true, of course, but with expensive phones like the Samsung Galaxy S25, iPhone 16, and Xiaomi 15 all offering relatively boring designs that defy their hefty price tags, Moto is one of the few flagbearers whose top-end phones actually feel... well, top-end in 2025.
Moto has released a new generation of Edge phones each year since the debut of the Motorola Edge in 2020, and the Edge 60 Pro is the most advanced model of the current crop (at least until the next Ultra-branded model arrives). And thankfully, almost all of the previous models' selling points remain valid on the Edge 60 Pro.
Glancing at the phone's specs list, you might think it’s not an upgraded Edge 50 Pro, but rather a different ‘take' on it. And to a certain extent, that's true. The Edge 60 Pro and Edge 50 Pro are very similar phones, with the former bringing as many upgrades as downgrades. The newer model, for instance, has a bigger battery, a higher-res ultra-wide camera, and upgraded speakers, but those positives are counterbalanced by a lower screen refresh rate and slower charging (both wired and wireless).
Some users, then, might consider the Edge 60 Pro to be worse than, or equal to, its predecessor, but the proof is in the pudding, not on the specs sheet.
With the Edge 60 Pro, Motorola has rounded down some unnecessarily high features and balanced those perceived downgrades with upgrades that really matter. I don’t imagine many people need a 144Hz refresh display over 120Hz, for instance, or truly require the extra few minutes that 125W charging saves you over 90W.
The inclusion of Dolby Atmos speakers, meanwhile, tangibly improves the experience of watching movies and TV shows on the Edge 60 Pro, while the jump to another chipset provider results in a useful jump in power. The addition of reverse wired charging, too, is really useful if you're reliant on other gadgets.
These small-but-important improvements result in a phone that's strong in all areas, though not the best in any of them, and for the 99% of people who don't actually need the literal top specs available to them, that's okay.
The only exception comes in the camera department, which is still a weak point of the Edge series. A few annoying issues abound, but the real problem is that photos taken on the Edge 60 Pro are too devoid of color. They look lifeless and dull, as though the AI scene optimization shrugged and said, "I can't be bothered". The phone's camera performance doesn't compare to that of any top-end rivals.
That would be a bigger problem if the Edge 60 Pro were hampered by an extreme price tag, but it isn't. It undercuts pretty much all of the best Android phones by a decent margin, making it a borderline budget alternative that arguably feels fancier.
As sanded-down premium phones, Moto's Edge devices appeal to those who want to feel like they own a powerful phone but won't ever put that power to the test. Sure, the Edge 60 Pro won't win any benchmark battles, but in a year's time, when even the ultra-pricey Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has been transformed into an ugly box, Motorola's latest flagship will at least look the part. It's one of the best Motorola phones you can buy today.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Released in April 2025
Phone sells for £599 (roughly $800, AU$1,250)
Price matches predecessor
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro was announced alongside a non-Pro version in April 2025, roughly a year on from the release of the previous series, albeit with a different selection of sibling suffixes.
You can pick up the phone for £599 (roughly $800, AU$1,250). Due to precedent, we don’t expect that Moto will release the Edge 60 Pro in the US, but an Australian announcement seems likely later this year, especially with the Edge 60 Fusion already selling in the country.
That price makes the Edge 60 Pro the most expensive non-folding smartphone sold by Motorola, but in the wider smartphone world, it’s on the border of mid-range and premium – which means it undercuts a lot of big-name flagship rivals. The Google Pixel 9, Samsung Galaxy S25, and iPhone 16 all cost more, while the supposedly budget-friendly iPhone 16e retails for the same price.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: specs
Motorola Edge 60 Pro specs
Dimensions:
160.69 x 73.06 x 8.24mm
Weight:
186g
Screen:
6.7-inch FHD (1220 x 2712) 120Hz AMOLED
Chipset:
Mediatek Dimensity 8350
RAM:
12GB
Storage:
512GB
OS:
Android 15
Primary camera:
50MP, f/1.8
Ultra-wide camera:
50MP f/2.0 120-degree
Telephoto camera:
10MP, f/2.0 2x optical
Front camera:
50MP, f/2.0
Audio:
Dolby Atmos stereo speakers
Battery:
6,000mAh
Charging:
90W wired, 15W wireless
Colors:
Dazzling Blue, Sparkling Grape, Shadow
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: design
(Image credit: Future)
Premium curved-edge design
Thin and lightweight
Pantone-designed blue, khaki or purple
With companies like Samsung having seemingly jettisoned ‘attractive design’ from the list of important smartphone traits this year, I was worried that Motorola might abandon the Edge’s roots and follow suit. Fear not: the Motorola Edge 60 Pro is just as appealing as past entries (largely because it’s a dead ringer for past models).
To discuss the eye-catching part, we’ll have to start at the back: Moto typically offers these mobiles in a range of Pantone-designed hues, and it’s no different this time around. The model you see in the review images is Dazzling Blue, and there’s a greenish-khaki Shadow option too, but the real eye-catcher is Sparkling Grape, a vibrant and commanding purple. Unlike in some previous generations, Moto hasn’t included a literal color swatch on the back of the Edge 60 Pro, so you don’t feel like you’re texting on a walking paint advertisement.
Instead, the back features a slightly raised camera bump that’s incorporated well into the overall design; it's reminiscent of Oppo Find X phones before they became overdesigned. It doesn’t stick that far from the phone’s body, so you can put the handset flat on a surface without undue wobbling. The phone’s rear is also textured – slightly differently depending on the color option you pick – making it feel more premium than your average Android.
Moving to the sides reveals the Edge 60 Pro’s other premium feature: a curved-edge display (admittedly, the name does give it away). This means that the phone’s screen curves slightly at the edges to become incorporated seamlessly into the sides of the phone without ending at an abrupt angle. While curved edges are divisive, and admittedly are slightly frail and prone to accidental touches, they’re still considered a trait of premium mobiles. As a result, the Edge 60 Pro is much more comfortable to hold in the hand than your average flagship, and it just feels more advanced.
The edges of the phone also feature all the mandatory buttons, plus one extra one. The right edge has a power button – just about within thumb’s reach on my hand – and above it a volume rocker, which I had to stretch to use. But on the left side, high enough up that I couldn’t really reach it, is a new addition: the AI Key.
Pressing and holding this button brings up Motorola’s AI assistant, while double-pressing it either opens a note-taking function or quickly summarizes your notifications – all of these require a separate Motorola account. If you’ve no interest in AI features like this, you can turn them off in the settings menu.
Let’s briefly continue our tour around the Edge 60 Pro: the bottom edge has its USB-C charging port and the SIM card slot. There’s no 3.5mm jack for wired audio, like in past generations. And that's that in terms of design – except for the display, which we have a whole section about.
The total dimensions of the phone are 160.69 x 73.06 x 8.24mm, and it weighs 186g, so it’s on the lighter side of things.
Moto is also making a song and dance about the Edge 60 Pro’s protections. It has IP69 certification, indicating that it’s safe from dust ingress and high-pressure beams of water, plus the military MIL-STD-810H accreditation, which means it’s safe from shocks, high and low temperatures, high altitudes, and strong vibrations. We usually only see this kind of certification in rugged phones, but a growing number of consumer ones have them too – and it’s nice to know that your handset is protected from the unexpected.
Design score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: display
(Image credit: Future)
6.7 inches, 2712 x 1220resolution
120Hz refresh rate and 4500-nit max brightness
Various filters and modes to tweak
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro’s screen is 6.7-inches diagonally, a size Edge fans will be used to, and that’s not the only spec that the 60 Pro has in common with its predecessors: the resolution is once again 2712 x 1220, or FHD+, and the 20:9 aspect ratio makes the screen feel long and thin.
We can’t knock Motorola for a lack of design upgrades year-on-year, but some tech fans might be upset that the refresh rate has seen a downgrade from the Edge 50 Pro: it’s now 120Hz. But that’s matched by a massive brightness increase, of over double, to a new high of 4500 nits: suffice to say this is a phone that’s easy to use when you’re outdoors in the sun.
The screen is broken up by a pretty minimal punch-hole cut-out for the front-facing camera at the top. It has an embedded fingerprint scanner which… worked when it wanted to, let’s put it that way.
Motorola has stuffed quite a few design features into the Edge 60 Pro's display, including support for HDR10+ and DCI-P3 color space. There are also filters to reduce the amount of blue light coming from the display, which may placate people who use blue light filters to help them sleep (despite the scientific evidence that your phone’s blue light doesn’t affect sleep).
Pantone also shows its face for some display tweakery, with Moto’s listing for the Edge 60 Pro also mentioning “Pantone Validated Colour” and “Pantone Skintone Validated”, which suggests the color company had a hand in optimizing the screen.
Good job, too, because the Edge 60 Pro is pleasant to look at while watching movies and playing games, with nice contrast and vibrant colors.
Display score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: software
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Android 15 with four years of updates
Customization options galore
Moto AI useful for small tasks, not big ones
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro comes with Android 15 as its default software. This is stock Android, ostensibly how Google designed it, but with every new generation, Moto adds more and more tweaks that make it feel distinct from Pixel or Nokia phones.
I’ve already discussed arguably the biggest software change – the AI key and Moto AI in general, which the brand seems to be presenting as something you’ll opt to use over Google Assistant for various tasks and needs.
Moto AI is at its best when you’re using it for little tasks around your phone: you can ask it to take notes, set an update reminder, or create a new background for your device. But like other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, if you start to ask it questions, it provides you with the usual factually inaccurate (and oftentimes totally irrelevant) gibberish that you love to mock.
Some of the features that Moto is touting most simply don’t make sense – unless you’ve received an absolute deluge of messages since you last checked your phone, it takes longer to use Moto AI’s notification summary tool than simply to check your messages. There’s also a function that creates a bespoke playlist based on your mood, but it only supports Amazon Music, so if you use Spotify or Tidal, you’re out of luck.
What's more, every time I used the AI Key, the pop-up appeared with my last search or command, which I’d need to backspace from before starting my new task. I found it pretty frustrating.
Beyond its AI, the Edge 60 Pro retains Moto’s suite of personalization features, from the big things like background, font, and color scheme to the shape of icons and the animation that appears when you use the fingerprint unlock.
You can now also generate wallpapers based on your own prompt or a photo from your gallery. I sent this feature a photo of a cat, and it returned some patterned decals that looked like a marbled chocolate cake. Thanks, but I think I’ll just use the photo of the cat as my background. The point being: some of the AI's creations were very tangential from the original photo, but I appreciate that none of them resembled the phony tripe you usually get from AI image generators, which is definitely a plus.
Motorola has committed four years of software updates to the Edge 60 Pro. It’s a perfectly acceptable amount of time that’ll future-proof your phone, though it falls just shy of being an industry-leading figure.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: cameras
(Image credit: Future)
50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto cameras
50MP front-facing
Pictures look dull and colorless
Offers the standard range of camera modes
There are three cameras on the back of the Moto Edge 60 Pro: a 50MP f/1.8 main snapper, a 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide one with a 120-degree lens, and a 10MP f/2.0 telephoto camera which supports 3x optical zoom.
On paper, that seems like a solid range of snappers, giving you a range of ways to take pictures, whether you want to zoom in from a distance or get yourself nice and close (the ultra-wide snapper also supports a macro mode). But Moto has yet to put out a killer camera phone, and the Edge 60 Pro doesn’t change that streak.
The main issue, which certainly isn’t new for Moto phones, is that pictures are just a little more dull and desaturated than they’d be on any other phone. While many brands pride themselves on the vibrancy of snaps you can take with their phone cameras, the pictures I took on the Edge simply weren’t social media-worthy due to how lifeless they look.
