Technologies
New Speed Test Data Reveals the Nation’s Fastest Internet Service Provider
Technologies
Welcome to the Era of Online Age Verification. Are You Ready to Identify Yourself?
The introduction of the UK’s Online Safety Act marks a shift in internet culture, the ripples of which are already being felt around the world.
Last Thursday morning I woke up to find I no longer had access to my messages on social network Bluesky. «You must complete age assurance in order to access this screen,» a pop-up notification told me.
It went on to say the local laws where I live mean that I need to verify I’m an adult to view mature content or send direct messages. I’m based in the UK, and the law Bluesky was referring to is the Online Safety Act, which came into force on Friday.
This piece of legislation requires web companies to ensure that people under the age of 18 don’t have access to harmful content, including porn and material relating to self-harm, suicide and eating disorders. If sites choose to allow this content, they must verify the ages of people using their platforms to confirm that they’re adults. Failure to do so could result in fines of £18 million or 10% of annual revenue, whichever is greater.
«Prioritising clicks and engagement over children’s online safety will no longer be tolerated in the UK,» Melanie Dawes, chief executive of regulator Ofcom, said in a statement. «Our message to tech firms is clear — comply with age-checks and other protection measures set out in our Codes, or face the consequences.»
Over the past few days, free VPNs shot to the top of the UK App Store charts as people have looked for ways to bypass the requirement to verify their ages. It should be noted that using free VPNs comes with it own set of risks, and isn’t recommended by online security experts.
The Online Safety Act might be a UK-specific law, but it affects companies based in the US and around the world, including Bluesky, Reddit, Discord, X, Porn Hub and Grindr — all of which have committed to «age-gating» features to protect young people from stumbling across harmful content.
It’s also emblematic of a bigger shift in internet culture, which is seeing age verification become a mainstream concern across the world. Increasingly, adults who want to keep accessing internet services, from mainstream social networks to porn sites, will have to prove their age. In other words, expect my Bluesky experience to be coming to the internet near you soon.
Earlier this month, the European Commission published an age verification app prototype that will help keep young people safe online in accordance with the EU’s Digital Services Act. We’re also starting to see the ripple effect in the US of the legislation the UK and EU have enacted, says Vaishnavi J, founder of online child safety consultancy Vys. Just last month, the US Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring porn sites to verify the age of all visitors.
«State laws, advocacy campaigns, and growing parental demand in the US are all converging around the need for age assurance,» said J, who previously worked in the policy teams at Meta and Twitter. «Combine that with rapid advances in the tech ecosystem, and it’s no longer a question of if the US adopts age verification, but how and when.»
Safety vs. privacy
The Wild West nature of the internet and the ability to be largely anonymous often blurs the lines between spaces occupied by children and adults in a way that doesn’t happen in the offline world. This means children are often exposed to content many would consider inappropriate or harmful. According to Ofcom’s own research, around 1 in 10 children in the UK between the ages of 8 and 14 have watched online pornography — an activity the new age verification rules are designed to prevent.
Making the internet safer for children might be necessary and admirable, but age verification policies have also come under fire from digital rights and privacy groups.
I’ve been covering the UK’s attempts to bring in age verification since 2016. The government at the time decided it was too difficult and ultimately decided not to push ahead with plans aimed at age-gating porn sites in 2019.
The main objection to the legislation was the same then as it is now. Asking people to share their government-issued identification with private companies poses a threat to their privacy.
«The British public is being forced to hand over sensitive personal data to unregulated age assurance providers if they want to have full access to platforms such as Reddit and Bluesky or to use dating apps such as Grindr,» said James Baker, head of programming at Open Rights Group, in a statement ahead of the Online Safety Act coming into force.
«The threats and harms of phishing and hacking are very real, and will cause people online harms,» he added.
