Who needs a laptop when you have a folding phone?

The first norm of Purse Computer is to cheque your container earlier you time off the house.

A fewer days ago, I took a 15 infinitesimal locomotion to a adjacent java shop reasoning I had my caller folding keyboard successful my container — the cardinal constituent that would move the Galaxy Z Fold 7 into a mobile workstation. I spent the full travel congratulating myself connected really ray it felt compared to carrying my MacBook. “It’s almost for illustration it’s not there,” I thought.

This was because it wasn’t there, which I discovered only erstwhile I was astatine my destination. I tapped retired a fewer emails pinch my thumbs, drank a latte, and walked backmost location successful shame.

After utilizing each awesome telephone of 2025 successful succession, early 2026 has allowed maine immoderate clip to revisit immoderate of my favorites. While I eagerly await the presence of the Galaxy Z Trifold, I started carrying the Z Fold 7, which is truthful slim and ray it efficaciously comes pinch each the benefits of a folding phone, pinch nary of the accustomed weight and size penalties. Once I realized I was fundamentally carrying a keyboard-less Chromebook, I figured I mightiness arsenic good get a keyboard and spot really acold I could get utilizing a folding telephone arsenic my laptop. It’s not perfect, but I’m going to person a very difficult clip going back.

You don’t request to beryllium a purse-carrier to usage Purse Computer; it’s conscionable what I’m calling the operation of a lightweight recreation keyboard and foldable phone. And look, I cognize this isn’t a caller concept, either. Folding telephone enthusiasts person been kitting retired their devices arsenic mobile workstations for years now, iPads pinch keyboard cases exist, and hell, remember netbooks? Collectively, we’ve been trying to downsize our laptops successful each sorts of imaginative ways almost arsenic agelong arsenic laptops person existed.

That’s precisely what Purse Computer is for me: an replacement to my laptop, aka Backpack Computer. As laptops go, my company-issued MacBook Air is hella light, honestly. And technically, it fits successful the (huge) tote container that goes everyplace pinch me. But it’s conscionable excessively dense to transportation that measurement for overmuch much than the locomotion from my car into a java shop, truthful trips to a coworking abstraction aliases immoderate different distant activity spot require putting the “backpack” successful Backpack Computer. The problem is, erstwhile I’m done moving and I request to tally an errand, I still person my laptop connected my person. I americium encumbered. What do I do erstwhile I request to tally into Target? Put my MacBook successful the trunk? Haul it up and down the aisles of the shop while I bargain toothpaste? It feels each wrong. That’s wherever Purse Computer steps in.

Most of my travel has revolved astir uncovering the correct keyboard. My requirements: ray and mini capable that I hardly announcement it successful my bag, but large capable to consciousness for illustration a existent keyboard erstwhile successful use. I tried a Protoarc folding keyboard (too big), a cheapo Samsers disconnected of Amazon (too squirrelly), and person yet settled connected a Logitech Keys 2 Go. It’s the 1 I’ve enjoyed the astir — it’s truthful bladed and ray I hardly announcement it successful my bag, and it has full-size keys. Unlike the different 2 it doesn’t travel pinch a telephone guidelines (though the first-gen Keys 2 Go seems to travel pinch one) aliases complaint complete USB-C. But it’s easy capable to get a abstracted guidelines for the telephone — I’ve been borrowing the 1 that came pinch the Samsers — and Logitech says the Keys 2 Go’s coin compartment batteries will past a afloat 3 years earlier you request to switch them.

You mightiness cognize Purse Computer by different name: the four-pocket laptop. That’s what Michael Fisher, known for his Mr. Mobile YouTube channel and fondness for folding phones, has dubbed it. He’s been experimenting pinch the folding-phone-as-a-computer conception since the Fold 3 came retired successful 2021. So erstwhile I decided to adopt the Purse Computer life, location was really only 1 personification to telephone for immoderate guidance.

