This Week at Mark Ellis Reviews

👋 Happy Friday! What a week it has been for smartphone releases. Samsung dropped three new devices, including their first-ever ‘budget’ flip phone, Nothing caused a ruckus with the Phone (3) (my take is apparently in the minority here), and OnePlus quietly slotted the very good Nord 5 into the mid-range market. I’m going to break it all down below and send you into the weekend all clued up. Enjoy!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 the perfect phone?!

It’s been a busy few days. Tomorrow, I’m heading back to the UK after a week in Brooklyn with Samsung. I was invited to cover Unpacked, Samsung’s twice-annual shindig where the South Korean company reveals its latest mobile gear.

If you know your smartphone market, you’ll know that the summer Unpacked event is typically where the latest versions of the Z Fold and Z Flip (and yes, in my country, we pronounce ‘z’, ‘zed’ - sorry-not-sorry) smartphones are unveiled. That’s what happened this week, south of New York City, where we were treated to the Z Fold7, Z Flip7, and the Watch8 series.

I’ve been given all three to review, and as you might guess, there’ll be some content featuring those devices heading to the Mark Ellis Reviews channel over the next few weeks. These are big releases, as always, but the Z Fold7, in particular, feels rather significant. It’s the thinnest foldable smartphone Samsung has ever launched and a significant design refresh over the previous generation. It is, to put no finer point on it, the foldable I’ve been waiting for. Hopefully.

I decided to get some initial thoughts about the Z Fold7 off my chest during a walk along the Brooklyn Bridge. And, because I’m a YouTuber, I didn’t keep that monologue to myself - I picked up my trusty little camera and talked relentlessly into its lens instead. For your enjoyment (hopefully).

UNPACKED ROUNDUP

Hits, Mixed Bags And Any Misses?

I’m not going to beat around the bush, Unpacked was a strong showing for Samsung. There weren’t any groundbreaking announcements like the long-rumoured G-Fold (Samsung’s tri-folding phone) or a Project Moohan teaser (that’s the VR headset if you didn’t know), but instead a series of meaningful and genuinely useful updates.

🎯 Galaxy Z Fold7 - Hit!

Samsung were the first company to release a commercially available folding phone back in 2019. Since then, others like Honor, Huawei and Google have run with the formula and done it better. Until now. The Z Fold 7 (read my full thoughts here) is by far Samsung’s best, and it brings them up to speed with those competitors. This is mainly thanks to a redesigned hinge and frame that brings the thickness down to a mere 4.2mm when unfolded. It just feels great in the hand, pretty much like a normal brick phone when folded, and now has the same 200MP camera as the S25 Ultra.

 🎯 Galaxy Z Flip7 - Hit!

Samsung has smashed it with the Z Flip7. It’s just better in every way than the Flip6; thinner, lighter, more premium frame design and, best of all, a new 4.4-inch edge-to-edge external display. The removal of the sizeable camera notch on that display does wonders in refreshing the Flip6’s dated look, and it helps massively with usability. There’s more room for buttons, notifications are easier to interact with, the ‘Now Bar’ appears (if that’s your cup of tea) and you can chat with Gemini without opening the device. Oh, and the Coral Red colour is lovely. A better camera lens would have been nice, but the 50MP remains solid enough.

🎯 Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic - Hit!

Nothing huge to report here other than a round of solid updates. The ‘Classic’ Galaxy Watch variant returns after a year's hiatus, bringing back the rotating bezel design whilst adding a new Quick Button on the side to perform customisable shortcuts like activating the stopwatch. Both watches have new health features too, like in-depth sleep monitoring, a fitness coach (watchOS 26 wants a word) and the world’s first antioxidant reader.

🤔 Galaxy Z Flip7 FE - Mixed Bag

The Z Flip7 FE, Samsung’s first ‘budget’ flip phone, is a noble cause. This niche remains prohibitively expensive to most consumers, so they’re trying to create a more accessible entry point to those who want it. There are some problems though when it comes to cost-cutting with flip/fold phones, mainly regarding hardware. The quality of the hinge and build materials is crucial to making a flip phone worthwhile. The Flip7 FE is a solid device, but it is essentially a discounted Flip6 with a few new bits like Now Brief support. Next to the Flip7, it feels noticeably inferior.

🤔 Galaxy Watch Ultra - Mixed Bag

There were no proper updates to the Galaxy Watch Ultra at Unpacked, aside from a new blue colourway and an increase in storage at no extra cost if buying new. That’s fine, but a battery upgrade to compete with the likes of Huawei and OnePlus would have been appreciated, plus something to set it apart from the Watch 8 Classic, which now looks and feels a lot like the Ultra.

HAVE YOUR SAY

The Nothing Phone (3) was released this week and lots of people either got immediately angry or disappointed. There were a few reasons for this: the removal of the Glyph Interface (flashing lights on the back), the lack of Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the camera lens placement and the price. Despite all this, I rather like it. But what do you think?

BEST BUYS

Prime Day 2025

Amongst all of the above this week, it was also Prime Day. You can watch my full list of deal recommendations here, but I thought I’d list three top picks below just in case you’re still able to catch a last-minute deal.

👉 Anker MagGo 10,000mAh Power Bank - I take this thing with me everywhere I go. It’s MagSafe (so charges your phone wirelessly), has a built-in kick stand so you can watch stuff whilst you charge, and there’s a small display to see how much battery is left.

👉 Hbada E3 Pro Ergonomic Office Chair - Do you need a new office chair that actually makes you sit properly? Do you want the best value one I’ve ever used? Then buy the Hbada E3 Pro. I sit on it all day, every day, in the studio.

👉 Jisulife Neck Fan - It is unbearably hot in the UK right now. And I’m sure it is in the US or for any other European readers. I was skeptical of neck fans until I used one and found that they actually do make a difference, especially in the UK where A/C doesn’t exist.

These are affiliate links from which I may earn, but they are all genuine recommendations for products I use and love.

ICYMI

Nothing Phone (3) review: A Different Take!

As I said above, I think I’m in the minority here with my opinion on the Nothing Phone (3). Watch my full review to see why, but I am really interested to hear what you all have to say. I am just grateful to have a tech company that is willing to go against the grain and take risks, especially in the current stagnant hardware environment.

We need to talk about this phone! OnePlus Nord 5 review

I was very impressed by the OnePlus 13 and loved the Nord 4, so I was excited to try the OnePlus Nord 5. It doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out from the incredibly overcrowded mid-range phone market, but neither do any of its competitors (apart from Nothing, of course). Take a look and see if you’d add it to your list of mid-ranger recommendations!

TOP FINDS

What I Watched On YouTube This Week

Lots of travel also means I have more time than usual to watch some YouTube videos. Here are my picks of the week!

💈 My Strange Oasis Haircut Story (Rick Beato) - It’s Oasis everything at the moment, but if you’re going to watch one video about them, make it this one. Just for kicks.

🎪 Touring Monitor Engineer - Summer 2025 - Glastonbury Festival (Mike Osman Audio) - look, I’m a live audio nerd, and always will be. Leave me alone.

🔌 BYD Seal U Boost Hybrid DM-i: Hybrid luxury for less? (The Next Drive) - SHAMELESS PLUG.

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. Next week, I have something very exciting that you will definitely want to take advantage of, so keep a lookout!

~ Mark