TECH-POWERED PRODUCTIVITY

MOBILE COMPUTING POWER ALONG WITH INCREASING USER-FRIENDLINESS IS ENCOURAGING A NEW BREED OF IRON MEN: TECH-EMPOWERED GENTS WHO ARE GETTING MORE THINGS DONE ON THE MOVE THAN EVER

- JONATHAN HO

RAISE A HAND, those of you who tackle work travel with a tablet (for when in-flight entertainment does not pass muster), laptop (for said work) and obviously, a smartphone for interpersonal communications? A gadget supported life is something we’ve come to accept as normal, but what isn’t normal is the “gadget bloat” – especially when you work in media and along with these devices, you’re also packing a solid camera like a Leica or Sony Alpha 6100 – that cabin bag is going to get mighty heavy.

THE DEVICE: Galaxy Z Fold 5

This is the genius of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: replacing all those devices with one (and competently so).

It is true I was initially envious of media colleagues who got assigned the smaller Z Flip 5 that is the talk of the town right now. The slightly over two weeks spent with the Fold 5 convinced me that this is the way foldables should go: a phone which can transform into a tablet so we can consume content or be productive, should be the ultimate aim for any tech gadget.

The latest Fold 5 feels extremely refined and well-constructed. Measuring 13.4mm thick when closed, it is almost 1mm thinner than its predecessor and that’s a lot considering that pocket space in slimfit jeans is incredibly finite. The secret? An ingeniously designed hinge which allows it to fold leaving no gaps and can handle incredible amounts of wear – up to 200,000 folds in regular use while still retaining at least 85% of its effectiveness. There’s almost a paragraph devoted to this typically unsexy bit of hardware because it is this Flex Hinge with dual rails that makes closure and opening incredibly precise, snappy and sturdy.