Apple’s productivity duo that outperform the Z Fold

Image: ChatGPT

The Z Fold 7 is lauded as a productivity king, but I think that’s an illusion, and here’s why.

There’s been a lot of coverage around Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 7, for good reason. It’s a technological marvel that blends a handheld tablet with a smartphone, and it’s thanks to Samsung that this form factor exists.

The Fold is in its 7th iteration from Samsung, and the South Korean tech giant hasn’t stood still; the 2025 edition features a wafer-thin device that finally gives users a credible outer display for quick input.

Image: Samsung — The Z Fold 7 in Mint

The fanfare on social media is championing this as a productivity device, promising to elevate users’ output, but as someone who has dipped their toe in the Foldable water, I’m here to say that I disagree, and here’s why.

Productivity — Are you sure?

Image: Author

Foldable lovers will claim that the Fold is the one device that can replace your smartphone and tablet, allowing you to blend the two into one for enhanced portability and productivity.

There’s no doubt that the larger display of a foldable device provides more comfortable and efficient viewing of content, which I experienced firsthand when reviewing data in a spreadsheet on a long train journey — it allowed more data to be viewed simultaneously.

Image: Author

Its multitasking capability will indeed deliver the ability to view two things at once, something that the iPhone still cannot do. Being able to navigate via Google Maps while viewing a train timetable, for example, is a good example of why this is useful, or completing a web form while reading data from another app is another. There’s no doubt that for light tasks, a Fold is a useful device.

But there’s a difference between efficiency and productivity. Efficiency is doing a task in a slightly better way, removing friction and adding speed — the colloquial understanding of the phrase, but that’s not productivity.

Productivity is about output, not input

When I think about productivity, I think about the result of a meaningful task. Whether that is writing a story for Medium or drafting a sales report for my day job, getting that stuff done is what I mean by a productive day.

And sadly, the Fold does not lend itself to that kind of productivity.

Getting things done

Image: Author

True productivity is about accomplishing tasks, and when it comes to that, like an engineer, I want the best tool for the job.

The best tool for the job when it comes to writing is one with a full-size keyboard and a large display that enables me to write comfortably for lengthy periods. That, regrettably, is not a folding smartphone.

The best tool for the job when it comes to hand-written notes is a tool with a canvas large enough for a full page of writing, which again, is not a foldable. Point of note, the Z Fold 7 no longer supports S-Pen input.

Image: Author

The best tool for the job when it comes to responding to messages or browsing social media is one which requires no secondary opening of a device. Sure, the outer display of the Z Fold 7 is capable of all of these tasks, but are you spending £2,000 on a device not to use its main feature?

When I used the Fold 5, as beautiful a device as it was, opening the device each time became tedious, and I longed for the instant-on of a candy bar device.

The best tools for the job

Image: Author

If you’re serious about maximising your output at any given time, it’s essential to choose your tools wisely and choose a specialist tool rather than a jack of all trades.

For writing, choose a device with a full-size keyboard and a display large enough to make the task comfortable. Whether it’s a tablet, laptop, or desktop, it’s a device that’s comfortable, portable, and suitable.

For on-the-go productivity, I don’t think the iPad Pro can be beaten. It offers a class-leading large display, along with a full-size keyboard. You can view and edit content via touch or trackpad if using Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

If you’re responding to a message, checking your team’s score, or making a call, any smartphone will do, including a Fold. Android perhaps hold the upper hand as they extend the headroom of capability beyond that of the iPhone, but they’re still not a laptop or tablet replacement.

Hey 👋🏻 if you’re interested in Productivity, consider grabbing a copy of my book: Effectively Productive ⬇️

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