For the longest time, I thought of foldable phones as a solution in search of a problem. They are expensive, fragile, and often feel like they are trying too hard to justify their existence. While I appreciate the engineering behind them, I never saw how they would improve my daily life. To me, a regular slab phone just makes more sense. It’s easy, cheap, and perfect for almost everything.
I’ve never been too worried about foldables
Part of that doubt came from experience. I’ve tried flip-style curls before, and it didn’t leave much to be desired. Battery life on my Galaxy Z Flip 3 was a constant source of concern, the kind that makes you think twice before going out without a charger.
Then there’s the Motorola Razr+ 2023, which I managed to break without realizing it or how. After those two things, I wrote the folding as an interesting experiment, but which was not for me – for obvious reasons.
What changed my mind
Well, it took a healthy few years to closely watch the technology develop, go back and forth with colleagues who dared to use the foldable as a daily driver, and watch an inordinate number of durability test videos. But the biggest change happened when I finally took the leap, personally, and switched to a larger, notebook-style slot: the Honor Magic V6.
I went in expecting another similar compromise, but it didn’t take long to change my mind.
It won me over in small ways. Reading was the first thing clicked. I often read on my phone at odd hours, usually in short bursts that stretch out longer than planned. On a regular phone, reading feels cramped. You scroll more than you should, and your eyes feel strained sooner than you expected.
It wraps up, it just sounds better. The larger internal display gives text more room to breathe, and the experience feels closer to holding a small book than staring at a small screen. I found myself reading for a long time without really realizing it, which is probably a clear sign that the hardware was working for me.
Video was the next evolution. Granted, it’s no replacement for a good TV or tablet, but it makes casual viewing less of a compromise. Frames feel less compressed, subtitles are easier to follow, and the overall feel is more focused. Even with the inevitable black bars on some content, watching a movie on the big screen felt much more enjoyable than on my iPhone 16 Pro.
It’s hard to choose “one factor to rule them all,” but for me, it was versatility in a book-style folding phone. This is where the phone stops to feel like something new. Using two apps side by side, or three, feels really useful.
The turning point
Messages on one side, browser or document on the other. Notes open, while I read on the Kindle app. A video plays docked to the left edge, while I scroll through my social media feed and check out the buzz around.
I switch apps to less and stay more active. While the phone hasn’t changed the way I work on the go, it has made getting things done at the time a lot less annoying.
The trade-off is still true
All of this is not to say that my experience was perfect. I still “baby” the device more than I would like because of the price tag and the soft internal screen. The crease is still visible, and app settings can be inconsistent, especially in games where the UI doesn’t always fit correctly. There are still times when it feels like the phone’s UI is stretched out on a larger canvas.
But despite the quirks, the core experience works. It makes the things I already do feel better. Going back to a regular phone will now feel like a step down, even if the foldable notebook-style attachment will cost me more than I’d like. Fortunately, that’s a problem for me in the future.
