Technology

James Francis

I wouldn't mind owning a foldable phone, especially the three-screen variants that turn into tablets. But when my last phone catastrophically tumbled from a table, I, instead, bought a popular 2025 mid-range model. Gritting my teeth, I expected glaring drawbacks. But it's a decent phone: responsive with a beautiful display, the battery has staying power, onboard storage is ample, and the fingerprint reader works well. Best of all, the price was far less than a new flagship phone can demand.

You could once bank on a flagship phone for several reasons: great camera, deep storage, fast hardware, and sweating the phone for several years. But phones that cost half to a quarter of a flagship now meet most users' expectations, because flagship features have become common among cheaper devices. Meanwhile, new features like foldable screens are not encouraging enthusiastic upgrades.