Unfortunately I purchased this device on impulse with a carrier deal over the summer. The idea that my phone could be a tablet as well being essentially an all in wonder device was incredibly appealing.

In practice however the experience leaves a lot to be desired. Very few apps are developed with foldables in mind and either stretch to accommodate the extra real estate or take up a fraction of the display. Sure you can multitask side by side apps, but I have very little reason to ever do that.

That leaves watching media on the larger screen. Unfortunately even that is hampered by the aspect ratio with black bars accommodating such a large portion of the display the actual viewing area is barely larger than a slab device if at all.

The hardware is also lackluster. Google decided to put a last generation processor in this years most expensive phone for some reason. Also the camera is worse than last year’s Pixel release (7 Pro). The phone is very very heavy and even when closed I often need it to rest on something to be able to use it for any amount of time.

Such a bummer. I’m stuck with a phone I hate until next year when I can ditch it for an early upgrade. I received $800 off on a carrier deal but it’s given in monthly bill credits which locks me in paying MSRP of I want to cut my losses.

Fortunately next year I can do an early upgrade, but for now I’m stuck with this damn thing. I should have waited for the Pixel 8.