It’s a shame, because technically, the photos taken aren't terrible – I was really fond of using the telephoto lens, for instance, as its depth of field was exquisite, and thanks to the high-res snappers, photos have lots of detail. But while some photos could be saved by dropping them into Photoshop, this shouldn’t be a necessary step for smartphone photographs to look worthy.
(Image credit: Future)
That’s not my only issue with the Edge 60 Pro's cameras, though it’s the only one that can’t be deactivated. Firstly, the background bokeh blur on Portrait shots is intense – you can change this, but I only noticed after taking a few shots, so make sure to tweak it yourself. But the other biggie is macro mode, which by default turns on when you put the phone near a close-up subject.
When this mode turns on, it jumps over to the ultra-wide lens, which is lower positionally than the other two (when you’re holding the phone horizontally to take a shot). This often meant that the subject was in a different spot of the frame, or not in frame, causing the camera to decide that I was no longer trying to take a macro snap, and jump back to the main camera, whereupon it’d see the subject again. Rinse and repeat, you can see how this goes.
The camera app features most of the photography and video modes that you’re used to seeing on an Android phone, like slow-mo video, night vision shots, and tilt-shift photography. Video recording goes up to 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps.
The selfie camera is a 50MP f/2.0 snapper, and it uses an ultra-wide lens so that you can take wider group shots if you need, though it defaults to the one-person view. These pictures suffer from the aforementioned issues, specifically Portrait absolutely obliterating the background, and the color tuning being lackluster – in the examples below, there's an odd green hue to several of the images.
Camera score: 3 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera samples
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Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: performance and audio
(Image credit: Future)
Uses the Dimensity 8350 chipset
12GB RAM and 512GB Storage
Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro marks a shift for Moto in that it's moved from the dominant chipset maker Qualcomm to its underdog rival Mediatek.
The phone uses the Mediatek Dimensity 8350 chipset, a fairly powerful mid-range Android chip that we also saw in the Oppo Reno 13 Pro. Like in that contemporary handset, it provides good amounts of power, enough that most users won’t notice a difference between it and true top-end ones for most ordinary tasks.
A Geekbench 5 benchmark test on the Edge 60 Pro returned a multi-core score of 4,504, which is a solid upgrade on the roughly 3,000 score we saw on the Edge 50 Pro, and even better than the Reno 13’s 4,042.
The sole configuration on sale offers 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, which is generous: it means you’ve got loads of space to store years of photos and countless apps, and the RAM ensures the handset feels fast to use. There’s also RAM boost, which lets you sacrifice some storage space for a speed increase; a feature that has niche appeal but will be useful to certain users.
Audio-wise, Moto has long since binned off the 3.55mm jack in its Edge phones. However, you’re getting Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers instead, which isn’t quite as good as wired headphones, but it’ll do.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: battery life
(Image credit: Future)
Boosted 6,000mAh battery
90W wired charging, 15W wireless
Reverse wired charging is new
Motorola has packed the Edge 60 Pro with a massive 6,000mAh battery, which is markedly bigger than the cell in its predecessor, though that upgrade is counterbalanced – on paper, at least – by a decrease in charging speed.
A big power pack like this ensures that the Edge 60 Pro can breeze through a day of use without running out of power, which isn’t a guarantee with big-screen phones these days. I also found that the Edge 60 Pro could withstand lengthy gaming sessions without draining too much power.
However, the amount of battery drain ensured that this isn't a two-day phone; it'll need daily recharges.
The charging speed sits at 90W, which, while technically a downgrade from the 125W powering on the Edge 50 Pro, is still an impressive figure. The difference between the two can be measured in mere minutes of charging speed, and I think most people won’t even notice the downgrade.
Motorola estimates that the charging time for the Edge 60 Pro is 40 minutes; however, to get this speed, it recommends that you use a sold-separately charger, which I couldn’t actually find on its website (in the box, you get a USB-C to USB-C cable but no mains plug). Mind you, even when using a third-party fast charger, my charging times weren’t that much longer.
Like any good premium phone, the Edge 60 Pro also offers wireless charging, although it too has seen a speed downgrade versus the last-gen model. It can support wireless charging at 15W and, while there’s no longer support for reverse wireless charging, the Edge 60 Pro does offer reverse wired charging, which lets you use it as a little power bank to charge other gadgets.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: value
(Image credit: Future)
Throughout this review, I've been mentally referring to the Motorola Edge 60 Pro as a premium phone, which is both correct and wrong.
It's a correct designation in that the specs are all there, but wrong in that the phone doesn't actually cost quite as much as a Galaxy, iPhone, or Pixel.
The bottom line: the Edge 60 Pro is a great-value phone if you want a top-end mobile, because you're paying a bit less for mostly-similar specs. Sure, its cameras will leave you wanting, but in almost every other department, the Edge 60 Pro is a winner.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Motorola Edge 60 Pro?
Motorola Edge 60 Pro score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
You're basically getting a premium smartphone for a lower price, which sounds good to me!
4 / 5
Design
The phone feels and looks premium, and it's well-protected with military-grade accreditation.
4 / 5
Display
The Edge 60 Pro has a high-res screen with a top max brightness and useful extra features.
4 / 5
Software
It's a clean software with customization options and a long shelf life, even if Moto is relying too much on AI as a big new feature.
3.5 / 5
Camera
Photos look dull and there are one or two other issues with the cameras that lose it points.
3 / 5
Performance
The chipset suits most tasks and there's lots of storage and RAM to go around.
4 / 5
Battery
It's fast to charge and has a decently-sized battery, though there are some downgrades here.
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a premium phone (without the price tag) The Moto Edge 60 Pro is more or less a premium smartphone; however, it's cheaper than Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi rivals.
Looks are important Some people swaddle their smartphone in a case, but if you prefer to let people see the mobile you're rocking, this svelte and colorful Moto is what you'll want them to see.
You want a smart AI assistant If you're overly reliant on ChatGPT to make your shopping lists or plan your holidays, maybe Moto AI will be a good addition to your smartphone.
Don't buy it if...
You upload loads of pics to social media Photos taken on the Edge 60 Pro will take some work in an editing app to make them social media-worthy; not great if you want to upload them quickly and without fuss.
You don't like curved-edge displays Phones with curved-edge displays can be divisive and in the case of the Moto, the feature is so important that it's literally in the name.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: Also consider
Still not sold on the Motorola Edge 60 Pro? Here are some other comparable smartphones you should consider looking at instead:
iPhone 16e For the same price as the Moto, you can pick up Apple's newest budget phone. It's an option for people who would rather an Apple over an Android, though you'll lose out on myriad flagship specs.
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra This burly Android phone costs a little more than the Moto, but not much. It has more processing power, a higher-res display, and faster charging, but it suffers from a cluttered operating system,a smaller battery, and fewer cameras. It's pretty colorfu,l though!
Motorola Edge 50 Pro The previous-gen Moto was going to be an obvious comparison, but it's doubly true given that many of its specs actually trump the 60 Pro on paper. Plus, it's enjoyed a year's worth of price cuts.
I tested the Motorola Edge 60 Pro for two weeks in order to write this review.
In that time, I used it as my normal phone, which involved socializing, listening to music, taking pictures, and playing games, as well as lots of other normal tasks.
I also did some 'lab' tests with the phone, as you'll have read about in the performance section of this review, in order to get a more objective understanding of its power.
I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar for over six years now, and even reviewed the original Moto Edge models. So, I'm well-versed in the brand and its various handsets.
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe review
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe is a weighty charging stand that can wirelessly charge an Apple Watch along with a compatible phone or earbuds case. It has a list price of $119.99 / £109.99 on the Belkin website, and can also be found at Amazon, with occasional offers appearing from both retailers in the form of discounts or purchase incentives.
At that price, it’s clear the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe isn’t a budget option. But that doesn’t stop it offering a sturdy yet space-saving wireless charging solution that’ll happily charge three Apple devices, albeit not at the same time.
(Image credit: Future)
The 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe comes in two colorways: Charcoal or Sand. The charger I’ve tested is the Charcoal model, which is composed of a super-soft-to-the-touch silicone-like outer material, with metallic accents on the charging pad hinge and the Apple Watch charging puck holder that's fixed to the back of the charging stand. It became clear that dust could pose a problem straight out of the box, as the silicone material acted like a dust and lint magnet, so it took a bit of effort to keep it looking its best.
I was pleased to find that a 30W USB-C power supply comes as standard, as one should expect for the price, and the USB-C power cable is braided, giving it a more premium feel. This detail is something I don’t see all that often, even amongst the best wireless chargers, but very much appreciate when it comes along, as I did when I reviewed the ESR Qi2 Mini Wireless Charger, too. This is not simply because it looks good, but because it can often withstand more action than standard flexible plastic coverings that can split over time. The cable isn’t removable, which I’m usually not a fan of, but I’m not fussed in this instance, as this charging dock clearly isn’t designed to be relocated regularly, plus it reduces the chance of someone else in your household pinching the cable to power something else.
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As the 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe had dimensions of 4.1 x 2.8 x 3.1 inches / 105 x 71 x 78 mm, it was nice that I could charge all of my devices without taking up a load of desktop or nightstand space. And I really appreciated the adjustable viewing angles that the charging dock offered, as I could keep the pad flat to charge my earbuds, or angle it up to 70 degrees to watch content on my iPhone, or toggle StandBy Mode. I found the non-slip base, strong MagSafe grip, and 1 lb / 450g weight of the charging dock to be reliable for the entirity of my testing, standing its ground and keeping a firm hold of my phone despite my poking and prodding.
As a brand, Belkin looks to be paying particular attention to the environmental impact of their products, and it was nice to see that the BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe came in plastic-free packaging. Belkin also states this wireless charger includes a minimum of 60% post-consumer recycled materials, too.
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In terms of iPhone charging speeds, this MagSafe charging dock lagged almost 20 minutes behind other 2-in-1 wireless chargers I’ve tested from competitors like Anker and UGreen, taking 142 minutes to recharge our iPhone 13 Pro, which has a battery capacity of 2,600mAh. The Apple Watch charging speed was another story, however, as it took just 58 minutes to fully charge my Apple Watch Series 9, making it one of the fastest Apple Watch chargers I’ve tested to date.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a reliable multi-device wireless charger to take up residence on your desk or nightstand, then the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe is well worth your consideration. It may not be the fastest iPhone charger out there, but it’s perfect for passive charging while you work or catch some Zs, and the speedy Apple Watch charging speed is definitely a bonus. If you’re still on the fence about which wireless charger format would work best for you, I recommend checking out my selection of the best wireless chargers for some inspiration.
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe review: Price & specs
Price
$119.99 / £109.99
Model
WIZ020
Max power output
15W
Devices charged
2
Charging tech
MagSafe
Connection
Fixed – USB-C
Weight
1lb / 450g
Dimensions
4.1 x 2.8 x 3.1 inches / 104 x 71 x 78mm
Should I buy the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe?
Buy it if…
You want a charger that’ll stand its ground Despite having a compact footprint, this charger’s weight and low center of gravity mean it won’t be easily knocked down.
You want a convenient nightstand charger The adjustable viewing angle, combined with how easy it is to rotate an iPhone on the MagSafe charging pad to trigger StandBy Mode, makes this a great charger for the bedside.
Don't buy it if…
You want speedy iPhone charging While it made quick work of charging my Apple Watch, the iPhone charging speed proved underwhelming.
You want something easy to clean As delightfully tactile as the silicone outer is, it acts like a dust magnet and has trouble letting go. So if you like to keep your things dust-free, this particular charger may prove a bit of a challenge.
