Foldable phone makers have solved every issue except one

Foldable phone makers have solved every issue except one The only thing holding people back now is price. It might be hard to believe, but foldable phones have already been around for the better part of a decade. Granted, the first one I saw back in 2019 - which actually predates Samsung's Galaxy Fold - was a cobbled-together mess. But since then, phone makers have been steadily iterating and tweaking their designs, and this year, manufacturers have finally addressed all the major issues about foldable phones except one: price. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold hit important milestones for foldables phones as class in 2025.(Sam Rutherford for Engadget) This scene would have sent shivers down my spine in previous years, but thanks to an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn't bothered.(Sam Rutherford for Engadget) If you only look at their dimensions, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (right) and an S25 Ultra (left).(Sam Rutherford for Engadget) The Z Fold 7 has made bulky foldables a thing of the past while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold shows how these phones don't need to be afraid of dirt anymore.(Sam Rutherford for Engadget) Let’s go back to the OG Fold. Even though it was chunky and heavy, had a tiny exterior display and suffered from a hinge that let too much detritus inside (which is probably how The Verge’s review unit got wrecked ), it still showed so much promise. It was a true multitasker - a phone that could turn into a small tablet at a moment's notice. What's not to like? From there, Samsung upgraded its foldables with water resistance and S Pen support on the Z Fold 3 , followed by eliminating the gap between the two halves of a closed Z Fold 5 . And as competition grew from OnePlus and Google (not to mention all the Chinese rivals like Oppo , Xiaomi and others ), we saw design and software improvement across the category . In 2025, two phones in particular brought major upgrades to foldables as a whole. Even though its shape didn't change much from its predecessor, Google managed to get the Pixel 10 Pro Fold an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance - finally putting protection for both dirt and liquid in the same foldable for the first time. Now, for all the folks out there with regular phones, that might not sound like a big deal. But on devices with complicated hinges where you really don't want random garbage getting inside, that's a massive relief and a big improvement to the handset's general usability. Meanwhile, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 , Samsung achieved what may be an even bigger accomplishment by creating a foldable phone that was essentially the same size and weight as a traditional glass brick handset - with a massive 8-inch interior display no less. In fact, if...

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