Ultimate Pros and Cons of Foldable Phones 2025

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Foldable phones 2025 have caught the eye of smartphone fans by combining big, tablet-like screens with the portability of a regular phone. Tech brands in 2025 keep pushing design, durability, and performance, making foldables slimmer and smarter than just a year or two ago. People are drawn to the large displays, impressive multitasking options, and bold styles, but there are still concerns about cost, long-term durability, and overall value.

If you’re curious about how today’s foldables stack up, it’s smart to weigh both the benefits and the trade-offs. This guide lays out the main pros and cons, so you can decide if a foldable is worth it for your needs.

How Foldable Phones 2025 Work

Foldable phones have changed how we look at smartphone screens by introducing displays that can bend and flex without breaking. Instead of carrying both a tablet and a phone, users now get the best of both worlds in one device. The technology behind these phones combines advanced materials and clever engineering to deliver a smooth fold and a seamless display experience.

Photo by Designecologist

Flexible OLED Displays

The core of every foldable phone is its flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen. Unlike traditional glass, these ultra-thin layers can bend thousands of times while still showing clear, bright images. Manufacturers use special plastics or ultra-thin glass that keep the screen flexible but strong enough to handle constant folding and unfolding.

OLED displays are much slimmer than standard LCD screens.
They offer rich colors and deep blacks for better contrast.
Modern foldables rely on innovations like Samsung’s extra-thin Corning Gorilla Victus glass or Google’s proprietary folding layers, which you can read more about at Samsung’s foldable phone screen technology.

These displays are tested for durability so users can fold their devices without worrying about cracks, but it’s wise to handle them with care.

Hinge Mechanisms

A foldable phone wouldn’t work without its hinge. The hinge acts as the backbone and lets the two parts of the phone open and close easily. Top brands have invested years into making hinges that feel smooth but also last a long time.

Key features of modern hinge designs:

Dust-resistant seals to keep particles away from the delicate folding parts.
Tested for thousands of folds to maintain strength over time.
Some hinges use gears or layered plates to keep the folding motion stable and balanced.

Google’s Pixel Fold uses a custom hinge that helps the screen lay flat without a big gap, which you can learn more about in the breakdown at How Google’s Folding Phone Works.

Popular Form Factors: Flip and Book-Style

Foldable phones usually come in two shapes: flip-style and book-style.

Flip-Style:

Opens vertically, like old flip phones.
Compact in size when shut—great for pockets and one-handed use.
Expands into a long, narrow touchscreen.

Book-Style:

Opens horizontally, just like a book or tablet.
Offers a larger screen when fully open, good for watching films or multitasking.
When closed, it works like a regular smartphone, but thicker.

Each form factor appeals to different users, so the choice depends on how you want to carry and use your device.

Major Brands and Market Share

Big names have taken the lead in foldable phone innovation.

Samsung commands the largest share of the foldable phone market, setting trends for design, display, and reliability. See more about market share trends in this Fortune foldable phones report.
Huawei and Motorola are close behind, both offering unique designs and features.
Oppo and Google have also launched competitive models, giving users more options and faster innovation.

Recent reports show foldable phones are gaining popularity each year, with more brands entering the market and prices starting to drop. While Samsung dominated with an estimated 80% of the market in 2022, competition is growing, which should lead to better products and more choices for buyers.

By understanding how these phones work, it’s easier to appreciate both their strengths and the engineering trade-offs involved.

Pros of Foldable Phones

Folding phones have gone from early prototypes to polished, buzzworthy gadgets with a blend of wow factor and real utility. As technology and design ramp up in 2025, foldables aren’t just showpieces—they bring genuine daily benefits. Let’s break down what makes these versatile devices worth a close look if you want the next big thing in mobile tech.

Larger Screens with Portable Design

Foldable phones shine when it comes to squeezing more screen into your day, without bulking up your pockets. You can start a video call or reply to a message one-handed on the cover display, but open the device and suddenly, you’ve got a mini tablet in your hand.

Perfect for streaming, gaming, and reading ultra-wide documents as you get almost twice the usable space of a regular smartphone.
Foldables slip neatly into a pocket or purse when closed.
You skip the need to carry a second device for big-screen tasks.

Some models, like the OnePlus Open, deliver nearly 8-inch displays that still close to the width of a typical phone. Industry reviews highlight how users can go from a phone to a tablet and back in seconds, boosting convenience and fun. If you want to compare today’s best options, check out this rundown of the best foldable phones of 2025.

Photo by Gabriel Freytez

Improved Multitasking and Productivity

Big screens aren’t just about style—they seriously improve how much you can do at once. Foldable phones let you run two or even three apps side by side with split-screen and floating windows.

