I thought regular smartphones were already too big, but now I can’t go back
Samsung’s latest foldable phones officially went on sale only a few days ago, and while I was thoroughly impressed by everything I’ve seen about the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 in the lead up to their launch, if I’m honest, foldable phones have alway seemed like a bit of a gimmick to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the appeal of a big screen, and the additional capabilities that enables versus a regular-sized phone. And I’ll never get tired of watching a smartphone unfold.
But I’m an enthusiastic flag bearer in the Phones Are Too Big army, so a phone that folds out to be 7.6-inches seemed like it would be my worst nightmare. I mean, I loved my iPhone 12 mini and I’ve been calling for that smaller form factor to be brought back. Sure, it’s nice to have a bigger display on hand, but if size is really that important, surely pulling a tablet out of your bag isn’t that much more hassle, is it?
Tablets typically come with screens that are at least 10-inches too, and isn’t bigger better? They’re cheaper too – you could pair almost any one of our regular-sized best phones recommendations with one of the best tablets for less than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s entry price of $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749.
Of course, all of these were the thoughts of a man before he got his hands on a Galaxy Z Fold 6. Now that I’ve had my hands on it, I’m not sure I can go back to a boring, stiff, regular-sized smartphone.Phone-use has never been more productive
Before we get into the (more) fun stuff, I want to talk about how the Fold 6 upgraded my daily productivity. Not just in regards to work, but just generally throughout the day. I said before that I didn’t see the benefit of a foldable phone over just a phone and tablet combo. That opinion was blown away almost instantly.
It was the phones multitasking ability that really took things to the next level and had me working like Bradley Cooper in Limitless, but it turns out the ability to have a huge screen in the blink of an eye can make a big difference on its own.
It turns out, not having to pull the tablet or laptop out of your bag for a larger screen is worth the price of admission. From watching YouTube or scrolling through socials on the Fold 6’s cover screen, to unfolding it fully to read books in the Kindle app or catch up on the news in the gloriously roomy web browser, that extra space is a luxury I’m going to struggle to go without.
