I've heard this before and it never made sense. Why would it neither be an actual phone or tablet? It is literally a hybrid device of both. It has the same phone OS as other Android slab phones, so it literally is a phone, and doubles as a full-featured mini Android tablet.
I made the analogy earlier, but it's worth repeating…
A crescent wrench has all the properties of a box wrench. It's adjustable to any size and means you don't have to have a wide range of box wrenches.
But if you need to turn a bolt would you reach for a box wrench of the correct size or a crescent wrench?
Having worked with crescent wrenches, even good quality ones, I will choose the box wrench of exact size every time. A crescent wrench is a wrench, but it is not specific.
A foldable is a jack of all trades and while capable of being both a phone and a tablet, it is master of neither of those things.
I think you probably will disagree, but that's my take on it.
Just to be clear, I'm not making this an Android vs iOS argument, it's just Apple doesn't have a foldable to compare with. I love MacOS and our household has iPhones, iPads (M1 Air and Pro 12.9), Apple Watch, AirPods Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, so we are big Apple fans. For me, my past iPhones always felt basic and restrictive. The features of my Fold 4 allow me to enjoy content more comfortably, as well as be more productive when needed.
I have no problem with this. I own both Android and iPhone. I'm typing this on a 2009 Mac Pro and around me are Macs from the Intel and PowerPC era. And one Intel Thinkpad running Windows 7.
My Pixel 3a XL is a great phone, although limited to Android 12.
I work from home now and use multiple disays for work. If needed, I can connect in my 43" desk monitor too. Even with easy access to bigger screens there are times at home I simply prefer to unfold my phone and do something instead of reaching for my 12.9 iPad or taking my Mac out of sleep. It's just another option I can have. If I'm away from home it's easier to stay productive on the larger screen without the hassle of carrying a large tablet. There is also added benefit for leisure too. When on the couch I'm more apt to unfold the phone and enjoy some reading or YouTube instead of grabbing my heavy iPad 12.9. The convenience and versatility is just unmatched in a foldable that fits in my pocket just as well as my previous iPhones.
The majority of the time I have my hands on my keyboard and my mouse. It's just easier to use the Mac for something. I haven't moved on to making/receiving calls on the Mac yet so my phone is still used for that purpose. But having to take my hands off the keyboard and mouse to reach over and grab my phone is annoying sometimes. My iPad is primarily used at night in bed because my wife banned laptops in the bedroom a very long time ago.
If I had another spot to sit in the front room (other spots are occupied by family members) I'd be using a laptop. Computers are just what I'm used to and even small laptops have larger screens than the largest phone or smallest tablet.
As far as leaving the house, I get out once or twice a day to drop family off or pick them up. The most I am ever waiting is about half an hour to 45 minutes and I am neither doing work nor being productive. My 11 Pro Max and the larger phones I had before that is just fine for reading the Apple News or Google News app.
Any work I do for my employer is done at home because the Mac they issued me is connected to two large displays and sits in clamshell mode all the time. Quite frankly, except to make up work hours, my employer does not own my time and you will never find me doing work outside the house (or outside the office when I was working in an office).
That's my time.
