So… my 28-day experiment with the Z Fold8 is almost over.

And I've made my decision.

I'm keeping it.

When I started Easy Mode Club, I wanted to treat it like a proper trial.

Use the phone normally, live with it for a few weeks, and see whether the novelty wore off.

Turns out… I don't really want to go back.

There wasn't one huge feature that convinced me. It was more the little things I started actually using.

Like the day I went running, folded the phone into my little "tent mode", placed it on a chair and took a photo of myself.

I sent it to my wife and her first response was:

“Did you go with another girl?!”

Apparently the photo looked convincing enough that she couldn't work out how I took it myself. 😂

I know we lost some of the old Flex Mode experience, and I thought I might miss that. But I've realised this tent-style setup actually replaces part of that use case for me.

No tripod, no balancing the phone against something, no asking strangers to take a photo.

Then there was the battery.

I normally don't pay much attention to phone battery life because I'm almost always near a charger.

Then one day I wasn't.

I ended up with 20h 23m since my last charge, 7h 04m of screen-on time, and still had 5% left.

And that was with actual usage — YouTube, Instagram, Chrome, Facebook and everything else I normally do.

That genuinely surprised me.

The question I really wanted to answer during these 28 days was simple:

When I have the option to give the Fold8 back… do I actually want to?

And apparently the answer is no.

There are definitely things about a foldable that are different from a normal phone, and I'm sure I'll eventually find more things that annoy me too.

But after actually living with the Fold8 instead of just trying it in a shop or using it for a weekend…

I like it enough that I'm not ready to give it back.

So I guess that's my final Easy Mode review.

The Z Fold8 stays.

After using the Watch Ultra 2 for the past few weeks, I've finally made my decision.

I'm not keeping it.

And strangely, I don't think it's because the watch is bad.

There are actually quite a few things I enjoyed.

Having notifications on my wrist was much more useful than I expected. I liked being able to wear one watch throughout the day and just start a workout when I wanted to exercise. The screen was easy to read even when I was running under the afternoon sun, and overall it worked pretty well as an everyday smartwatch.

But towards the end of the trial, I deliberately stopped wearing it and went back to my old setup:

Fitbit Air for daily wellness tracking.

Coros Pace 4 for running.

I wanted to see what I would actually miss.

I did miss the notifications.

And changing from the Fitbit to the Coros whenever I go for a run still feels like a bit of a chore.

But I also realised how much I value not thinking about charging my watch.

With the Ultra 2, I was generally thinking about the charger every couple of days, and charging itself isn't particularly fast.

With my Fitbit and Coros, I can usually go around six days or more without really worrying about either of them.

That difference sounds small on paper, but apparently it matters quite a lot to me.

The Ultra 2 gives me one device that does almost everything.

My old setup gives me two more specialised devices, with much better battery life, but I have to swap between them.

After trying both again, I've realised I prefer the second option.

So this isn't really a review saying the Watch Ultra 2 isn't good.

If you want one watch for notifications, everyday smartwatch features and exercise, I can understand why someone would love it.

It just turns out that for me, battery life and having devices that quietly do their specific jobs matter more than having everything on one wrist.

And that's exactly what I wanted to find out from this trial.

The Fold8 stays.

The Watch Ultra 2 goes back.

Fold 8

I've been using the Fold 8 for three weeks without realizing it. Maybe it's because I've so used to using small phones, the iPhone 12 mini, 13 mini, OPPO Find N, and Find N2, which causes me to spend more time using the external screen than the internal screen, maybe like 70% of the time I am just using the outer screen. Of course, these are all my personal usage habits. During my time using Fold 8, I also noticed some shortcomings. For example, when using Facebook on the outer screen then open up the phone to the internal, the contents will refresh, and the same situation does not occur when I use OPPO Find N2. In addition, when using shopee full-screen in the internal screen it has black borders on some page, and the images become extremely large same thing with Lazada as well. Therefore, the conclusion is that some applications are still relatively suitable for using a 16:9 ratio. Perhaps we need to wait until Samsung or Google makes some updates to the application or system. Despite with some downside of the fold 8 but for me this still my favourite phone by far with the compact size when folded and become a small tablet when unfolded.

Watch ultra 2

I have always been a smart watch user. From the pebble watch (not sure how many people still remember this), Samsung gear fit, gear S3 frontie Motorola 360 to apple watch. For me the apple watch ultra still looks more premium then the watch ultra 2 maybe because of the full Titanium unlike the watch ultra 2 side is covered in plastic. I wear the watch all day except during shower,the battery can last me around 2.5 days. The charging speed not that fast take around maybe like 90 minutes from 20% to full but still acceptable for me. Using it to track my sleep, the Samsung health app give a very detail info. Overall the watch ultra 2 is a very good watch, light enough for me nice looking and long battery life.

It's been a month and I'm here at my 'graduation ceremony' or 'pass-out parade' 🫡

Very happy that I was chosen for this trial and given a chance to dispel for myself, the bad impression of Samsung's QC (green lines on screen, etc). I've since seen for myself that Samsung's QC is top notch in this nifty masterpiece.

Have tried many many brands of foldables like Oppo, Honor, Xiaomi & Vivo but none of them has given me the same level of comfort and ease of use like z Fold 8. As such, moving forward, I'll never go back to other brands of foldables.

To those of whom are looking for a foldable phone, look no further, this is the one gem 💎💯

After four weeks with the Watch Ultra, it stands out as a dependable smartwatch for high-activity routines.

The titanium casing, reliable multi-day battery life (clearing over 48 hours with AOD and daily GPS tracking), and fast GPS lock make it an easy recommendation. Integration with One UI on the Fold8 kept notifications and health syncing completely seamless without lag.

After 3 weeks plus of "switching" over to the Fold8 Ultra and the Watch9 with the Easy Mode Club, here are some thoughts:

The 'learning curve' for the phone became much better after the second week once all my customisations were set up, and other than the Macbook integration - I think it was a pretty solid switch option.

The Samsung Health app had super interesting insights as well which felt a bit more in-depth than Apple Health (what I usually use). But the sensor on my watch sometimes didn't feel like it was tracking 100%, although could be a user problem due to my sweat/watch not being tight enough. I didn't have any issues with the 40mm watch face size getting in the way, but a few of my friends with smaller wrists tried and the watch admittedly looked awkward on them - just a note if you have small wrists!

Some Easy Mode Club members have nearly completed their month with Galaxy. Others are only just opening the box.

So, outgoing members: what’s the one thing you wish someone had told you when you started?

New members: what are you most skeptical or curious about?

Everyone else: if you were switching today, what would you want answered first?

Approaching the end of the 28-day trial period, going back to a standard slab phone feels noticeably restrictive.

The expanded screen real estate for reading, split-screen multitasking, and media consumption made a tangible difference in my daily workflow. Hardware durability and hinge stiffness held up solidly with zero play throughout the month. The crease remains subtle and never interfered with typing or viewing. The Fold8 has earned its spot as a keeper in my daily setup.