Foldables are complex pieces of tech, and I’m not just talking about their dual displays and flexible hinges. Anyone who upgrades to a folding phone is accepting a certain set of compromises in order to carry what is, effectively, a portable tablet in their pocket. From an added sense of fragility to reduced photo quality, it’s a pretty long list you’ll need to take on in order to leave slab phones in the past — and that’s before you account for the biggest compromise of all: portability.
Yes, it’s no secret that foldables have long been significantly bulkier than their non-folding counterparts. The earliest days of folding phones were particularly chunky. The original Galaxy Fold measured in at 15.5mm thick, while its successor was actually even broader at its thickest point. It too until the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for Samsung to actually close the gap in between its two displays that played such a big role in these devices being unable to shrink in size, while last year’s phone — its thinnest yet — still measured in at 12.1mm thick.
This week, we got some new Galaxy Z Fold 7 rumors, and it sounds like this device might finally feel slim enough in your pocket not to draw attention to itself. After the China and South Korea-exclusive Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition last year brought a more modern approach to folding phone design, it sounds like that blueprint is extending to the mainline device. Expect to see Samsung deliver a more standard exterior display alongside a slimmer chassis that, for the first time, drops below 10mm.
10mm seems to be the point where these devices begin to get manageable. The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the slimmest foldable in my collection, measuring in at 10.5mm thick. It’s far from a perfect phone, but it is the first foldable I’ve used as a daily driver that has fooled bystanders into thinking it was a typical slab phone. We don’t know much about Google’s plans for its next foldable, but considering the major leap between generations to get from the original Pixel Fold to here, it’s a safe bet that things should look pretty impressive.
But nothing — and I mean nothing — has beat Oppo in this field. This week, the company will take the stage ahead of Mobile World Congress to debut the Find N5. Early impressions look unsurprisingly excellent, with a chassis that measures in below 9mm when folded shut. It’s just a hair thicker than the Galaxy S25 Ultra I reviewed last week, and that phone can’t fold in half without some serious strength. Even Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge is bound to look bulky compared to what Oppo’s engineers have pulled off here.
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Which is why it’s so unfortunate that, this week, we learned that OnePlus wouldn’t be bringing the Find N5 to the US as the Open 2. While the company refused to throw in the towel on future foldables, it seems like the dream of following up on one of 2023’s best smartphones will have to wait another year. It’s been several days, and no, I’m still not over it. While I expect Google to follow Samsung’s lead in bringing slimmer foldables to the US market, it’s clear this region is suffering from a lack of competition that China and other territories provide, and in the end, only the consumer will struggle in this regard.
In my mind, reaching the sub-9mm point marks a major shift for foldables, from an enthusiast-first product to something that delivers fewer compromises than ever. While I doubt the standard slab device will ever be replaced by something with a hinge — never say never, of course — I do wonder if this is the mark needed to really bring this product category to the next level in terms of sales.
All other things — price, camera quality, and so on — equal, how much does the thinness of a specific foldable impact your opinion of the device? Does a foldable need to be as thin as the average smartphone for you to consider it, or does the bulkiness of a device leave no mark on whether or not you believe you should buy it? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle, accepting additional bulk while simultaneously trying to keep things as slim and portable as possible. Or perhaps you’re outside the conversation altogether, fully disinterested in folding phones altogether.
Either way, I’ve set up this week’s poll with space for three answers: As slim as a standard phone, bulkier but still below 10mm, and anywhere between 10mm and 12mm, with the final number representing the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as the thickest modern foldable. Enter your selection below, then sound off in the comments if you’re feeling as bummed as I am about the (temporary, I hope) death of the OnePlus Open 2. I know my people are out there.