Open Rights Group also criticized the fact that people aren’t being given the right to choose how they verify their age. A number of verification methods exist, including age estimation via video selfie (a method gaming platform Roblox announced it was introducing last week), banking or credit card checks, third-party digital ID services, mobile carrier checks or photo ID matching. It’s up to the individual service which method they want to adopt, which could leave people vulnerable to problematic privacy policies.
As with many internet rules, there’s always some level of tradeoff involved when making the online world safe. In many ways, the idea of age verification is «common sense,» Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat, tech policy adviser at NYU’s Stern Business School, wrote in a blog post this week. At the same time, she added, depending on regulations and methods chosen, age verification can introduce serious privacy, security and access risks.
«In some cases, the systems employed are so flawed that they fail to protect minors while also excluding adults who should have lawful access,» said Rosenblat. «Policymakers must understand and carefully weigh these tradeoffs before mandating age verification at scale.»
Many critics of age verification have also argued that verification will be ineffective due to the wide availability of VPNs and teens’ ability to circumvent any rules attempting to limit their internet use.
Whether age verification is truly effective at keeping kids safe online is a question that can only be answered as the Online Safety Act and similar legislation comes into force. In the meantime, I — and possibly you — will need to be prepared to prove our identities and our ages if we’re to continue using the internet in the way we’ve become accustomed to using it.
Technologies
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Gives Us First Look at Mega Dragonite, Wild Mega Evolutions
Trainer customization and detective work are also returning to Lumiose City.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is bringing back mega evolutions, the battle gimmick that first appeared in the X and Y games, but is also bringing us new twists, including brand-new mega evolutions.
A recent Pokemon Presents video walked us through a few different features of the game, including the new and returning mechanics from the series’ last romp through Lumiose City. Mega evolution, which allows you to temporarily evolve certain Pokemon if they’re equipped with a corresponding stone, is coming back in Legends: Z-A, alongside trainer customization. But we’re also getting a few updates to the battle mechanic from Gen 6.
Here’s what we’ve learned about the game so far.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A release date
Legends: Z-A will be available Thursday, Oct. 16 on Switch and Switch 2.
Z-A adds new mega evolutions and rogue mega evolutions
Mega evolutions were a focal point of the X and Y story, and a big part of the competitive scene until Gen 7 came out. X and Y introduced 28 mega evolutions, with another 20 coming in the Gen 3 remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Mega evolution allows you to give even fully evolved Pokemon a temporary stat boost, a new ability and sometimes even a type change.
Legends: Z-A is adding to the list of megas, prominently featuring the new Mega Dragonite in the trailer. No details yet on whether Mega Dragonite has a change in type or what its new ability is, but I would guess it has something to do with the eight different wings all over its body.
The other big change with mega evolution is the addition of rogue mega evolutions — wild Pokemon that are able to mega evolve on their own. It’s an interesting change from the Gen 6 games, where mega evolutions were only encountered in battles against gym leaders and similarly powerful trainers.
Legends: Z-A brings back Lumiose City’s fashion scene, detective work
In Pokemon X and Y, trainers could shop at various cities to customize their attire, from hats and hoodies to socks, shoes and skirts. You could also change your hairstyle by visiting salons. That kind of customization is back in Legends: Z-A, as the trailer showed its trainer in a variety of styles ranging from sporty to chic.
Part of X and Y’s postgame content was the Looker Detective Agency, where players could help a Lumiose City detective investigate some mysteries. Players will get to work with Emma, «the best detective in Lumiose,» and seemingly the grown-up version of a child who featured prominently in the Looker Bureau missions in X and Y.
Detective work in Legends Z-A appears to be a system for accepting quests from people around the city who need help with their problems, like trash Pokemon hanging out on restaurant tables outside.
Other Pokemon staples return, like a Pokemon researcher, Mable, who needs you to catch Pokemon to help with her research, and a shady criminal organization — in this case, Corbeau and his Rust Syndicate.
Overall, Legends Z-A seems to be leaning into the city life of Lumiose, which could be a fun flavor for the game. But more than anything else, I hope we’ll see more new mega evolutions and other expansions to returning mechanics.
