The year to date has seen accelerated releases of foldable phones, including the Honor Magic V5, the Oppo Find N6, and the Motorola Razr Fold. Many brands are throwing their hat into the ring and seeing what sticks.
Foldable phones are often sold on a promise of productivity gains, with side-by-side app usage, and even Laptop Mode where you partially unfold the device to type two-handed.
Whether this use case actually holds up in the real world is a question I’ve sought to answer. In my experience, using these devices as a laptop replacement has worked better than I expected, but it’s not without drawbacks.
The promise of productivity
When I first read about productivity on a foldable phone, it sounded like a bit of a marketing gimmick, but after some thought it started to make sense. Anyone old enough to remember the netbooks of the mid-to-late 2000’s might find a familiar size and use case in today’s foldable phones.
In the hand, it turns out foldable phones generally do deliver the ability to deal with tasks in different ways.
The Razr Fold’s Laptop Mode is the clearest example of foldable productivity done right. When partially unfolded, the bottom half of the screen acts as a keyboard and even a trackpad, with the top half acting as a display, complete with cursor.
Side-by-side app usage is another foldable feature that results in big productivity gains. You can scroll each app individually and interact with them seamlessly. It’s a great option for searching and taking notes simultaneously, or viewing a document and an email for broader context.
Some might argue that switching between apps is already available on slate phones, but seeing two pieces of information side-by-side makes it easier to relate them in my experience.
Stylus support on foldable devices has been becoming standard too. Motorola’s Pen Ultra makes notetaking a breeze while providing access to functions like circling objects to search or save to notes. The Oppo Find N6 offers similar functionality with its AI Pen.
None of this is going to replace a desktop multi-monitor setup for productivity, but for quick cross-referencing and notetaking, the experience is a real step up over the slate-style devices we’re all familiar with.
Foldable phones aren’t perfect just yet
App compatibility is still an ongoing issue, and it’s up to developers to support the format. While many office style apps are built with foldable functions in mind, issues can arise when switching from the external screen to the inner one, or when using Laptop Mode.
Manufacturers have also repeatedly wasted opportunities with the hardware itself. The extra action key available on many of these devices is limited in its usage, with many locked to an AI feature of debatable benefit. Allowing this to be used as a fully customisable shortcut key would make it much more useful.
One-handed usability is another problem that isn’t quite solved. Many of these devices can feel a little unbalanced, particularly those with large camera bumps that cause them to fall over when partially unfolded. It doesn’t inspire the greatest confidence when using them one-handed on the lap.
Foldable design has improved
Credit where it’s due, many of the issues flagged on early devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X have largely been addressed. Internal component durability has rarely come into question, and the hinges feel stable and solid even after repeated usage.
After months of hands-on time with the Honor Magic V5, it’s still working just as well as it did on day one.
Almost all book-style foldables are positioned at the extreme high end of the market, with prices stretching into the $3000 range at the high end. Premium build quality is to be expected on such a pricey gadget, but I’m more curious to see how the form factor will evolve once the tech starts becoming more accessible.
Until we see a lower price point on these devices, we may not see the type of clever engineering that becomes necessary when building to cost.
So can a foldable replace your laptop?
For the right person, I think a foldable can reduce the burden of a day’s work.
If your regular workload involves quick note-taking and email on the go, a foldable phone means you don’t need to find a spot to set up with a laptop. Split-screen multitasking earns its place as a useful feature and not just a bullet point on the product page.
However, if your day-to-day involves longer typing sessions, spreadsheets, and specialised software, you may find a foldable device doesn’t fully meet your needs and expectations alone. By the time you add a portable keyboard and mouse to the kit, you may as well have brought a laptop.
In my opinion, the cost difference and ergonomic trade-offs that come with the foldable form factor aren’t fully justified just for a larger internal screen, but the gap is ever closing with each new device iteration.
It may not be long before one of these manufacturers finally convinces me to leave the laptop at home.
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