Here’s why people are putting grip tape on their $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 7

Chinese foldables have dominated the last few years, mainly because Samsung was asleep at the wheel. But with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung has surprisingly turned the tide in its favor. Not only has the foldable received rave reviews, but users have lapped up on this actually good foldable. However, the first wave of users have encountered a peculiar problem: The Fold 7 is so thin that opening it is a problem.

Reddit user Joneep recently shared that opening the Fold 7 is really difficult. According to them, the sides of the phone are too thin, which doesn’t give them enough surface area to grip onto. The magnets holding the phone shut are too strong, so they need a bit of force to unfold the Fold 7. The user complains that they cannot open the phone while they are in the middle of errands, as they need to be careful not to drop the phone at the same time.

And it’s not just one user complaining about this; several others in the Reddit thread echo the concerns. A Reddit user mentioned that opening the phone is easier with a case on, but they want to use it without a case to appreciate its thin profile. ZeCoderX agrees that using a complete case makes unfolding the device much easier. Reddit user CriticalDuckky mentions that a lot of reviewers slipped with their first attempt at opening the phone.

Reddit user Djic mentions that Samsung should have added a grippier texture to the frame, while Alternative-Farmer98 wishes Samsung had added an indentation to make it easier to pop open the phone. However, these changes are a bit too late to make on the Fold 7.

Users have also gotten crafty when trying to open the Fold 7. For instance, one Reddit user used CatTongue grip tape on the sides. The phone pictured is a Fold 6, but the same product will also work wonders with the Fold 7.

Others in the thread mention that Dragon Grips also work well. You could use any other grip tape, too, like Reddit user SpaceDandye did on their Fold 7, though the execution could have been better.

Reddit user xRAMBx recommends using a grippy skin like dbrand’s Swarm to add more texture for your fingers to grip onto, though note that for the Fold 7, dbrand’s skins only cover the back of the device and not the side frame. It’s a cleaner application, but will not add any grip to the side frame.

Reddit user KillianReaver recommends using a SleekGrip strip—a collapsible strip that lets you use a phone one-handed and, in this case, confidently grip the phone to make it easier to open.

If you don’t want to spend any more money or try quick-fix mods, Reddit user grepresentitive has shared a helpful technique to open the Fold 7 if you’re having trouble. When the phone is closed, you need to place a thumb on each of the folding halves, but position your thumb one after the other, not side-by-side. Your middle and ring fingers on both hands should be placed on the hinge on the back. This gives you the best angle to open the fold with gentle downward pressure, without using any fingernails.

For what it’s worth, none of our team members have complained about the Fold 7’s being too thin to open reliably. Samsung’s foldables have long been challenging to open with one hand, even the Flip foldables, but that’s more due to the sturdy hinge than anything else. The Fold 7 is admittedly more challenging to open than previous Folds because of its thinness, but it’s not difficult by itself.

What about you? Do you find the Fold 7 difficult to open? Vote and let us know more in the comments below: