Are Foldable Phones Good Enough to Replace Traditional Android Tablets Today?

Key Takeaways

• Although foldable phones are more portable and often have better cameras than Android tablets, they still don’t seem worth paying for just yet.
• That’s because foldables are generally more expensive, offer poorer battery life, and have more fragile parts than a tablet.

Foldable phones have left many prospective tablet buyers confused: are you better off buying a new tablet now or switching to a foldable phone? Foldables offer the large-screen tablet experience in a pocketable size, but they still aren’t a perfect solution. Here’s everything you need to consider.

Tablets Are Available Cheaper

Foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 or the Google Pixel Fold start at $1,799. So, right off the bat, you’re looking at a pretty substantial investment, since you’re basically paying for a phone and a tablet in one product. In fact, you’ll struggle to find a book-style foldable for under $1,500.

In contrast, Android tablets have a much wider price range, so you can choose to pay for an entry-level model, a mid-ranger, or a flagship. If you just want to watch movies on a bigger screen, for example, a cheaper model is enough. But if you’re an artist, you might benefit from a pricier model.

For this reason, tablets are better as you can spend based on your individual needs.

Foldable Phones Are More Portable

Justin Duino / How-To Geek

When closed, outer screen of a foldable phone functions like a normal phone when you’re doing basic tasks like calling, texting, scrolling social media, and checking notifications. And when you need to multitask, read an ebook, or sign a document, simply open it up and enjoy the larger screen.

Tablets are usually used indoors since they aren’t pocketable, but with a foldable phone, you can rest assured that you won’t be missing out on that large-screen experience no matter where you go. And you won’t need to stuff your tablet in a backpack to get it.

Unless you don’t mind carrying a backpack everywhere you go, foldables are the clear winner when it comes to portability.

Both Have Poor App Optimization (for Now)

Even though we saw the first foldable phone several years ago, app optimization remains a problem because the industry just can’t seem to agree on a standard aspect ratio. The Galaxy Z Fold series, for example, uses a 23.1:9 aspect ratio, but the Pixel Fold uses 17.4:9. Third-party app developers can’t optimize their apps for each and every device, after all.

Sadly, Android tablets aren’t much better, though. They do use more conventional aspect ratios, but up until recently, only a few people bought Android tablets due to their inferiority to iPads . So, developers had no incentive to give them much attention.

Thankfully, Google is trying to change this as it’s now ranking apps optimized for large screens higher on the Play Store, forcing developers to follow suit for competitive advantage. For now, though, no matter which device you go for, lots of apps will look a little wonky on it.

Tablets Are Better for Entertainment and Productivity

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Try watching a YouTube video on the inner screen of a foldable phone and you’ll quickly realize how horrible an experience it really is. No one wants to see those big black bars at the top and bottom that take up roughly a third of the screen. And you got a crease running down the middle from the fold.

Media consumption on tablets is better due to the larger screen and conventional aspect ratio. Tablets are also better for productivity, as they offer a desktop-like web browsing experience and better stylus support for creative work. In fact, flagship tablets such as the Lenovo Tab Extreme also come with a keyboard accessory that, once attached, closely simulates working on a laptop.

Also, note that foldable phones have a limit to how big they can be. After all, their entire selling point is that they are pocketable. But because Android tablets don’t have that limitation, you can actually buy models with much bigger screens that they can, in some cases, serve as a laptop replacement.

Foldable Phones Have Fragile Inner Screens

Smartphone companies have made major progress over the years to increase the durability of foldable phones. But while the outer body and the hinge are strong, the flexible plastic inner screen remains fragile and can be easily damaged if you’re not careful. We’re talking dead pixels, dust getting stuck inside the hinge, and the crease becoming more visible every few months.

This isn’t something you need to worry about as much with a tablet. Hence, a regular mid-range Android tablet is likely to last you longer than a foldable, assuming you’re not buying a super cheap entry-level model with weak hardware.

Foldable Phones Have Better Camera Systems

Justin Duino / How-To Geek

For most people, their phone is their primary camera. So, naturally, companies don’t pay as much attention to the camera system on tablets. You might use the camera on your tablet on rare occasions, but it’s certainly not one of the main selling points of the device.

However, foldable phones don’t have the best camera systems either because, in order to keep them thin, many of the internal components, including the camera lenses, have to be compromised. Due to this, their camera system isn’t as capable as a normal top-end flagship phone. So if you’re planning to swap a flagship non-foldable phone for a foldable one, your camera may take a hit.

Despite this, you’ll still find yourself being able to click better shots on a foldable than most Android tablets, although there can be exceptions. More importantly, don’t forget that you can use the main camera on a foldable to take high-quality selfies by simply flipping the device and using the cover screen as a viewfinder.

Tablet Batteries Last Much Longer

Flagship Android tablets are on par with foldable phones in terms of performance, so you’ll be able to do gaming, intense multitasking, graphics rendering, and other similar activities on either device.

However, because foldable phones have to fit a hinge inside the body, there’s not a lot of room left for a big battery. Android tablets face no such problems and hence deliver longer battery life.

Foldable Phones Need More Time to Replace Tablets

That was a lot to take in, so let’s revisit the original question: can foldable phones replace tablets? Nope, I don’t think so. Not yet, at least. For now, they have as many drawbacks as they have perks.

Foldable phones still suffer from a fragile inner display, poor app optimization, weird aspect ratios, and an exorbitant price tag that most people can’t afford. So, it’s still wiser for you to use an Android phone and a tablet separately.

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