According to tipster Ice Universe, Samsung has disabled Odin, a proprietary firmware flashing tool typically used to install stock firmware, install custom ROMs, and restore devices. It also appears that Samsung has removed “Download Mode,” which acts as a gateway for Odin. This change appears to have been made in the latest One UI 8.5 firmware and currently affects the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and recently launched Galaxy S26 series.
What would you get for a new phone nowadays?
For me: Just for the modem and battery life :)
But now that my new phone works well, no reason at all. I don’t game on my phone, so any more performance is utterly wasted and the cameras barely seem to be getting upgrades either.