Samsung has significantly improved the Galaxy Z Fold 3 from its previous foldable phones. The latest Z Fold is much more durable than its predecessor, has more apps that can take advantage of the foldable display, and now supports the S Pen. This is arguably the best foldable phone Samsung has ever made.

However, there is one major drawback that has existed since the first Galaxy Z Fold debuted and remains even with the improvements in the latest version. Worse yet, this problem is unlikely to be fixed anytime soon.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a real pain to carry around.

The huge 7.6-inch display that appears when unfolded means that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is quite bulky when closed and moved. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is 0.62" thick when closed; the iPhone 12 Pro Max is 0.29" thick, so two iPhones stacked on top of each other are no thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Indeed, it is not a state secret that the Galaxy Z fold 3 is a super-sized phone. It's just that you won't get a display as big as this one, even if it's scaled down. More importantly, a larger workspace to get things done on the go is a trade-off that the majority of Galaxy Z Fold 3 owners are willing to make.

But if you're new to the foldable phone game, it's a tradeoff you should know before buying a $1,799 phone: as good as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is, it could be heavier in your pocket.

I have been using the phone for the past few weeks, both to test the Galaxy Z Fold 3's S Pen support and to write about the Z Fold 3's top features and how to enable them. During this time, I've kept the Galaxy Z Fold 3 close at hand, just as I would a cell phone for everyday use. And let me tell you, this is a phone that does not like to be confined to a pants pocket.

I'm used to carrying around cell phones of all shapes and sizes, even one as large as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and sometimes I forget it's there and start frantically patting myself down to see where the device is. with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 that does not happen.

And then there's the needlessly difficult trick of actually taking the Galaxy Z Fold 3 out of your pocket. Most cell phones can be easily slipped in and out with a little effort. By contrast, getting the Galaxy Z Fold 3 out of my pocket requires some rather unseemly contortions. My only consolation is that pickpockets who try to steal this foldable phone dislocate their shoulders.

As difficult as it is to carry the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in your pocket, I can't imagine how someone without pockets in their wardrobe, whether by their own choice or circumstance, would carry this phone. That said, the most likely ways to carry the Galaxy Z Fold 3 would be in a jacket, backpack, or purse. In the latter, the Samsung phone would fit in a large shoulder-slung purse, but a clutch bag or smaller purse might be difficult, depending on what else you carry.

If you decide to stash your Galaxy Z Fold 3 in a backpack, I recommend investing in one of the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases to protect your phone from bouncing into other items in your backpack The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has proven to be quite durable based on drop tests, but nothing made by human hands is indestructible.

Again, if carrying the Galaxy Z Fold 3 gives you the productivity of a tablet and the portability of a smartphone, a device with a large screen that is the selling point of a foldable phone, then the difficulty of carrying it around is well addressed There will be plenty of people who can. However, others who first see the Galaxy Z Fold 3 may not be so concerned about how big this phone actually is.

And it is this divide, I think, that prevents foldable phones from gaining greater acceptance as mainstream devices: devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 can tout many advantages, but there is no getting around the fact that these phones are not as portable as traditional phones. There is no getting around the fact that these phones are not as portable as traditional phones. Maybe that will be solved in future designs--such as rollable phones--or maybe it is something that phone makers like Apple and Google will address in their rumored folderable handsets. For now, however, the biggest accusation against the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the bulk that allows it to have a foldable screen in the first place.