Write an email while referencing a document, no laptop required.
Watch a video in one pane while chatting or taking notes in another.
Enjoy smooth “app continuity,” where apps adjust and stretch naturally as you open or close the device.

Phones like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6 are built for busy multitaskers, letting you drag and drop content between apps and windows almost like on a PC. For businesses, this means smoother video calls, quick switching between apps, and even better document editing on the go. See how foldables help with collaboration and remote work in this Samsung productivity guide.

Versatile Use Cases and Innovative Design

Foldable tech gives you options. The flexible hinge means your phone isn’t stuck in just one configuration—it adapts as you do.

Tablet Mode: Max out your screen for art, gaming, or reading.
Tent Mode: Prop the device for hands-free streaming or video calls.
Custom Camera Angles: Fold at 90 degrees for steady selfies or ultra-low landscape shots.

Users end up with a tool kit for any situation: take focused notes in class, compare reference photos while editing, or entertain a child with a quick standup display. Creative cases keep expanding as hardware and software catch up, with premium models setting design trends in 2025 as noted in this look at luxury foldable smartphones.

Tech Appeal and Future-Proofing

If you’re an early adopter or you just love having tech that stands out, foldables tick that box every day. They turn heads and often pack in the newest software, cameras, and materials.

Expect frequent upgrades to displays, battery life, and durability each year.
Brands compete to outdo each other with elegant hardware and new software tricks.
Enthusiasts can show off the latest innovation—these phones are conversation starters.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6, for example, shows off advanced Galaxy AI tools that make multitasking and creative work easier. Foldables feel like a glimpse of tomorrow, thanks to annual advances in both design and function.

These standout benefits have led more people to consider foldables not as a novelty, but a future-ready upgrade over standard phones.

Cons of Foldable Phones

Foldable phones push the limits of design, but owning one still includes significant drawbacks. Issues like cost, toughness, daily comfort, and app polish can give pause—especially if you’re looking for a phone that works effortlessly in every setting. Here’s a clear look at the main reasons some buyers hold back.

High Price Points and Value Concerns

Foldable phones come with a price tag that’s hard to ignore. Most 2025 models cost between $1,200 and $2,000 at launch—outpacing many top-tier flagships from Apple or Samsung’s standard Galaxy S line. Even the most affordable book-style foldables, like the OnePlus Open, rarely dip below $1,200, making them a stretch for most budgets.

Standard smartphone flagships (like the iPhone 15 Pro or Galaxy S25) start closer to $900–$1,200, but offer similar or better cameras, smoother performance, and longer support windows.
Discounts and trade-in deals exist, but they rarely make foldables truly affordable compared to conventional options.

The value question is real: higher prices come with experimental tech and, as you’ll see below, some serious compromises. For a breakdown of current models and their pricing, check out the best foldable phones of 2025.

Durability and Reliability Limitations

Photo by Zana Latif

Foldable phones remain more fragile than regular phones, no matter how tough the advertising sounds. Screens are made from ultra-thin glass with special plastic overlays—meaning they resist shattering, but scratch more easily. The main problems include:

Hinge wear and tear: Every fold puts stress on the moving parts. After a couple of years, users start to notice looseness, creaks, or even failing hinges.
Screen vulnerability: The inner display is more likely to pick up marks from fingernails, keys, or sand. It’s softer than a “regular” Gorilla Glass panel.
Lower IP ratings: Most foldables offer only light water resistance and little dust protection, making splash or dirt accidents riskier.
Susceptibility to particles: Dust or lint can find its way inside the hinge mechanism, causing damage or sticking.

Issues like screen bubbles, failed touch recognition, or gaps around the hinge have cropped up in online forums. You can read user experiences and industry takes on durability challenges at Are Folding Phones Durable or Not? and Concerns about the Fold longevity.

Bulkiness and Ergonomic Downsides

Foldables have made big progress on thickness, but they’re still chunky compared to slab phones. With extra layers for the hinge and dual screens, closed models are thicker and heavier than their non-folding peers.

Unfolded, the extra width can feel awkward during calls or one-handed use.
Book-style foldables sometimes tip the scale at over 250g (half a pound), making them a weighty pocket addition.
Flip-style models pack a smaller main display, but when folded, they’re often fatter than standard devices.

For on-the-go use, these quirks mean you might notice extra bulk in your pocket or need two hands much of the time. If you value slim, easy-to-hold phones, this is a real trade-off.

Battery Life and Camera Performance

Foldables squeeze more screens into a similar battery size, so battery life often falls short of similarly-priced flagship phones. You might get a day of use, but the big inner display drains power much faster.