Bonus: New Pokemon Champions info
Today’s Pokemon Presents also gave us some new details on Pokemon Champions, the upcoming battle-focused game that will be available on both Switch and mobile devices. The game seems to be pretty exclusively a battle simulator, and we’ve now learned that it allows you to pull in your teams from Pokemon Home or recruit new Pokemon either temporarily for free or permanently by using in-game currency.
You can also train your Pokemon within Champions, allowing you to adjust competitive-focused stats like individual values and effort values, which affect stat numbers, and natures, which boost one stat and lower another. The Pokemon games have made a lot of changes to make training easier and less time-consuming, and this appears to be another step in that direction, though I have several questions about the in-game currency and how players can earn it.
Pokemon Champions will be available sometime next year, with no precise release date set. I wonder if this will be an attempt to split the competitive scene from the mainline games, making it easier for people to collect and train Pokemon for competition and removing the pressure of robust competitive systems from the mainline games. We’ll find out whenever we get info about Gen 10.
Technologies
I Tested the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and It Impressed Me in Every Way but One
Review: The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the most fully realized version of Samsung’s ideal flip phone.
Our Experts
- Patrick’s play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Pros
- The 6.9-inch screen is immersive, with lovely colors and contrast
- The 4.1-inch screen looks incredible
- It’s durable and survived a drop onto concrete
- One UI 8 (Android 16) runs wonderfully
- $1,100 is still a lot, but Samsung gives the phone more value than the Flip 6
Cons
- Gets warm when recording videos and playing games
- Battery life is the same as the Flip 6 despite a bigger battery
- Cover screen software has room to grow
When I first got my hands on Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 7, I was delighted to discover that it has a smaller crease, larger cover screen, thinner design and bigger battery compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 6. But as I tested the new clamshell phone, I became enthralled by its inner screen. At 6.9 inches, this is the biggest screen on any Samsung phone aside from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which has an 8-inch foldable display.
The Z Flip 7’s large screen size makes content feel more immersive and colors look lovely and vivid. This led to epic TikTok and Instagram sessions, watching widescreen films such as A Working Man and Back to the Future, as well as jumping back and forth between two apps stacked vertically on the screen thanks to One UI 8’s 90:10 split tool.
This is not your father’s smartphone or even his old flip phone.
Every time I open the Flip 7, I am consistently dumbfounded by how such a large display can unfurl from something about the size of a makeup compact. And when it’s closed, there’s a 4.1-inch cover screen that’s fantastic in its own ways with new clever animations for when you’re recording a video, charging the phone or taking a selfie, all efficiently using the extra cover display real estate. In terms of functionality, though, the cover screen’s software is about the same as the 3.4-inch one on the Flip 6.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the most fully realized version of Samsung’s ideal of a flip phone since the launch of the original Galaxy Z Flip in 2020. The Flip 7’s appeal is simple: It’s a thin phone with a big, bold screen that folds in half into a coaster-sized square.
The Flip 7 launches at a time when Samsung’s competitors, especially Motorola, have found their own unique appeal and success with flip phones, which have progressed from novelty to competitive cutting-edge technological niche. So it’s a delight to see the South Korean company nail this phone’s design. And in my testing, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has been a blast to use.
Whether I was on the streets of Little Italy in New York paying for gelato without opening the phone or watching Sinners on that 6.9-inch screen during a flight to San Francisco, the Flip 7 impressed me in nearly every way but one: its battery life. It has a larger battery than the Flip 6, but it doesn’t last any longer in daily use. It did consistently get me through a day on a single charge, often having 15 to 20% left, but there were also a few days where it needed an early evening top-off. That’s OK, but I was hoping to squeeze out a few more hours. Also, the Flip 7 did occasionally get warm easily while in use, especially when I was filming videos, playing games or using it as a desktop computer via DeX (yes, I’m that guy).