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe review: Also consider
Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Stand If you want to charge all three of your devices at once and have the space to spare, then this 3-in-1 stand from Anker is a great choice. Not only does its wide base offer plenty of stability, but it also boasts satisfyingly fast iPhone and Apple Watch charging speeds, and it’s cheaper, too! Check out my full review of the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Stand if you’d like to learn more.
In the time that I’ve spent with the Honor 400, part of me is stunned to see just how far the mid-range market has come. Usually, when I test phones at this end of the scale, I anticipate there being one area that significantly holds the phone back from true greatness. This is understandable – there needs to be some reason to upgrade to the best phones like the iPhone 16 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – but on the Honor 400, this caveat never really applied.
For starters, with an affordable price tag of £399.99 in the UK, the Honor 400 already undercuts a ton of mid-range contenders like the Pixel 9a, the Samsung Galaxy A56 and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, which will make it a more tempting buy for those who are tied to a strict budget.
Diving into the phone itself, Honor spoils us with a number of features, the highlight being the 6.55-inch AMOLED display, which can reach a peak brightness of 5000 nits. I’ve tested a lot of phones in my time, but Honor just knows how to make a mid-range display that’s instantly eye-catching. It’s colorful, easy to use outdoors, and great for streaming films and TV shows.
The new 200MP main camera captures some great shots, especially when the sun is out, but the setup really comes into its own when paired with the Harcourt-inspired filters in the phone’s portrait mode. If you prefer taking pictures of friends and family rather than what you had for dinner, then you’ll appreciate what’s available here.
This amounts to a solid experience overall, but in some instances, it’s a slight downgrade compared to the phone’s predecessor. For instance, the Honor 200 has a slightly larger 6.7-inch display as well as an additional telephoto lens. The same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset has been carried over, so you won’t gain much where performance is concerned.
With that in mind, I wouldn’t recommend the Honor 400 to owners of last year’s Honor mid-range. For those with a device that’s been out for four or five years, though, it’s hard to argue with the value proposition Honor has put together.
Honor 400 review: price and availability
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Starts at £399.99 in the UK
Released in May 2025
Situated as the middle child of the new Honor 400 series, the Honor 400 has a starting price of £399.99 for the 256GB model, but that price leaps up to £449 if you want the larger 512GB storage option.
At the time of writing, only UK pricing and availability have been confirmed, with the phone releasing in May 2025 both as a SIM-free device and from several UK networks.
Even though their naming conventions are easy to understand, the pricing within the Honor 400 range is a little confusing. At present, the Honor 400 Lite costs £249.99, just £150 less than the Honor 400, whereas the Honor 400 Pro asks for an extra £300 with an RRP of £699.99.
I can only hypothesize that the Honor 400’s entry-level price is a strategic move to make it more affordable than some of the established best mid-range phones, which tend to sit around £499.
Value score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: specs
Dimensions:
156.5mm x 74.6mm x 7.3mm
Weight:
184g
Display:
6.55-inch (2736 x 1264) up to 120Hz AMOLED
Chipset:
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
RAM:
8GB
Storage:
256GB / 512GB
OS:
Android 15
Primary camera:
200MP (f/1.9, 1/1.4'', OIS) sensor
Ultra-wide camera:
12MP (f/2.2, FOV 112°) sensor
Front Camera:
50MP sensor
Battery:
5,330mAh
Charging:
66W wired
Colors:
Midnight Black, Meteor Silver, Desert Gold
Honor 400 review: design
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Honor is definitely nipping at Apple’s heels
The design feels more confident than the Honor 200
The overall design of Honor’s mid-range phones has always felt a little off to my eyes. For example, the Honor 90 from a few years back had a wonderful Emerald Green option that made it stand out, but it was hampered by two distinct camera bumps that felt wildly out of place.
Things weren’t much better with last year’s Honor 200, which featured far too much negative space in its camera module, making the design feel like an afterthought compared to the rest of the device. Thankfully, Honor has finally hit a far more premium, if potentially dull, aesthetic.
As mentioned in the Honor 400 Lite review, it isn’t hard to see where Honor is drawing its inspiration from here. The flat edges around the device, alongside the vertically aligned cameras, give off a whiff of the iPhone 16, which is no bad thing when you consider that the Honor 400 is less than half the price of Apple’s £699/$699 handset.
It does feel premium in the hand, and even with a plastic chassis, I think people would be surprised to learn just how cheap the Honor 400 is at the checkout, based solely on its looks.
I do wish, however, that Honor could have kept some of its signature flair where the colors are concerned. The company has instead opted for safe black, silver and gold variations. Thankfully, there is an official IP rating this time around of IP65, so you won’t have to worry about dust particles or jets of water – always helpful over long-term use.
While it certainly won’t wow anyone, I feel that this is the most confident-looking mid-ranger that Honor has ever put out, and I have to admire it for that.
Design score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: display
(Image credit: Future)
It’s a smaller display at 6.55 inches
The curves have been swapped out for a flat panel
If there’s one area where this company has easily outpaced the mid-range competition, it’s in the quality of its displays, and the Honor 400 is no exception, although there is one tweak that might put off some folks from upgrading.
Starting with the good, this 6.55-inch AMOLED display is just drop-dead gorgeous to look at. It gets impressively bright at up to 5000 nits, and when using it outdoors against direct sunlight, I haven’t found myself squinting to make out what’s on the screen.
The crisp 2736 x 1264 resolution also makes the phone great for catching up on Netflix or whichever streaming service takes your fancy. Using the Honor 400 at the gym, I was quite immersed in a few episodes of Prime Video's Invincible while on the treadmill, with the phone doing the show’s vivid color palette justice.
If you don’t mind sacrificing a little more battery life, you can toggle Super Dynamic Display alongside Vivid Display, two modes that use AI to analyze what you're watching and respond with improved colors and realism in real time. I can’t say that I saw an immediate difference, but the screen already looked great, so I can’t really complain.
(Image credit: Future)
While the phone’s refresh rate can be set to 120Hz at all times, by default it’s placed in an adaptive mode that allows it to change depending on the task at hand, saving battery life in the process. Even though this has long been a feature among the best Android phones, it blows my mind that it’s now something we get as standard in the mid-range/budget market.
