The "boring" iPhone won! Not buying an Android phone ever again - unless it can fold in half

Foldable phones might not be “the future” but they are getting good; Google, Xiaomi are challenging Samsung on the global market (hopefully with competitive prices too)

That being said, as conventional phones are getting more and more boring, or closer to reaching their peak (at least from a tech enthusiast’s POV), I don’t see why foldable phones can’t be something that nerds and “regular people” benefit from. And I’m now going to circle back to the beginning of the story, when I started telling you how far foldable phones have come compared to the Galaxy Fold from 2019…

• The Galaxy Fold wasn’t water-resistant, which isn’t the case with Samsung’s newer foldable phones (that makes them far easier to recommend)

• The 2019 Galaxy Fold was nearly 16mm thick when folded; today, the thinnest foldable phones (Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, Huawei Mate Xs 2) are 11mm thick, or should I say… 11mm thin

• Samsung’s first foldable phone weighed 263g, which is almost as heavy as an iPad mini 6; the new Oppo Find N2 weights just 233g, which makes it lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max and just as heavy/light as the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra (according to leaked info)

• The three-year-old Galaxy Fold came with a mid-range camera system, while new foldable phones like the Oppo Find N2, Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, and to an extent, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, now have far more powerful and versatile flagship-grade set of cameras (with larger sensors, and far more advanced image processing)

As you can tell by this quick “progress check”, the key to it must be the fact that Samsung finally has some competition. There are indeed better-looking foldable phones than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 out there but they aren’t sold globally… yet. However, this won’t be the case for much longer!

Pixel Fold, Xiaomi Mix Fold 3, Galaxy Z Fold 5 - picking a new foldable Android phone might be more difficult than ever (and that’s great news)

The Google Pixel Fold is expected to launch before the Galaxy Z Fold 5, while the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 will likely be the first Xiaomi-made foldable phone that makes it outside of China. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the excellent Oppo Find N2 will be sold globally, but some competition is better than none! Right?

Personally, as someone who has a preference for Google’s version of Android and the Pixel’s camera, I do hope the Pixel Fold will be as good as the leaks indicate. Speaking of leaks, those say the Pixel Fold will cost as much as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 ($1,800), but I’ll only believe that when I see it. Google’s Pixel 7 flagships are noticeably cheaper than their Samsung counterparts (in all markets where they are sold), and therefore I expect the Pixel Fold to undercut the new Galaxy Z Fold 5. Or at least I hope so!

Of course, if Google delivers another buggy phone (like the Pixel 6) and decides to price the Pixel Fold as high as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, I might need to look elsewhere, and that’s where the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 might come into the picture.

Regardless, unless there’s an extraordinary deal in place, it’s quite likely I’ll be buying my next foldable phone from eBay, which is exactly how I got the Galaxy Z Fold 3 at half the price (I ended up returning it), in like-new condition. Of course, as far as the average user is concerned, that’s another great reason to try a foldable phone - they aren’t simply getting good, but also more affordable (if you shop smartly).