Foldable phones have always lived in the future tense. They were about to be ready, almost durable, nearly mainstream. Now, with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold passing the two-year mark for early adopters, that future has arrived—and it’s forcing an uncomfortable question: are foldables actually mature yet?

For the first time, this isn’t a debate driven by launch-day hype or teardown videos. It’s about lived experience. Devices that have been opened and closed thousands of times, stuffed into pockets, used daily as primary phones, and exposed to real-world wear. And the results are mixed.

The Crease: Cosmetic or Structural Warning?

The fold crease has always been the elephant in the room. Manufacturers insisted it would soften over time, become invisible in use, or simply fade into the background of daily interaction. Two years later, many long-term users are discovering that the crease doesn’t just exist—it evolves.

On both the Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold, creases often deepen with age. In some cases, they remain a cosmetic annoyance. In others, they become tactile ridges that catch light aggressively, distort reflections, or feel uneven when scrolling. More concerning are reports of micro-cracking along the crease, subtle at first, but increasingly hard to ignore.

This is where perception shifts. A crease that was once an accepted compromise starts to feel like a structural stress point, raising doubts about how much longer the display can hold together.

Hinges: Engineering Marvel, Mechanical Liability

If the crease is the visible concern, the hinge is the silent one.

Both Samsung and Google poured enormous engineering effort into hinge design. The Z Fold 5 refined Samsung’s waterdrop-style fold, while the Pixel Fold emphasized stiffness and symmetry. Early reviews praised both. Two years later, hinge behavior has become one of the most telling indicators of foldable aging.

Some users report subtle but worrying changes: resistance that feels uneven, a failure to fully open flat, faint clicking sounds, or looseness that wasn’t there before. These aren’t catastrophic failures—yet—but they create a sense of fragility that slab phones simply don’t inspire.

A traditional smartphone doesn’t ask you to trust a moving part dozens of times a day. Foldables do. And once that trust erodes, even slightly, the entire experience changes.

The Maturity Gap Between Promise and Reality

From a technology standpoint, foldables have absolutely improved. Displays are brighter and more efficient. Hinges are slimmer. Software is far better optimized. Day-one reliability is no longer the disaster it once was.

But long-term reliability is a different benchmark entirely.

Two years in, foldables still show signs of accelerated aging compared to conventional phones. Creases deepen. Hinges wear. Inner screens remain vulnerable to damage that would barely scratch glass. Even when devices continue functioning, owners often report a creeping sense that the phone is aging faster than it should for its price.

And that price matters. These devices weren’t cheap experiments. They were premium flagships that promised longevity.

Luxury Risk or Early-Adopter Tax?

This is where the debate becomes philosophical.

If a foldable phone lasts two to three years with visible wear but no catastrophic failure, is that acceptable? For some users, absolutely. The experience of unfolding a tablet-sized display from your pocket is still unmatched. The productivity gains, the novelty, the sheer cool factor—those things haven’t faded.

For others, the math doesn’t work. A device that costs significantly more than a standard flagship but feels mechanically fragile over time still looks like a luxury risk, not a mature product category.

Foldables today feel closer to high-end sports cars than reliable sedans. Incredible engineering, thrilling to use, but demanding care—and expensive when something goes wrong.

So, Are Foldables Ready?

The honest answer is: they’re closer than ever, but not quite there.

Foldables have crossed the threshold from novelty to daily-driver viability. What they haven’t crossed is the expectation of long-term durability that mainstream buyers associate with premium phones. Until creases stop evolving and hinges feel as boringly reliable as a power button, foldables will remain a calculated gamble.

For enthusiasts, that gamble is still worth it. For everyone else, waiting another generation—or two—might be the smartest move.