Foldable Phones Could Become Primary Work Devices in the AI Era

I predict that the laptop market may shrink and that foldable phones will become a major way for people to interact with computers. Much of the work currently done on computers can be handed over to AI, but people will still need a convenient device for directing that work — one capable of managing several tasks in parallel and showing them simultaneously. I see foldable screens as the best form of AI work terminal.

The reasoning behind this prediction is that AI is changing how work is divided between people and computers. Traditionally, using a laptop meant opening applications, entering information, operating interfaces and repeatedly switching between programs. As AI agents become capable of carrying out more tasks, people can devote more attention to setting goals, organising work, monitoring progress and reviewing results. The role of the device may change accordingly.

If many tasks are completed by AI in the background or in the cloud, the device we carry may no longer need to be the place where every step is performed manually. What matters more is being able to see several tasks at once, inspect their results, revise instructions and approve important actions. Foldable phones offer a practical advantage in their physical design: they are easy to carry when closed, but open into a larger display suitable for supervising several activities within one interface.

Of course, a folding display alone does not make a device the most effective AI work terminal. The experience also depends on the operating system’s multi-window capabilities, background task management, input methods and the reliability of the AI systems carrying out the work. Activities requiring sustained, precise control — including software development, complex document editing and music production — may still be better suited to a large display and physical keyboard. Demand for laptops may therefore persist.

My prediction is that as people move from performing many individual computer operations to supervising AI systems, foldable phones could take over more of the everyday tasks that currently require a laptop. Whether they eventually become the primary work device will depend on what AI can reliably do and how human–computer interfaces evolve. The decisive factor will be the way we work.