Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Vivo X300 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

At $1,999 the Fold 7 carries a $100 hike over the Fold 6 and has already seen a further mid-cycle price increase nine months after launch (per a much-discussed r/gadgets thread). It is one of the most expensive non-folding phones on the market, but it is also the only book-style foldable in the US that delivers a true 'feels like a normal phone' closed experience — the OnePlus Open is two years old, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has been superseded, the Find N5 and Magic V5 aren't sold here. For most US buyers who want a foldable, this is the only realistic choice.

• It's so nice. It's two thousand dollars. Somewhere between those two statements you'll know whether the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is for you.
• Unequivocally, you should buy the Galaxy Z Fold 7 — the first folding phone that can persuade people globally to try a folding phone, and the only book-style foldable available worldwide.
• Samsung has finally delivered the ultra-slim, lightweight foldable so many have been waiting for — it could be the best phone of 2025.
• After Unpacked I was hovering over the checkout button to pre-order the Flip 7 and hesitated; when the Z Fold 7 landed in my hand, something clicked that had never clicked before.
• I'm a foldable believer now — this phone proves it's not a precious item that needs to be coddled, and it has totally made me a believer in the form factor.
• This is the first 6.5-inch slab phone and 8-inch tablet two-in-one that doesn't feel like a two-in-one — even committed iPhone users were amazed by the form factor.
• Two weeks in I just don't like it nearly as much as I thought I would — the tablet experience is noticeably worse than previous generations, the hinge is harder to open, the speakers are worse and the camera bump is severe.
• Even with the most aggressive trade-in promo the Fold 7 still costs more than $1,000 out of pocket — agony of a $1,400+ replacement makes a $200 used Chromebook the smarter big-screen buy.
• It is probably cheaper to get a normal phone and a separate tablet for when you want a large screen — the dominant view among Ars Technica forum commenters skeptical of the foldable form factor.
• The Z Fold 7 just got a price hike nine months after release, with users on r/gadgets blaming memory shortages — a recurring complaint that this should have gotten cheaper, not more expensive.

Vivo X300 Ultra

This is a deliberately niche, camera-first flagship: roughly €1,175 in China for 512GB, around £1,399 globally for the phone, and close to €2,600 for the full kit. For the people it's aimed at it draws some of the strongest praise of any 2026 phone; for everyone else, a cheaper X300 Pro or the Oppo Find X9 Ultra may make more sense.

• Last year's X200 Ultra was, in my opinion, one of the best smartphones of 2025 — and this is the best smartphone I've ever used, with the best camera application I've ever used, provided with zero script from Vivo.
• The cameras are nothing short of amazing — this is the best Android camera phone, with image quality better than anything from Samsung.
• The versatility here is just ridiculous — more like a phone in a camera than the other way around, a camera system built from the sum of its many parts.
• If you accept the 35mm main, are willing to tolerate AI processing in some scenes, and don't mind the front-camera stabilisation limits, this Vivo is an excellent choice.