Heavy multitasking or video streaming can sap the battery quickly, sometimes pushing users to charge by early evening.
Since space is at a premium, battery capacity is often lower than on large slab phones.

Cameras tell a similar story. While some foldables come close to top-tier hardware, most use smaller sensors to save space. As a result, photo and video quality lags behind top flagships, especially in low light or zoomed shots.

Software and App Optimization Challenges

Foldable phones rely on software to make use of their expandable displays, but not all apps play along. Even in 2025, you’ll find apps (especially games and older tools) that don’t scale properly or show up with strange layouts.

Some apps ignore the bigger screen, displaying like on a regular phone.
Split-screen multitasking isn’t universal; certain apps crash or refuse to resize.
Updates and bug fixes often lag behind support for “normal” phones.

Brands like Samsung and Google are investing in foldable-friendly features, but app optimization remains patchy—the result is that the experience can feel inconsistent from app to app. For an updated list of which foldables (and which brands) handle software best, visit the best folding phones for 2025.

While foldables hint at what’s next for smartphones, buyers should be realistic about these early-generation headaches.

Is a Foldable Phone Right for You?

Foldable phones look futuristic, but not everyone will benefit from spending extra on a flexible device. Before you jump in, it’s important to consider who gets the most value from foldables and what daily life with one actually feels like. Let’s break down the main scenarios and user groups that get the best (and least) out of a foldable phone.

Who Benefits Most from Foldable Phones?

Photo by RDNE Stock project

Foldable phones suit people who place a premium on multitasking and productivity. If you frequently need a bigger screen for documents, creative work, or meetings but hate carrying both a phone and a tablet, the investment starts to make sense. Traveling professionals, remote workers, and students who prefer handwritten notes or sketching on their phone’s display can all find real advantages here.

Content creators and tech fans are also prime candidates. Foldables stand out in a crowd, offering not just a unique look but tools for photography, video calls, and creative workflows on the go. Early adopters who want the newest hardware features and like trying fresh designs often get the most satisfaction out of these devices.

Curious about which models win with these power users? Check out the best foldable phones of 2025 to see what expert reviewers recommend this year.

Best Use Cases for Foldable Phones

You’ll get the most from foldables if your typical day includes tasks like:

Reading lengthy documents or editing slides during commutes.
Running two apps side by side (email + video call, notes + web browser).
Managing busy schedules while traveling, with easy access to larger views for maps or ticketing apps.
Using your phone as a mini workstation for drawing, photo editing, or digital signatures.
Setting up your phone in “tent” mode for quick, hands-free video meetings or entertainment breaks.

In real life, many users find themselves using the cover display while standing, then unfolding the phone only when sitting down or needing the bigger workspace. Personal accounts, like the one shared in Why I’ve used this foldable phone for more than a year, describe switching between compact phone mode and expansive tablet mode based on context—at a desk, on a train, or even while grocery shopping.

For those who love gadgets but stick to basic tasks (calls, texts, casual browsing), a standard smartphone still makes more sense. Foldables shine brightest when you actually use the extra screen space and multitasking features.

Who Should Consider Waiting?

If you don’t need to multitask often or mostly use your phone for quick tasks, a foldable may be overkill. People who value durability, low weight, or the slimmest phones may end up frustrated by the bulk and maintenance needed to keep foldables looking fresh.

Budget-conscious shoppers will likely see greater value in traditional flagships, which consistently win for camera quality, battery life, and drop resistance. Regular phones also see longer support and smoother app experiences.

For a broader look at model-by-model pros and cons, see The Best Foldable Phones in 2025 and consider how each phone fits your specific needs.

Making an Informed Decision

The right choice depends on balancing your work routines, entertainment habits, and expectations for phone toughness. Foldables can act like a Swiss Army knife for tech fans but aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. For many, sticking to a classic slab phone in 2025 is still the smarter bet until prices, app support, and long-term ruggedness catch up.

Conclusion

Foldable phones now offer remarkable flexibility and features that early adopters have long wanted, yet they still present challenges that stand in the way of full mainstream appeal. The best models bring bigger screens, smarter multitasking, and unique designs that regular phones cannot match. Buyers, though, still face high prices, shorter battery life, and durability concerns that cannot be overlooked.

Manufacturers are pushing hardware and software innovations at a steady pace, and each new generation addresses user pain points. As prices gradually become more competitive and reliability improves, foldables are moving closer to being a practical choice for more people, not just tech enthusiasts.

If you value productivity, crave new design, or simply want something different from the usual, now is an exciting time to consider a foldable. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts or experiences with these devices below. Expect more updates as this category continues to evolve and mature through 2025 and beyond.