Folding Phones Are Impressive but Unnecessary

Samsung’s engineering is remarkable, but everyday practicality still isn’t there.

Foldable phones are still too expensive. With the latest Samsung Fold starting at $2,000, it feels destined to remain a niche product rather than a mainstream choice. That price alone is enough to block widespread adoption. The same goes for the latest Flip. Its $1,100 starting point is technically more affordable, but still steep — especially when you factor in the lack of a flagship-level camera and chip compared to some of its competitors.

I’ve tried a couple of folding phones over the last few years — the Flip 5 and, more recently, the Flip 7. I really wanted to like them both, but I couldn’t justify either as a long-term solution. The idea of a “tablet in your pocket” just doesn’t resonate with me. I’ve always been a purpose-driven device person.

The outside screen on the Flip 7 is still limited, forcing you to open it for almost everything. Once the novelty wears off, that extra step shifts quickly from fun to frustrating.

The Flip 5’s biggest drawback was its battery life. To Samsung’s credit, the battery on this year’s model is noticeably better than it was in 2023. And while the crease never really bothered me, I have to give Samsung their flowers — they’ve come a long way in reducing it. Still, the Flip 7 never truly felt like a phone. It felt more like a toy, and I could never shake that feeling.

I don’t know much about the chips that go into our devices, but I can’t help but wonder if Samsung feels like the Snapdragon might be a little too much for the Flip series. The thermals on the Flip 5 were outright bad, and honestly they weren’t much better on the Flip 7. That makes the decision to go with an Exynos chip even more curious — especially with the Fold 7 running the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Samsung wouldn’t force their own in-house chip onto us… would they?

Would they?

At the end of the day, foldables are still more curiosity than necessity. They’re impressive engineering feats, but they don’t solve problems most people actually have. Between the high prices, the compromises in usability, and decisions like dropping the S Pen, Samsung is signaling that these aren’t phones for everyone — they’re phones for enthusiasts. And that’s fine. But until foldables can balance cost, practicality, and performance, they’ll remain niche experiments dressed up as the future.