Why You Can Trust CNET Here's all the stuff you could buy for the price of a Galaxy Fold
Samsung's transforming phone looks amazing, but I've got about two thousand reasons I won't get Fold. Again, I'd like to -- just can't justify it.
Samsung's just-announced Galaxy Fold is one of the most lust-worthy tech products in a long time. See, it's a phone that unfolds to become a tablet. Or, if you prefer, a tablet that folds up to become a phone.
However you italicize it, it'll cost you: The Fold starts at $1,980. Let me just check under the couch cushions real quick, and... yep, nope.
I'm not saying it won't be an amazing product, just that my $1,980 could be put to much better use. Indeed, I started thinking about everything I could buy for that kind of money and came up with the following list. It's not meant to duplicate the Fold's functionality, but rather to sanity-check the expense. Sure, you'll get a fancy phone and a tablet, but also a whole bunch of other goodies.
Samsung Galaxy S9 unlocked: $600 at Amazon. Still a flagship phone, now at a lower price.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active: $199 at Samsung. Preorder Samsung's upcoming smartwatch now and get a free Wireless Charger Pad. The Active is loaded with fitness-minded features.
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet: $60 at Amazon. Just use your phone's hotspot feature for anytime, anywhere connectivity. Amazon's 8-inch tablet does just about everything you could want.
TCL 6 Series 55-inch Roku TV: $550 at Best Buy. It's the best picture for the money, period.
Why not?
Wheeler Power Fabric Recliner: $440 at Costco. The only thing better than watching TV is watching TV while reclining. And charging your phone, which you can do via the built-in USB port.
Four Tile Mate trackers and a Google Home Mini: $60 at Best Buy. This is a deal I just happened to catch earlier today. You can't always get this particular bundle, but you can right now, so why not throw it into the mix?
Wyze Cam Pan Wi-Fi security camera: $38 at Amazon. Hey, there's money left over, so definitely grab one of these. It's a surprisingly full-featured camera for the price.
Five months of Hulu: $30. Starting Feb. 26, the streaming service will drop its with-commercials rate to $6 per month -- meaning you can enjoy it for five full months without tipping the $1,980 scale.
Those are just examples, of course. You could swap out that chair or TV and buy yourself a decent laptop. The point is, $2,000 is a lot of money to spend on a single gadget, especially when there are less-expensive alternatives that give you the same capabilities.
What would you buy for that kind of dough?
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