Making a return is all of Honor’s dimming and eye-health features. That sounds impressive on paper, with ‘3840Hz RiskFree Dimming’, but what does it actually mean? In practice, this tech limits the amount of refreshes that take place at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, reducing the risk of eye fatigue over time.
Of course, something like this is difficult to quantify. However, I will say that out of all the phones I’ve used, the Honor 400 is one of the few that doesn’t leave me with noticeable eye-strain if I do a quick bit of scrolling before bed, particularly if the fantastic ‘eBook mode’ is activated.
All of this amounts to a wonderful display, but if you currently own an Honor 90 or an Honor 200, it’s worth bearing in mind that both of those phones have a larger 6.7-inch display, so you are getting a slight downgrade where size is concerned. Personally, I don’t mind, particularly as it makes the Honor 400 easier to use one-handed, but it’s still something to consider.
Display score: 4.5 / 5
Honor 400 review: cameras
(Image credit: Future)
Just like the display, the cameras have also been downgraded/upgraded
The new 200MP main sensor is the star of the show
There’s a definite pattern of give and take with the Honor 400. I’ve already mentioned the differences in the display tech, and unfortunately, it also extends to the new camera setup.
On paper, you’ve got a 200MP (f/1.9, 1/1.4'', OIS) main sensor, flanked by a 12MP (f/2.2, FOV 112°) ultrawide that also serves as a macro lens. That might sound fairly decent given the £399.99 price tag, but eagle-eyed readers might have already noticed that while the main sensor has had a bump from 50MP to 200MP, the phone is missing the additional 50MP telephoto lens from the Honor 200.
While it’s nice to have a dedicated telephoto lens, having the upgraded megapixel count on the main lens does open up more opportunities for cropping and zooming that don't completely wreck the quality of the photo.
Enjoying the wonderful sights of Surrey’s Box Hill, I was able to snap some fantastic shots that really did the trail justice, helped in large part by the brilliantly sunny weather. When I felt the need to crop in on certain photos for social media after the fact, I didn’t feel hard done by in the final results.
The same can be said for the ultra-wide shots, which, despite that 12MP ceiling, still packed an impressive degree of detail and color. In a pinch, that same ultra-wide lens can be used for macro shots if, like me, you enjoy getting the odd picture of fauna up close (although I can’t imagine using it for much else).
You’ve got 4x digital zoom for picking up subjects in the distance, but for something really far out, you can lean on Honor’s 30x AI Superzoom. Just like it operates on other Honor phones, this feature uses AI to recreate the picture you’ve taken. This means the end result isn’t technically a photo at all, but something AI has constructed from a real photo. As you might imagine, its success rate can be mixed, and there’s a general ‘watercolour’ look that plagues all of these images after the fact.
Speaking of AI, there’s an ‘image to video’ feature that lets you make short AI-driven animations out of shots you’ve taken. I’ll admit, one video it derived from a selfie felt so realistic that I didn’t like the idea of seeing what else it could do. Thankfully, these videos don’t go beyond five seconds, so there isn’t a huge use case for them.
When it comes to more traditional AI features in the phone’s editing suite, like AI cutout or AI outpainting (the latter of which extends the picture with generative AI), it all works rather well.
Last year, Honor made a big splash by partnering with photography studio Harcourt to add more pizazz to the portrait photography of the 200 series; now those signature Harcourt filters are back on the Honor 400, looking better than ever.
If you’re the type of person whose Instagram uploads are filled with model-style shots, you’ll appreciate what’s on offer here. Although there are just three Harcourt filters (Vibrant, Color and Classic), they all look great and pump out truly eye-catching shots.
While the 50MP selfie camera doesn’t utilize Harcourt’s prowess, it still managed to capture self-portraits that I was more than happy to share with the world, which doesn’t often happen. There’s a wonderfully soft bokeh here that pairs well with the camera’s autofocus.
The dedicated night mode also does a respectable job, so you should be in luck with most low-light situations if you do want to take a quick snap.
Camera score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: camera samples
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Honor 400 review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
Same chipset as last year
Respectable performance in its price range
The best thing I can say about the Honor 400 from a performance perspective is just how little it’s been on my mind over the course of testing the device. Of course, I’m not saying that it exceeds the best iPhones – far from it – but even though it uses the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset as last year, it goes to show how far the mid-range market has come, where you can now expect solid day-to-day performance without breaking the bank.
In the time that I spent with the Honor 400, I didn't have an app fail to load or crash mid-use, and I could jump from one app to another without any significant delay. Even when using the phone as a hotspot to watch a video on my iPad, I could still scroll through Google Chrome on the Honor 400 without any noticeable slowdown.
When it came to games, the phone handled booting up a race in Asphalt Legends Unite and the game’s frenetic energy with ease. Graphics look bold and exciting on the display, and any visual stuttering was very brief and infrequent.
I found the performance within Call of Duty Mobile to be even better, so if you like to get in a few rounds of Nuketown on your lunch break, you won’t have any issues doing so here.
I will say that for both games (and at times when I was really pushing the device), I felt some heat radiating off the Honor 400. It was never enough to make holding the device uncomfortable, but it did give me pause to make sure that I didn’t overstretch the phone’s limitations.
I do, however, want to give a brief nod to the speakers, which performed surprisingly well in testing. I almost always anticipate a mono-speaker system at this end of the market, but there's a stereo set-up on the Honor 400, and it can get impressively loud and immersive when you're diving into a spot of gaming.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: software
(Image credit: Future)
Honor has gone all in on AI
MagicOS is better, but there’s still room for improvement
Just like almost every other company on the block right now, Honor has gone all-in on AI.
As with AI implementation on other devices, I found the overall experience to be a mixed bag. I don’t think the situation is quite as dire as what I’ve come across using Apple Intelligence on my iPhone 16 Plus, but there are definitely areas where Honor has plenty of room for improvement.
