Foldable phones are in such a strange state right now.
They’ve been in the mainstream for almost seven years now, with the reveal of the Samsung Galaxy Fold in February 2019, and there’s been at least one new foldable device from notable brands every year since.
And yet, they’re still about as rare as hen teeth.
That’s starting to change, with the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 getting record pre-orders, but we’re still in a place where the foldable smartphone still hasn’t really taken over.
That’s a shame, because they’re amazing.
I moved on from my first foldable, the Z Fold 5, when the Google Pixel 10 Pro came out.
And despite the Pixel being a great phone, I haven’t stopped thinking about my foldable. But I can’t find it in myself to go back.
I yearn for my foldable phone
I love the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. It’s a great smartphone, though I’ll be the first to admit it has its fair share of flaws.
The cover screen, for instance, is too small. It’s narrower than it should be, and that bugged me every single day. It’s thick, it’s heavy, and the inner display wasn’t as useful as you might expect.
In short, it worked really well, but it was flawed. So why do I miss it so much? Because what it was good at, it was really good at.
During my time with the phone, I got heavily into the anime Solo Leveling. Unfolded, the Z Fold 5 was the perfect way to read the webnovel.
It was my stalwart companion during long nights with a one-year-old, and I burned through so many e-books from its unfolded screen.
It was also the perfect middle-ground between a phone and a tablet.
I could pop a video on while taking a bath or washing the dishes and not worry about missing something the way I would with a smaller screen.
Heck, even showing photos to friends and family was improved when you could use a massive internal screen instead of a smaller phone display.
So it’s an obvious phone to go back to, right? You’d think so, except the Pixel 10 Pro puts up a very strong fight.
But going back loses too much
I wish I could just go back to the Z Fold 5, but the Pixel 10 Pro has its hooks deep in me.
I’ve had a soft spot for the Pixel phones since the very first. I loved the unique design and the strong camera capabilities.
That was only strengthened when I got my first Pixel device, a Pixel 3a XL, and I’ve loved them ever since.
The Pixel 10 Pro hasn’t been as formative as the Pixel 3a XL, but it’s still a very capable device.
It’s fast, powerful, it looks great, the camera is impeccable, the battery life is solid, and the update support is close to unmatched.
None of that is really keeping me around, as these days, you can describe most flagship phones that way.
The Pixel 10 Pro isn’t anything special in that regard. But it has just enough flair that I’d regret losing that I’m hesitant to switch.
Take the Pixel’s AI features. I’m no fan of AI, but Call Screen is genuinely excellent. So is the call recorder.
And, as much as I wasn’t sure about it before, Magic Cue has come in clutch for me a few times now. Gemini is also an excellent digital assistant, even if I don’t use it very much.
But the real loss is physical. Namely, it’s Pixelsnap. As much as it’s an awful name, and we all refer to it as MagSafe, the Pixel 10 Pro’s Qi2 magnets have changed how I use phones.
I’ve invested in a fancy magnetic car holder, a magnetic power bank, and I even have an e-reader that snaps onto the back of my phone.
It’s safe to say Pixelsnap is the upgrade I’ve loved the most in the Pixel 10 Pro, which is hilarious when you consider all of those things are also compatible with my Pixel 7 Pro.
It’s not an insurmountable obstacle by any means — I can just buy a new case for my Z Fold 5. But that’s an annoyingly expensive option that still leaves me without the AI tricks I’ve come to enjoy.
I’m considering an expensive upgrade — but help may come from the most unlikely of quarters
So what’s a tech writer to do?
The obvious answer is to look at other foldable phones, and the even more obvious answer is to buy the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
Google’s foldable fixes a lot of the problems I had with the Z Fold 5, and adds all the Pixel 10 Pro features I love, including Pixelsnap and AI.
But the downside? It’s a lot of money to spend, and my kids need shoes.
It was at this point, sinking into despair, that I discovered my salvation may come from the most unexpected of sources.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that “hope comes from the most unlikely places”, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have meant Bixby. But in my case, that’s exactly what it is.
I had written Bixby off as dead and buried, but Samsung is performing digital necromancy in its One UI 8.5 update, bringing Bixby back from the grave.
And it isn’t coming alone; it’s been supercharged by Perplexity.
That update will grant my Z Fold 5 a number of new AI features, including an AI-powered call screen, image editing, and theft protection.
It’s not perfect, but it does sugar the pill a lot.
Nothing is certain, especially in this AI-powered age. If Bixby turns out to be rubbish, well, it wouldn’t be the first time.
But it has me feeling more optimistic about switching back to my Z Fold 5. I might even go do it right now. After buying a MagSafe case, of course.
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- SoC
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Google Tensor G5
- RAM
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16GB
- Storage
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256 GB / 512 GB/ 1TB with Zoned UFS
- Battery
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5015mAh
- Operating System
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Android 16
- Front camera
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10 MP Dual PD
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold offers Gemini AI features and can withstand an impressive 10 years of screen folding. This smartphone is an investment that’ll last for years to come.
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- Brand
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Samsung
- SoC
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- RAM
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12GB
- Storage
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256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
- Battery
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4,400mAh
- Ports
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USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
The Z Fold 5 is here, and it’s nothing short of splendid! While it doesn’t particularly blow us away with what it offers, we surely appreciate the subtle improvements it sports over its already-decent predecessor, the Z Fold 4. Even though we didn’t get to see some of the changes we’d hoped for — such as improved battery life — the disappointment was compensated by a powerful chipset, an aesthetically pleasing hinge, and an upgraded camera setup.