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 starts at $1,100 (£1,049, AU$1,799) and comes with 256GB of storage (512GB in Australia). That’s the same price as last year’s Flip 6, but you actually get double the storage. The $1,100 price is still a lot for a phone, but I think Samsung added more value to the Flip 7 than it did with the Flip 6, and there’s always the lower-spec (and less refined) Galaxy Flip 7 FE at $900 for those who want to save a little money. The Flip 7 FE is essentially a repackaged Flip 6 without its Snapdragon processor. But to help make the cost sting less, Samsung and carriers have deals for the Flip 7.
Who should buy the Galaxy Z Flip 7?
If you’ve been tempted by a clamshell-style foldable, you should definitely consider the Flip 7. If you’re trying to choose between the Flip 7 and the comparable $1,300 Motorola Razr Ultra, that’s a tough choice. I’m working on a comparison between the two flip phones but I will say this for now: I’m a huge fan of the Razr Ultra, and while on paper it costs $200 more than 256GB Flip 7, Motorola’s premium clamshell foldable comes with 512GB of storage. A Flip 7 with 512GB costs $1,220, which is still $80 of daylight between the two.
If you have a Galaxy Z Flip 4 or older, the Flip 7 will be an upgrade in every way. It’s harder to make that same recommendation for Flip 5 owners unless your phone is showing its age. And if you have a Galaxy Z Flip 6, you can sit this one out unless you really want those larger screens.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 design
The entire Flip 7 is thinner than the Flip 6, including the hinge, which is nearly 30% smaller. The difference is noticeable when I hold it. The phone might not be as dramatically thin as the Fold 7, which is over two millimeters thinner, though I keep wondering how amazing a clamshell-style foldable would be if it were the same thickness as the Fold 7. The hinge can easily be positioned at nearly any angle between its open and close points. And closing the Flip 7 comes with a solid thwap sound that is as satisfying as rubbing a dog’s belly.
Foldable phone thickness compared
| Phone | Open | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 | 4.2mm | 8.9mm |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 | 6.5mm | 13.7mm |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE | 6.9mm | 14.9mm |
| Motorola Razr Plus (2025) | 7.09mm | 15.32mm |
| Motorola Razr Ultra | 7.19mm | 15.69mm |
Despite the thinner design, the Flip 7 is actually a gram heavier than the Flip 6. In hand the phone feels light and is comfortable to hold. It has an IP48 rating for water and dust resistance which is the highest a foldable phone can have as of 2025. The number «4» in the rating means it is protected against particles that are 1-millimeter or larger. So the Flip 7, as with most foldables, isn’t something you should bring to the beach. If sand got into the hinge or screen it could do costly damage, for example.
In terms of durability, I didn’t expect to test this on my first day with the Flip 7, but I accidentally dropped it on a concrete patio. Aside from a tiny scratch on the hinge, the Flip 7 came out unscathed.
While the crease on the inner screen is less noticeable, I can still see it at certain angles and feel it when swiping. There are some picky purists waiting for a truly seamless folding screen who will be unsatisfied, but I truly don’t see it most of the time when the screen is on.
On previous Z Flip phones, going back and forth between the inner screen and the outer display showed off their differences, with the cover screen looking noticeably dimmer especially in sunlight. Thankfully Samsung fixed that. The cover screen and main display can each reach up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness and both have up to a 120Hz refresh rate to make system animations, scrolling around and video game graphics look buttery smooth and immersive. It’s a significant improvement.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 battery and processor
Samsung took a different approach with the Flip 7’s processor by opting for an Exynos 2500 chip, instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite that is in foldables like the Razr Ultra and Fold 7. While it’s a notable change, the Exynos 2500 runs just fine in daily use. The only times I suspected something might be different was when the Flip 7 would get warm — but that might have more to do with the new thinner design.
In benchmarks for the CPU, the Flip 7 scored lower in the Geekbench 6 test than the Razr Ultra and Fold 7 and nearly the same as the Flip 6, which runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. And for gaming and graphics benchmarks, the Flip 7 was well behind the Fold 7, the Razr Ultra and the Flip 6 in the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme test.