On the better side of that equation is Honor’s Magic Portal, which operates similarly to Google’s Circle to Search (which already exists on the Honor 400), only this time requiring that you highlight an object using your knuckle. I found the feature to be incredibly responsive, and once you’ve selected your desired image or piece of text, you can quickly share it to a list of apps that appear on the side, as chosen by AI. It’s genuinely a great example of AI being used intelligently, and I did find myself using it a few times to save text quickly.
Features like AI Subtitles and AI Translate have their moments, but there’s still work to be done. For the former, it can generate speech to text with decent speed and accuracy, but when I tried to get it to make subtitles from a YouTube video, the whole experience fell apart with nonsensical text. AI Translate fares a bit better with a quick response time for translations, but it doesn’t boast quite as many available languages as Live Translate on Galaxy AI-toting Samsung phones, so you’ll find a more robust experience elsewhere.
At the lower end of the scale, AI Suggestions pretty much does what it says on the tin by offering up quick access to apps it thinks you need at certain times of day, but this is a feature Apple’s had for years so I don’t understand why Honor has drawn so much attention to it here as if it’s something brand new. There’s also AI Deepfake Detection, although this only works with video calls and doesn’t let you know if you’re seeing a video or image online that’s fake, which is really where it should be targeted.
Magic Capsule on the Honor 400 Pro, which also features on the 400 (Image credit: Future)
All of this sits on top of MagicOS 9.0, Honor’s Android 15 overlay, which in itself is something of a head-scratcher. I will say that compared to when I last used MagicOS on the Honor 90, the operating system has come quite a long way, and it feels less cumbersome to use than I remember.
It’s not quite as slick as stock Android, which can be found on the best Pixel phones, but it does have a nice aesthetic. And as someone who mostly uses an iPhone, I did appreciate the nods to iOS, including Honor’s take on the Dynamic Island, which shows music playback at the top of the display, as well as the need to swipe down from different sections to access the notification tray or the control center (even if I did find myself in the latter a few times when it wasn’t my intention).
What holds MagicOS back is the unfortunate amount of bloatware that comes preinstalled on the Honor 400. When setting the phone up, I needed to get rid of several apps, including TikTok and Temu, not to mention Honor’s own-brand apps, which include the company’s Google Play Store competitor, the Honor App Market. It’s not a deal-breaker, by any means, but it doesn’t help the phone against fierce competition.
On a better note, the Honor 400 now comes with a promised six years of updates, providing official support until at least 2031. Compared to the paltry support that Honor provided for previous devices, this is a huge shift that makes the Honor 400 a better option as a phone to last you well into the future.
Software score: 3 / 5
Honor 400 review: battery life
Slightly larger 5,300mAh cell
Easily gets you through a full day of use comfortably
Despite its smaller stature, the Honor 400 features a slightly increased battery capacity compared to the Honor 200, jumping from 5,200mAh to 5,300mAh. Honor hasn't been too specific where longevity is concerned, other than claiming an “all-day battery life” for the phone, which, thankfully, is an assessment that’s more on the conservative side.
I put the Honor 400 through a heavy day of use, starting at 8:30am, getting just over four hours of screen time, including 40 minutes of Instagram and 25 minutes of Prime Video, alongside 33 minutes of Spotify in the background and 1 hour and 39 minutes of using the phone as a hotspot for my iPad. With all that in mind, the phone still had 30% left in the tank by 10:30pm, 14 hours later.
For my money, that’s more than enough to alleviate any major battery anxiety. You also toggle one of two power-saving modes, which halt a lot of background processing to extend the longevity as much as possible. On most days, however, I didn’t need to charge the Honor 400 until about halfway through the following day.
When you do need to top up, you won’t have to wait long as the Honor 400 boasts 66W fast charging, although there isn’t a compatible fast charger included in the box. When charging at a slightly slower 60W rate on an adapter I had to hand, it took about 30 minutes to get from 20% to 69%, and a total of 54 minutes to get back to a full tank.
Unfortunately, there’s no wireless charging available, which does feel like a sticking point when that feature is creeping into the mid-range conversation.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Honor 400?
Honor 400 score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design
It might not turn heads with its colorways but the Honor 400 has a confident look.
4 / 5
Display
The display is the true highlight here, just not for owners of last year’s phone.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Great everyday performance that’s difficult to fault.
4 / 5
Camera
The absent telephoto is missed, but everything else is solid.
4 / 5
Battery
More than enough to get you through an intensive day of use.
4 / 5
Software
MagicOS still has some way to go, as does Honor’s AI suite.
3 / 5
Value
Great cameras, a gorgeous display and tons of storage make this a winner.
5 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a vibrant display The Honor 400’s bright and colorful 6.55-inch AMOLED display has been the highlight of my time using the phone. It’s set a very high bar indeed.
You want more storage for less The ability to get 256GB as standard (or 512GB for just an extra £50) makes the Honor 400 a bargain for those who store tons of files locally.
You want a great phone for portrait photography Honor’s 200MP main camera takes some great shots, but it’s the Harcourt-infused filters that make it a winner for those who love to indulge in portrait photography.
Don't buy it if...
You have last year’s Honor 200 With the Honor 400 carrying the same chipset, a smaller screen and one less camera, it isn’t exactly a must-buy for last year’s adopters.
You want the best Android experience Honor’s MagicOS still has a way to go before it can compete with slicker operating system overlays found on Samsung and OnePlus phones.
You value wireless charging Even though you get fast wired charging here, the lack of wireless charging is noticeable given that it’s slowly becoming a feature at this end of the market.
Honor 400 review: also consider
If you're not completely sold on the Honor 400's set of features, then these alternatives might be a better fit.
Google Pixel 9a Even though it costs a little more, Google’s latest mid-ranger offers up a far better software experience that’s as close to iOS as you’ll find among the Android crowd.
