I would never buy a $2,000 phone — and you shouldn’t either

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is here, and first impressions are pretty good.

However, this flagship foldable from Google will set you back a minimum of $1,800. Want the model that comes with a whopping 1TB of storage? That’ll set you back an eye-watering $2,149.

Trade-in deals and carrier discounts can shave off a significant chunk of the list price, but even my perfectly fine Pixel 8 would only be worth $350 to Google’s trade-in program.

It might seem a bit odd to bang the “phones are getting too expensive” drum again; phones will always get more expensive. But I think the Pixel 10 Pro Fold stands out as an absurdly priced item that doesn’t need to exist.

The rest of the Pixel 10 range is reasonably priced; the Pixel 10 costs $449 after trading in my Pixel 8.

Unless I had thousands of dollars spare to throw away on a whim, I would never settle for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. It’s as pointless as it is expensive, and here’s why.

Take away the hinge, and what do we have?

A Pixel 10 with slightly more RAM

A huge part of a folding phone’s price tag comes from its hinge and dual-screen layout; it’s more expensive to manufacture than a standard phone.

However, you’ll stop noticing the folding aspect as the gimmick wears off, and it fades into everyday use.

Due to insufficient software support, you may only use it for watching videos or multitasking between two apps. Is it worth an extra $1,000 to use a feature that doesn’t actually work great?

The Pixel 10 has a longer battery life, faster charging, similar cameras, the same display technology, and the same suite of Gemini features.

When it comes to internal hardware, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold only offers an extra 4GB of RAM and the option for more storage.

So, $1,000 gets you a mini-tablet screen that you don’t need to carry around separately.

Before you think I’m hating on Google, Samsung is an even worse offender. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 sets you back between $2,000 and $2,419.99.

A Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, which offers a better tablet experience in every way, costs, at most, $1,319.99.

Foldable phones like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold are nothing but expensive tech demos that Google uses to show that, yes, it’s still capable of keeping up with the latest hardware trends.

$2,000 is a completely unnecessary amount of money to spend on a new phone.

Want a top-of-the-range tablet and phone experience? Buy the Pixel 10 and a Galaxy Tab S10+.

This combo will cost the same amount as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (not counting trade-in offers and discounts), but you’ll have a more stable phone and a more powerful tablet.

Unnecessary tech is fun, but phones shouldn’t cost $2,000

No phone is worth that much

I’m a big believer in mobile phones that offer something else beyond the standard experience.

My mobile experience has been more or less identical since I picked up the Pixel 2 XL in 2017; I’m hungry for something fresh.

The Nothing Phone 3 is a classic example of a phone that isn’t great value for money, but offers something far more elusive.

It’s priced as a flagship without flagship hardware, but its unique design and software make it a more attractive buy for me than the latest Google or Samsung flagships.

However, there’s a limit to how much value I’m willing to sacrifice on the altar of innovation. For a phone to approach $2,000, it has to offer something special to stand out. Foldables aren’t worth it, so what is?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with 1TB storage costs $1,660. Is the phone worth it? No. As we noted in our review, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a good device that works well.

You know what other phone is a good device that works well? My $700 Pixel 8. Yes, you get the absolute best in smartphone hardware (and that display is the most impressive we’ve seen yet), but at this price, you’re simply throwing money away.

Don’t let phone manufacturers tempt you with flashy features and big numbers

At the end of the day, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is an impressive piece of hardware that I would recommend buying if you won’t notice thousands of dollars suddenly disappearing from your bank account.

It’s a luxury item, pure and simple, but there’s little value in it for someone who wants a new Android smartphone. Even for those of you with the money to burn, a flagship tablet and phone combo is a far better purchase.

Advancements in mobile hardware have slowed down dramatically in recent years. The technological gap between a manufacturer’s mid-range and flagship devices is getting harder to identify each year.

A Pixel 10 has the same amount of hardware under the hood as a Pixel 10 Pro Fold, so why spend more?

No $2,000 phone has ever convinced me it is worth the money. Unless manufacturers make some radical advancement in the next few years, I know that my $700 mid-range phone will perform just as well as a $2,000 luxury expense.