Can Foldable Phones Finally Kill the Laptop?

The 20-Year Dream Is Finally Real

For almost as long as phones have existed, people have harbored one persistent fantasy: What if that device in your pocket could also be your laptop? The logic seems bulletproof. Your smartphone already packs serious computing power, connects to all your apps and data, and maintains an always-on internet connection. There was just one tiny problem: the screen was too small, and so was the keyboard.

Then foldable phones arrived, and suddenly you could carry a genuinely massive screen in your pocket. The rules of the game have changed.

Samsung's Bet on Convergence

Samsung has already placed its chips on the table. The Galaxy Z Fold series ships with DeX mode, essentially transforming your phone into a desktop computer experience. Unfold it for a 7.6-inch display, fold it back for regular phone duties. Connect an external keyboard and mouse, and you've got something that looks suspiciously like a laptop replacement.

The market is responding. Global foldable phone shipments jumped from 18.9 million units last year to a projected 22.7 million this year—a 20% surge. That's still just 2% of the total smartphone market, but the trajectory is impossible to ignore.

Yet the real question isn't whether this convergence is technically possible. It's whether people actually want it.

The Great Divide

Foldable optimists are convinced the writing's on the wall. "We already do most of our work on smartphones," they argue. "A bigger screen is all that's missing." They point to younger users who edit videos, write documents, and manage entire businesses from their mobile devices.

Skeptics see fundamental limitations that no amount of screen real estate can solve. Battery life remains mediocre. True multitasking still feels clunky. And despite all the advances, typing on glass for extended periods is still torture compared to a proper keyboard.

Apple has notably stayed out of the foldable race entirely, instead blurring the lines between iPad and MacBook with different hardware approaches. Who's reading the market correctly?

The Price Reality Check

Here's where theory meets wallet. The Galaxy Z Fold costs upward of $1,800. For that money, you could buy a high-end laptop and a flagship smartphone separately. You'd get better performance for intensive tasks, longer battery life, and the flexibility to use each device for what it does best.

But you'd also carry two devices instead of one. For road warriors and minimalists, that trade-off might be worth it. For everyone else? The math gets murky.

Enterprise Interest Grows

Corporate buyers are taking notice. Companies like Microsoft are optimizing Office apps for foldable screens, while productivity software makers scramble to redesign interfaces for these new form factors. Early enterprise pilots show promise: sales reps love having a phone that transforms into a presentation screen, and field workers appreciate devices that work both hands-free and as portable workstations.

But IT departments remain cautious. Device management, security protocols, and replacement costs for fragile folding screens create new headaches.