Samsung Galaxy A56 For a more premium-feeling build, not to mention a much longer lifespan of software and security updates, the Galaxy A56 is arguably a better buy for those who don’t want to upgrade again for quite a while.
Battery tested against intensive and typical days of use
For the purposes of this review, I used the Honor 400 as my main handset for a total of seven days as it carried my SIM card. Due to this being a pre-release model, certain features like Google Wallet wouldn't work with the device, so I relied on a paired TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro smartwatch for payments.
While the phone does feature 66W fast charging, I used a 65W adapter during the charging test, which automatically downgrades to 60W in the process. The phone I used prior to the Honor 400 was the iPhone 16 Plus, which served as a mental reference over the testing period.
UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station review
The UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station is a wireless charging stand comprising a Qi base and upper Qi2 module that conveniently folds down into a compact charging cuboid. It offers the convenience and versatility, plus the bonus of a 5W USB-C output on the right-hand side of the base, meaning it could be upgraded to a 3-in-1 charger easily with the addition of an Apple Watch charging puck.
With a list price of $49.99 / £39.99, the UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station is available to purchase from the UGreen website or Amazon. This isn’t a bad price for a space-saving 2-in-1 wireless charger – especially one with the benefit of an additional output. But I’d still hold out paying full price, as offers can often be found from both retailers, with the price dropping to $43 / £19.99 at the time of writing.
As there’s no adapter included, and the USB-C to USB-C cable provided is a little on the short side at just 3.3ft / 1 meter long, the UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station proved a bit of a disappointment in the accessory department. It isn’t unusual not to get an adapter these days, even with some of the best wireless chargers, but when it comes to multi-device chargers, the chance of already having one to hand that’s powerful enough is a bit slimmer. In this charger’s case, UGreen recommends a wall adapter of at least 30W to ensure efficiency.
(Image credit: Future)
At a size of 2.4 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches / 61 x 61 x 38mm when folded, and weighing 7.5oz / 213g, the Foldable Fast Charging Station was pleasingly compact and lightweight. I found the foldable design really satisfying, particularly how easy it was to fold the charger back into a little cuboid one-handed, which proved convenient whenever I needed to top up my ear buds, or when I wanted to tidy it out of the way.
The Foldable Fast Charging Station is only available in one colorway, a combination of black and graphite, but it has some nice touches like the metallic finish of the graphite-colored outer casing and the mirror finish on the hinged arm that connects the two charging modules. Able to angle the phone by up to 70 degrees, this hinged arm made this a useful phone stand, and its sturdy mechanisms did a great job of maintaining the angles I adjusted it to. The only slight downside to this is that it’s tricky to change the position when a phone is in situ, but that’s only a minor inconvenience.
UGreen promises 360-degree rotation when the phone is magnetically attached to the Qi2 charging pad, and I can confirm this to be the case. But while this made changing my phone’s orientation effortless, it also meant that the slightest nudge would leave my phone askew.
(Image credit: Future)
I didn’t encounter any problems with the overall stability of the 2-in-1 Charging Station when it was unfolded to a stand, but it did have a small case of the wobbles whenever the phone screen was touched. Fortunately, this shakiness stemmed from where the charging pad meets the hinged arm, not from an unstable base, but it’s something to be aware of if that’s likely to prove irritating.
Despite its compact size, I wouldn’t recommend using it as a travel charger. I found there was a bit of movement in one of the side panels as I was checking the build quality, and the Qi2 charging pad flexed a little upon pressing my finger on it, so I’d be wary of packing it in my luggage unless I could guarantee nothing could press against it.
The iPhone charging performance was good for the price, taking 125 minutes to charge our iPhone 13 Pro, which has a battery capacity of 2,600mAh. When it came to charging out Xiaomi 14, which has a battery capacity of 4,610mAh, it took 280 minutes.
(Image credit: Future)
When it came to assessing the cosmetics at the end of testing, I was pleased to see the metallic plastic outer still seemed to look like new, even after weeks of being handled. It was a different story for the surface of the Qi2 charging pad, however, which was prone to showing fingerprints and ended up with several little scuff marks. The fingerprints could be cleaned off, at least, though they proved very stubborn to remove, leading me to resort to alcohol wipes.
If you can look past the jiggling issue and the easily marked Qi2 charging pad, you’ll find this is a great little charger that offers convenience and versatility in a satisfyingly small package. If you’re looking for something that’ll look fresher for longer, or want a charger with more or fewer charging modules, then I suggest taking a look at my selection of the best wireless chargers.
UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station review: Price & specs
Price
$49.99 / £39.99
Model
W702
Max power output
15W
Devices charged
2 wirelessly, 3 with USB-C
Connection
USB-C to USB-C
Charging tech
Qi2
Recommended input
30W
Weight
7.5oz / 213g
Dimensions
2.4 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches / 61 x 61 x 38mm
Should I buy the UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station?
Buy it if…
You want a charger that’s easy to pack away As it’s so easy to fold this charger down into a compact cuboid, it would be a good option for anyone who doesn’t like things cluttering up their desktop.
You want the option to charge 3 devices at once Thanks to the helpful 5W USB-C output in the base, the charger can be expanded to power three devices, while still maintaining a small footprint.
Don't buy it if…
You want a charger to take on the road While it may be small enough to pack, it isn’t the most robust charger out there. If you want something to travel with, I’d opt for something designed for portability, like the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Foldable Pad.
You want a finish that’ll stay fresh long-term While the majority of the outer materials stayed blemish-free, the Qi2 charging pad’s surface started showing little signs of wear after just a few weeks.
UGreen 2-in-1 Qi2 Magnetic Foldable Fast Charging Station review: Also consider
UGreen MagFlow 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Station If you’re looking for a cheaper option and aren’t planning on tidying your charger away, then this UGreen stand might be worth considering. It’s not the fastest charger out there, but the adjustable charging module and compact circular base with built-in earbud charging make it a useful little charger for the price. If you’d like to find out more, take a look at my full UGreen MagFlow 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Station review.