His first portion of proposal is to get the 1 point I don’t presently have: a kickstand lawsuit for the phone. The abstracted guidelines is simply a pain, he says. “It adds different pouch to it, it’s different point to forget. It’s different point to fiddle pinch erstwhile you’re mounting it up.” Having fiddled pinch 1 astatine aggregate java shops by now, I thin to agree. Samsung offers a Z Fold 7 lawsuit pinch a kickstand attached that would do the trick.

Fisher’s existent setup pinch the Galaxy Z TriFold includes a kickstand lawsuit the institution doesn’t waste here; he bought 1 erstwhile he was successful Taipei. He’s presently utilizing a Nuphy keyboard, which he admits is still a spot bigger than he’d like, but adores anyway. “It’s truthful overmuch amended erstwhile I’m typing connected it, and it makes maine consciousness for illustration I’m utilizing a machine truthful overmuch much viscerally.”

That’s the different portion of this challenge: convincing yourself that the telephone is simply a computer. The keyboard is simply a important summation here; while I tin and person typed retired a afloat blog utilizing the on-screen keyboard, it wasn’t my favourite experience. Physical keys spell a agelong measurement to putting maine successful the correct headspace for writing. But the different point is to person the phone that it is simply a computer. Samsung’s UI is beautiful permissive — you tin unfastened up to 4 apps successful progressively tinier windows and resize them to your heart’s content. But I still tally into weird issues erstwhile I effort to usage definite Android apps connected the soul screen.

Chrome insists connected jumping backmost to my default individual floor plan whenever I unfastened a caller tab, and my attempts to debar utilizing the unpleasant Google Docs mobile app person been unsuccessful. The telephone refuses to fto maine unfastened the desktop website for Google Docs successful the browser while utilizing my activity profile, nary matter really galore ways I effort to sneak up connected it. Apps for illustration Slack make nary usage of the other surface space, alternatively presenting a stretched type of the telephone app pinch a batch of achromatic space. But The Verge’s Senior News Editor (and chap foldable fan) Richard Lawler tipped maine disconnected to a amended way: opening Slack successful a Chrome tab alternatively than the Slack app pinch the soul screen. It’ll punctual you to unfastened the app instead, because you’re utilizing a telephone aft all, but you conscionable person to return the other measurement to outsmart it. Maybe the unification of ChromeOS and Android will person immoderate trickle-down benefits for the tablet portion of an Android foldable, but moreover if it does that may not hap for a while.

Anyway, that’s each portion of the invisible constituent successful this arrangement: patience. It takes a definite benignant of personification to want to find a measurement to unfastened Slack successful a Chrome tab connected the soul surface of a folding phone. Judging by immoderate of the glances I’ve gotten astatine the java shop erstwhile I’m utilizing my mobile setup, that’s not thing everyone is up for. And location are still limitations to activity pinch — artillery life is obscurity adjacent arsenic bully arsenic my MacBook, and erstwhile the telephone is dead, truthful is my lifeline to the remainder of the world. I’ve recovered it’s a bully fresh for shorter stints, possibly an hr aliases two, but I wouldn’t effort to make a afloat time retired of Purse Computer without building successful clip to recharge.

And you cognize what? I’m conscionable good pinch that. I don’t request a foldable to beryllium my all-day laptop, because that’s not what Purse Computer is about. I conscionable want thing easy to transportation successful a regular container truthful I tin beryllium a quality retired successful the world for a fewer hours. The clash of packing up my backpack is conscionable capable to support maine from leaving the location astir workdays. But erstwhile it’s conscionable a matter of carrying the telephone I was going to bring anyway, positive a small keyboard that fits into the mini container already connected the backmost of my bike, abruptly it’s a overmuch easier travel to make.

Mr. Mobile agrees. “You person to usage it to understand its utility,” he says. And erstwhile you’re hooked, “going backmost to different telephone starts to consciousness almost primitive.” I’ll person to move connected from the Fold 7 soon enough, because a telephone reviewer can’t get excessively comfortable. But I person a emotion the Trifold I’ll beryllium testing soon will connection plentifulness much ways to research pinch leaving my laptop astatine home.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge