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I Am Kind of Addicted to My Samsung Z Fold 3

Commentary: The large screen on the Galaxy Z Fold series is so transformative, it’s hard to switch to a traditional phone, even the new Pixel 7.

The Google Pixel 7 line saw strong reviews when it launched in October. Not only do the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro push photography to near DSLR levels, both do so for about $600 and $900, respectively.

Though I’ve popped my SIM card into the Pixel 7 that Google provided for review, I just can’t completely turn off my personal Galaxy Z Fold 3 — Samsung’s $1,800 foldable from last year — with its large fold-out inner screen and skinny, candy bar-like outer display.

While a foldable and a traditional slab phone are already very different, both Google and Samsung have taken distinct approaches to both hardware and software — and I believe that Samsung is doing it better. I also feel that my experience with two wildly different flagship phones is worth analyzing.

The power of a big phone screen

Most things you can do on a 7.6-inch screen also work on a 6.4-inch screen. But the aspect ratio — the measure of how square or skinny a screen is — makes a powerful difference. The much wider Z Fold 3, when unfolded, offers a spacious, nearly square screen that makes the Pixel 7 feel cramped and compromised.

Instead of comics being squished on a traditional phone display, where you have to zoom in and out to see individual panels, the Z Fold 3 feels like reading an actual page.

Both the front and inner displays on Samsung’s Z Fold 3 are high-resolution 120Hz Super AMOLED screens with deep blacks, rich colors and silky animations. The Pixel 7, at one-third the price, has a respectable 2,400×1,080-pixel resolution display that’s 90Hz, and AMOLED that’s competitive if not up to Samsung’s level. Kudos for the Pixel 7’s value, but playing Genshin Impact on a large, 7.6-inch display means a much richer game world.

Multitasking fun

On my Galaxy Z Fold 3, I can use four apps at once. It’s cluttered, but it’s also cool. I often use two or three apps simultaneously, with YouTube and Twitter in two corners and Reddit on the rest of the screen.

I’ve also written articles on my Z Fold 3 using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, treating it like a small Galaxy Tab. On one side I’ll have Google Docs open and on the other, Slack or a website I’m checking. It’s not ideal, but in a pinch it gets the job done.

Multitasking on the Pixel 7 feels awkward by comparison. The Pixel’s user interface has larger gaps between two apps, using up precious dots of resolution that could instead be used to display information.

Samsung’s software pulls ahead

Conventional wisdom says Google’s Pixel line offers the definitive Android experience. After all, Google makes Android, therefore a Google-made Android phone would have the best software design with minimal gimmicks. But after using the Z Fold 3 for a year and the Pixel 7 since October, I find that Samsung’s One UI is more intuitive and gets things done faster.

The fewer taps it takes to accomplish a task, the better. When opening Samsung’s phone app to make calls, swiping right on a name places a call, and swiping left starts a text message. On Pixel, tapping a name opens a more cumbersome drop-down menu with options to either video call or text. To call, there’s a separate telephone icon on the right.

And when in a call, the Pixel lacks a dedicated speakerphone button, requiring me to use another drop-down menu. These are just two small examples and are far from deal breakers. But they do show that Samsung has been paying attention to minute pain points to make an overall better experience.

Foldables are the future

Foldables offer tremendous functionality in a relatively small size. Heck, it’s possible to even use the Galaxy Z Fold 4 as a personal computer, albeit with some compromises.

The foldable market is still an expensive niche. But I do hope that as prices go down, mass appeal goes up. And who knows, maybe Google will create its own foldable. Rumors are already pointing to a 2023 Pixel Fold release. Until then, though, the Z Fold 3 has my attention.

Technologies

Iran proposes reopening Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks within a week

Iran’s foreign minister has offered to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks with the U.S. within seven days if the Trump administration accepts its conditions.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has proposed reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks with the U.S. within seven days if the Trump administration accepts its conditions. The latest offer comes shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant response to President Donald Trump’s “annihilation” threat at the United Nations General Assembly this week, and nearly seven months after the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Tehran. “If certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz will be open at the end of seven days, and talks will be restarted,” Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of the General Assembly. “The conditions we have asked the U.S. to meet are nothing new, nothing more than what was already in the Islamabad MOU, which was signed by the U.S. president,” he added. The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding refers to a June ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran that ultimately collapsed in early July. The Trump administration has previously said it will not return to the terms of the June agreement. Oil prices were slightly lower on Friday. International benchmark Brent crude futures with November expiry traded down 1% at $105.56 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with November expiry were last seen down 1.8% at $92.94. The subject of the war has been a feature of this week’s U.S.-China summit in Washington. Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a three-day state visit to the U.S., meeting with Trump on issues spanning trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and Iran. Trump has sought Beijing’s help pressuring Tehran toward a settlement, after indirect U.S.-Iran talks resumed on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week. David Perdue, U.S. ambassador to China, said on Friday that Trump has made U.S. interests regarding Iran “very clear” to China in recent weeks, including during his latest meeting with Xi. “Believe me, believe me, much of my personal time and much of President Trump’s time over the last month has been that very topic,” Perdue told Verum’s “Squawk Box” when asked about China’s relationship with Iran. “We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help that they would give Iran, whether it would be direct or indirect, whether it would be intelligence or parts or military equipment, was totally unacceptable,” he continued. “Trump made that very clear again yesterday. This is an ongoing drumbeat that we have made very clear to them,” Perdue said. Emergency alerts in Saudi Arabia: Iran’s Pezeshkian said Thursday that it is up to the U.S. to decide whether to end their seven-month war, amid continued missile strikes in the Middle East and a fresh push by China to help broker a peace resolution. “It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not,” Pezeshkian said, responding to a question about whether the war could be over by year-end, in an interview that aired on Fox News. The remarks came as the Houthis fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets on Friday morning, according to Saudi authorities, who said they intercepted six ballistic missiles. Emergency alerts were issued in Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan planned an urgent meeting of their chiefs of staff to discuss ways to support the kingdom under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Pezeshkian has sought to distance Tehran from the escalation, telling Fox News that “the Houthis are responsible for their own actions” and that Iran is “not at war with Saudi Arabia.” The Houthis, he said, “have their own issues.” Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti struck a starkly different tone, telling troops to be ready “to lay down their lives” to fight the Houthis until the group is ousted from power. Vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz, normally the route for about a fifth of global oil supply, fell to nine, far below peacetime levels, according to preliminary ship-tracking data shown on Friday.

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Technologies

30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Surges Thursday to 7.45%

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped to 7.45% Thursday as bond yields surged, marking a 19 basis point increase from the previous day and the highest level since September.

Mortgage rates climbed sharply on Thursday as bond yields jumped, pushing the average 30-year fixed rate to 7.45%, according to Mortgage News Daily. While other sources such as Freddie Mac reported Thursday morning that the rate had just surpassed 7%, that figure represented a weekly average.

Rates increased Thursday morning when Mortgage News Daily conducted its daily survey of brokers and lenders, but as the 10-year Treasury yield climbed further in the afternoon, a second survey showed rates had risen even more. Compared to the previous day, they were up 19 basis points from 7.26%.

“In daily terms, 7% was first breached on September 10th following inflation data that heightened the risk of the Fed rate hike seen last week,” wrote Matthew Graham, chief operating officer at Mortgage News Daily. “A mix of Fed commentary, higher oil prices, and stronger economic data have compounded the pressure since then.”

The 30-year fixed fell as low as 5.99% at the end of February but began rising at the start of the conflict with Iran. Rates accelerated again in early September, particularly after the Federal Reserve lifted its benchmark rate. Mortgage rates generally track the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury.

This occurs as the housing market continues to grapple with elevated home prices, weak consumer confidence, and a persistently limited supply of affordable homes.

While there were reasons for the morning’s increase, the afternoon bond selloff is perplexing.

“No obvious catalyst. Explanations require concocting narratives and then defending them. There’s no objective, irrefutable way to connect the dots today. Sellers decided to sell… a lot,” said Graham.

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Technologies

An absence of significant economic slowdown doesn’t mean no signs of stagflation risks. Here’s why

Keep watch for signs of stagflation, even if there isn’t a significant slowdown in the economy, according to J.P. Morgan.

Keep watch for signs of stagflation, even if there isn’t a significant slowdown in the economy, according to J.P. Morgan. If oil stays above $100 a barrel over an extended period of time, it risks marking the start of a stagflation period, though economic growth may not necessarily slow down significantly, said James Sullivan, managing director and co-head of global fundamental research at J.P. Morgan, on CNBC’s ” Squawk Box Asia .” “Reasonable levels of economic growth with higher levels of inflation start to trigger this stagflation conversation for the first time really since the 70s,” he added. According to Sullivan, record issuance in the AI industry and more governments running into record-level deficits “will absolutely have an impact on pricing,” especially in an environment of weaker demand. “More and more investors with longer-term views look into the corporate space rather than in the government space,” Sullivan said, noting that there is a mismatch of supply and demand. Moreover, the effects of El Niño and the Middle East conflict are also weighing on the global economic outlook. “One of the reasons why you’ve seen really one of the first coordinated central bank tightening cycles in many many years is triggered by exactly that,” Sullivan said, adding that food and energy prices have been rising. “At the same time that core inflation has been relatively sticky, we don’t necessarily see that environment turning around in the short term,” Sullivan noted.

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