Could the most intricate mobile hardware ever constructed at last feel as intuitive as a slab phone? Foldable smartphones have surpassed even the most ambitious predictions for 2025 and have eradicated nearly all design and usability issues except for their substantially high price points.
What a difference this makes when measured against the first-generation Galaxy Fold launched in 2019. This first foldable had a hazardous amount of dust that entered the device when the folded side touched the ground, leaving it to literally fold under, much like the laundry the first time it goes through the wash. This, of course, has all been improved: water resistance, foldable hinges, no longer any openings on the folded save for where the fold occurs, as well as the underlying operating system for folded devices supporting two screens for multitasking, just to name a few improvements.
Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold marks the beginning of a new era in the environmental sealing of foldable devices. It is the very first foldable device to rate IP68 for dust and water resistance. Such a feat had to involve the redesigning of the hinge for the incorporation of dust and water seals capable of protecting the device in an underwater submersion scenario. Nonetheless, as Google mentions in its own literature, “Water resistance and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and will diminish or be lost over time.” This is because the sealing mechanism is mechanical and therefore subject to degradation through normal use.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 offers a different type of breakthrough: this one achieved the same portability and weight as conventional smartphones, and, at the same time, features an enormous 8-inch internal display. At 7.58 ounces and a folded thickness of 8.9mm, the device weighs far less and is almost just as slim as Samsung’s own S25 Ultra model. All this was made possible through the development of ultra-thin glass, only 30 micrometers thick, and compact hinge designs that minimized bulk and maintained strength.
Materials science plays an integral part in all of this. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on its front and back panel, and Samsung’s Z Fold 7 displays Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on its screen. Both of these have to undergo a process of subtle flexing while folding without jeopardizing their rigidity or integrity. This was not possible in earlier models.
Waterproofing folding devices is a high-wire act from an engineering perspective. Unlike slab phones, folding phones present a variety of water entry points that result from their movable parts. Designers had to develop labyrinth seals, hydrophobic coatings, and micro-gaskets that can withstand so many cycles of folding. This becomes an sogar when GSM waterproofing is also considered, as this requires particle-resistant materials that do not increase friction or wear on the hinge components.
Performance equality to slab flagships is no longer alien. The Tensor G5 engine and accompanying 16GB of RAM in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold ensure seamless multitasking as well as intelligent aspects such as Live Voice Translate, while the Z Fold 7’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is the epitome of gaming and business processing. Aspects such as displays are also dual high-refresh rate OLED screens, topping out at an astonishing 3,000 nits in the Pixels’ displays. However, the difference in cost between these two types of phones is substantial.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold kicks off at $1,799, while the Z Fold 7 costs $1,999.99, with prices escalating to over $2,400 for higher storage variants. This is understandably due to manufacturing complexities in these folds and batteries, but it remains the biggest hindrance to adoption. The recent price drops in Huawei’s Pura X series of foldables, to say nothing of other similar offerings, only serve to underscore that now aggressive pricing is necessary in this market, where technical hurdles have already been overcome.
The existence of foldables is now a testament to what can be accomplished at the nexus of mechanical engineering, materials science, and electronics design. Foldables have stripped off their extraneous weight, waterproofed their hinges, and optimized their ergonomics for the slab phone form factor. The challenge now lies not in technology, but in economics. Until such a time as these products can be made accessible to the mass market, foldables will remain more fascinating for their engineering prowess than for their ubiquity.
