The single best software upgrade I made to my Samsung phone wasn't a productivity suite; it was a tiny utility

You buy a flagship Samsung phone with a beautiful screen and enough RAM to power a small laptop, only to find yourself struggling to move a single PDF or organize your cloud storage.

I jumped between complex productivity suites and heavy automation tools, trying to make my phone feel like a real computer.

But the single best software upgrade I made wasn’t a fancy office app or a task manager; it was a tiny utility called Solid Explorer.

By replacing the basic file manager with this dual-pane powerhouse, I finally unlocked the desktop-level productivity my Galaxy was built for.

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The desktop experience

When I first started using a Samsung foldable, I was blown away by the massive screen, but quickly realized I was still using it like a tiny device.

I had to constantly flip back and forth between folders just to move a single photo. That all changed when I enabled the dual-pane layout in Solid Explorer.

If you turn your phone to landscape mode, the app transforms. Instead of a single vertical list, you get two independent windows side by side. It sounds like a small tweak, but in practice, it’s a major productivity boost.

Before, moving a file meant: Long press > Copy > Back > Find new folder > Paste. Now, I just open my Downloads on the left, my Work folder on the right, and drag the file across.

It’s instant, tactile, and honestly, a bit addictive.

I no longer have to hope to put the file in the right place. I can see both the source and the destination simultaneously.

This is quite handy when I’m organizing hundreds of photos or clearing out a cluttered Telegram folder.

If you are using a Galaxy Z Fold or Tab S series, this layout is non-negotiable. It finally makes use of all that expensive screen real estate.

The first time I dragged a PDF from my local storage directly to a cloud-connected folder in the second pane, I realized I hadn’t touched my laptop all afternoon.

One hub for everything

Before I found Solid Explorer, my cloud life was a mess of app switching. I had Google Drive for personal stuff, OneDrive for work, and a Dropbox account for old backups.

Every time I needed to move a document from my work email to my personal storage, it felt like a chore: download from one app, find it in Downloads, and then re-upload it to the other.

Instead of three separate apps, all my cloud accounts now live inside a single sidebar. I can jump from Google Drive to my work OneDrive with one tap. It treats them exactly like local folders on my phone.

Using the dual-pane mode, I can have Google Drive open on the left and Dropbox on the right. If I want to move a 50MB video between them, I just drag across. I don’t have to download it on my phone first.

I actually deleted the standalone OneDrive and Dropbox apps. They were taking up space and constantly running background processes.

Solid Explorer does their job better, faster, and without the extra battery drain.

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Professional-grade security

When I first got my Galaxy, I spent a lot of time setting up Samsung’s Secure Folder. It’s a great tool, but I quickly realized it felt like a walled garden.

That’s when I discovered that Solid Explorer offers a more surgical, professional-grade approach to security that feels like a natural part of the file system.

Unlike standard hidden folders, Solid Explorer uses AES-256 encryption.

When I encrypt a tax document or a private photo, it actually transforms the file into a locked archive. Even if I move the file to a PC or a cloud platform, the file remains encrypted.

It’s a ‘set it and forget it’ level of security. I no longer feel like I have to jump into a separate Secure Mode to be private.

Customization and aesthetics

Solid Explorer has nailed the basics. It supports Material You and perfectly blends with the rest of the apps on my Galaxy phone.

It also offers a host of customizable options where I can tweak the folder view, filter files, change the accent color, and even add a dark theme.

There is a certain snap to Samsung’s animations, and Solid Explorer mimics that fluid motion.

It’s the first time I have found an app that matches the Pro hardware of a Samsung flagship with Pro aesthetics.

Unlock your Galaxy

It’s rare that a single app changes how you view your entire device, but that’s exactly what happened here.

I stopped looking for the ‘next big thing’ in the Play Store and started relying on this tiny, polished utility.

Solid Explorer proved to me that the best software upgrade isn’t always a feature-heavy suite. It’s the one that removes the most headaches.

Aside from Solid Explorer, here are other productivity apps you can explore for your Galaxy device.