These tests should be taken with a grain of salt, though. The Flip 7 will be just fine for most people in daily use. If you’re heavily into mobile gaming, using on-device AI or want the Flip 7 to be your full-time videographer, you might want to look at the Razr Ultra or the Fold 7. But for less frequent AI use, video recording and gaming, you should be fine with the Flip 7’s hardware. I’m curious about the longevity of the Exynos 2500 chip, especially if someone were to keep the Flip 7 for the seven years that Samsung promises of software and security updates.
Geekbench v.6.0
- Geekbench v.6.0 single-core
- Geekbench v.6.0 multicore
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
The Flip 7 has a 4,300 mAh battery; that’s up from the 4,000 mAh one in the Flip 6. But the Flip 7 has two larger screens and a cover screen that can hit a higher maximum peak brightness. So that extra bit of battery capacity gets gobbled up pretty quick. In real life, I averaged a full day of use on a single charge over two weeks. A couple more hours of use would be better, as it would definitely help with Flip 7’s longevity, especially as newer software could potentially drain the battery faster in the future.
In CNET’s 45-minute battery endurance test, which includes scrolling through social media and news feeds, streaming YouTube, conducting a video call, playing games and other general-purpose use, the Flip 7 lost less of its charge than the Flip 6, but dropped more than the Razr Ultra. And in CNET’s video battery test, which entails streaming video on the main display at full brightness for three hours, the Flip 7 lost less of its charge than the Flip 6 but more than the Razr Ultra, which has a maximum 165Hz refresh rate.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 One UI 8
Notably, the Flip 7 and Fold 7 run One UI 8 (Samsung’s customized version of Android 16) out of the box. Android 16 was released a month ago, so it’s incredible that Google and Samsung were able to actually do this — which brings Flip 7 owners the newest software bells and whistles.
In use, One UI 8 has been wonderful. I haven’t experienced any hiccups or bugs. I really enjoy having the 90:10 split interface on the main screen where one app takes up 90% of the display and another takes up 10%. And if I want to switch it up so that the app taking up 10% takes up 90%, I simply tap on that app’s window. It’s a small but delightful tool great for multitasking.
Samsung’s Now Brief UI feature plays a bigger role on the cover screen. There’s a tiny stack to the left of the cameras where I can shuffle through notifications like a deck of cards. In terms of Now Brief, the briefings are still rather sparse. I see the weather, a random news story and a prompt to add YouTube videos to my brief. I think Now Brief has potential, but as it is, I can’t say I’d use it.
Cover screen widgets are great and interactive. You can run full apps (via Samsung’s Good Lock app), but they aren’t as well-optimized for the screen as apps running on the Motorola Razr Ultra’s cover display. I’m happy to see Samsung expand the cover display’s size but wish the software matched the experience of the main screen better. I still encounter the «open phone to continue» pop-up more than I like.
There’s a new button on the cover screen for changing an app’s aspect ratio. It’s a killer feature given that apps running through the Good Lock app aren’t always optimized for the cover display’s square-ish aspect ratio.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 camera
There are two cameras on the outside of the Flip 7: a 50-megapixel wide-angle and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. Cut into the inside screen is a 10-megapixel selfie camera. But if you haven’t used a modern flip phone before, know that you’ll be using that 50-megapixel main camera the most, even for selfies and group shots.
Like prior Z Flip models, the Flip 7 is one of the most versatile phones for capturing images and that’s largely because the foldable is its own tripod by unfolding it halfway. And while the cameras are not the best ones you can find on a phone or foldable, they consistently take good photos and videos.
Do I wish there was a dedicated telephoto camera? Yes, but cropping in or taking photos at 2x or even 4x looks good. And the Flip 7 gets the new zoom slider that the Galaxy S25 series has, which is handier for pinpoint adjustments than other phones’ camera apps. It makes such a difference when I’m holding the phone one-handed and trying to zoom in on a subject.
I have been a fan of Samsung’s ultrawide cameras for years — there’s just something magical with that lens specifically that can make a photo look dramatic without going completely distorted like a fisheye lens. Do I wish it took better photos under dim lighting like in a bar? Yes.
To improve the shooting experience, Samsung has added support for log video recording, which preserves more image information in the highlights and shadows, allowing for greater flexibility when it comes to editing a video’s colors and contrast. There’s also Audio Mix, which can make the audio in your videos sound better with the help of AI.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 final thoughts
It feels like Samsung took nearly every shortcoming that previous Z Flips had and solved them for the Flip 7. The phone is filled with smart compromises and will no doubt have a wider appeal as a result. And if you’re able to get to a store and see the Flip 7 in person, you’ll know immediately whether it’s for you or not. But the Flip 7 isn’t the only clamshell foldable that Samsung launched. There’s also the $900 Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, which is basically a repacked Flip 6 with a new processor. Previously, Samsung would keep last year’s Flip around with a $100 discount. We’re testing the Flip 7 FE, so keep an eye out for CNET’s review.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 specs versus Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, Motorola Razr Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 6
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE | Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 | |
| Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 4.1-inch AMOLED, 948×1,048p, 120Hz refresh rate | 3.4-inch AMOLED; 720 x 748 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate | 4-inch pOLED, 2,992×1,224p, up to 165Hz variable refresh rate | 3.4-inch AMOLED; 720 x 748 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate |
| Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.9-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1-120Hz refresh rate | 6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,640 x 1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz refresh rate | 7-inch AMOLED; 1,272×1,080p, up to 165Hz variable refresh rate | 6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,640 x 1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz refresh rate |
| Pixel density | Cover: 342ppi; Internal: 397ppi | Cover: 306 ppi; Internal: 425 ppi | Cover: 417 ppi; 464 ppi | Cover: 306 ppi; Internal: 425 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | Open: 2.96 x 6.56 x 0.26 in; Closed: 2.96 x 3.37 x 0.26 in | Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 in Closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 in | Open: 2.91 x 6.75 x 0.28 inches Closed: 2.91 x 3.47 x 0.62 inches | Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 in Closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | Open: 75.2 x 166.7 x 6.5mm; Closed: 75.2 x 85.5 x 13.7mm | Open: 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm Closed: 85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm | Open: 73.99 x 171.48 x 7.19mm Closed: 73.99 x 88.12 x 15.69mm | Open: 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm Closed: 85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 188g (6.63 oz.) | 187g (6.6 oz) | 199g (7 oz) | 187g (6.6 oz) |
| Mobile software | Android 16 | Android 16 | Android 15 | Android 14 |
| Cameras | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 50-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide) | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) |
| Internal screen camera | 10-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 50-megapixel | 10-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | TBD | 4K | TBD |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 2500 | Samsung Exynos 2400 | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM/storage | 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB | 8GB + 128GB, 256GB | 16GB + 512GB, 1TB | 12GB + 256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh | 4,000 mAh | 4,700 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes | Side | Side | Side |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
| Special features | One UI 8, IP48 water resistance, 25W wired charging, Qi wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Galaxy AI | IP48 rating, 25W wired charging, wireless charging + powershare, 2x optical zoom (up to 10x digital) | IP48 rating, 68-watt wired charging, 30-watt wireless charging, 5-watt reverse charging, dual stereo speakers, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic cover dispaly, 3,000 nits peak brightness on cover display, 4,500 nits peak brightness on main display, 5G. | IP48 rating, 25W wired charging, wireless charging + powershare, 3x optical zoom (up to 10x digital and 30x Space Zoom with AI Super Resolution tech) |
| US price starts at | $1,100 | $900 | $1,300 | $1,100 |
How we test phones
Every phone CNET’s reviews team tests is used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.
All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions, from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode, and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.
We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds and foldable displays, among others that can be useful. We balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET’s initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.
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