 Well, looky here, I have in my hand a folding phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, which obviously means that it is time to talk about metaphors. Yeah, you know, metaphors. It's been a minute since we made a video in the processor series. So let's do it, which means that it's time for me to say, here's a question. Are phones really fashion? Okay, actually two questions because spoiler alert, the answer to the first question is yes. So a better question actually might be, what does it mean that phones are fashion? All right, talking about metaphors is super dangerous. Let's go with dangerous, yeah. So let's set some ground rules. First, even if you think you don't care about fashion, that doesn't mean that fashion isn't a useful thing to think about in relation to technology. Second, if you're not familiar, just know that fashion is very serious business. It's not frivolous, it's not unimportant. It is a huge industry. We're gonna get to that. Third, even though the thing that's got me thinking about fashion and technology is this Galaxy Z Flip 3, I am not here to tell you whether or not this particular design is especially stylish or on trend. I mean, I personally think this two-tone cream colorway is sick and I really love the bold blue and neon orange case that Samsung is selling, but that's me. You see, part of Samsung's goal with this phone is to have it appeal to people as a stylish object. They want it to be something that participates in the culture of fashion. But what it's done for me is crystallize something that I've been thinking about for a while now. All phones do that and they have for a long time. Now, lots of people have pointed out how phones are fashion. That's really nothing new, but I think that comparison is a lot more relevant than most people realize. It's more than just picking a trending color palette or shaping a jewel-like chamfered edge on a phone. It's not about making the phone fashionable. It's actually that I think the phone industry and the fashion industry work in very similar ways. But to make my point, I just wanna go through a few similarities between, say, buying a pair of pants and buying a phone. So there are new and slightly different versions of each kind of line of thing you wanna buy every fall, and sometimes there's even a spring collection. The most expensive version of the thing has basically the same functionality as the cheap version. I mean, there is a difference, but really when it comes to functionality, pants is pants. So part of what you're paying for on the expensive stuff is the quality of the materials and the quality of the build. And you're also paying for a brand label. I mean, honestly, part of the reason people like phones is that there's this allure of something new, not just increased functionality. And clothes are like that too. They're often about participating in the now, where phones are often about participating in the future. And with both, there are people who are obsessed with keeping up and paying attention. And there's also people who don't really care at all. And even when we donate our used stuff with both clothes and phones, maybe buying too much of them and not thinking through their impact on the environment or workers is not such a great thing. Oh, and also there are magazines and influencers and websites and entire industries dedicated to covering the phone industry and also the fashion industry. I could go on and on, but you get the point. There are a lot of parallels between these two industries, but you're also probably thinking about the differences. And yes, of course, there's a bunch. Here's one example. Buying one brand of pants doesn't lock you out of buying another brand's shoes in case you're looking for a ecosystem lock-in metaphor to go along with this fashion metaphor. But no, we're not gonna get into walled gardens. That's not the metaphor we're here for today. Instead, I think, you know what? The most important difference between phones and fashions is the one that's actually starting to dissipate a little bit. Technology, and especially phone technology, it tends to get better every year, but that's slowing down a little bit. With fashion, things change, and yes, sometimes there are technical advancements, but the year-over-year differences are more about culture, not about improved function. With phones, every year you tend to get something that does more or works better than last year's thing. But with phones, I think that dynamic is starting to change, to be just a little bit more like fashion. Now, I'm not saying that innovation is dead or all phones are the same or specs don't matter anymore, but I do think we are at the point where even cheap phones are really good and can do the vast majority of stuff that people want out of a phone. I mean, compare this $1,000 flip phone here to this $450 Pixel 5a 5G, and think about how your life would be substantially impacted if you had one or the other. The difference might not be that big, or if you're an iPhone person, how big would the difference be between having an iPhone SE or the latest iPhone 12 or upcoming 13? When it comes to the basic functionality of clothing, pants is pants. And at least when it comes to the basic capability of phones, phones is phones. And that is partly why the Z Flip 3 is so interesting. Like Dan Siefert said in our review on theverge.com, this is a totally normal phone that just happens to fold up. And there will be a lot of people who buy it for some practical reason about the functionality, like, you know, it fits in a pocket. But I think even more are gonna buy one because it makes some kind of fashion statement. The functionality is almost exactly the same as any other phone, but the expression of that functionality is different. Okay, so all this is fine as an academic exercise, but what should we actually do with this metaphor? Well, I think there's one more parallel between these two industries that we haven't really talked about that I do think can help us have a better relationship with our gadgets. See, both fashion and phones can be an expression of personal identity externally to other people, but I think more importantly, internally to ourselves. It's a lot easier to explain this idea with clothes than it is with phones. So maybe you've been looking at it. Let's talk about this vest. I bought it because it is very good for riding my bike. This fabric here blocks the wind, but the back is open, so it doesn't overheat me too much. It's got nice pockets. It compacts down to a really small package. It's super functional, but I also kind of like the way it looks in a certain way. But I also know that vests, especially in Silicon Valley where I live, are a venture capital bro kind of thing, a Patagonia business casual kind of, ugh, you know what I mean. Of course, it is just a vest, and for a lot of people who don't care that much about the cultural resonance of their clothing, it really is just a vest. But for a lot of us, it's more than that. So we can go through this exact same exercise with the phone. I bought it because it folds up and therefore fits in my pocket, and that is very nice. I also think it's very cool with its folding glass screen and its little exterior screen here. And I like that I can close it and then I'll only see my notifications and not be tempted to dip into Instagram because it's sitting right there or whatever. But there are external cultural connotations to this phone. Fortunately, I don't think they're as strong as the Tech Bro vibes that people might get off of this vest, but they're there. It's a Samsung. It's a green bubble, and I don't know, maybe you don't care about that. Instead, you think it's just like a little bit flashy when instead you should just get like a basic Pixel or a standard, you know, Galaxy A phone or whatever. But with both the clothing and the phones, I'm really trying to pay less attention to the external cultural connotations, although they do matter, and pay a little bit more attention to how these things make me feel, or for you, how your stuff makes you feel. I think this phone looks cool, and it's okay to buy stuff because it looks cool. High-end phones are usually interesting because they're techy, but the Flip 3 isn't techy. That's not part of what this expresses anymore. The tech here is starting to get actually kind of boring. Instead, I like that I have to physically do more to open this phone up and use it. I have to be more intentional about choosing to use it than I would on a regular phone, where I just like tap a fingerprint sensor or have it literally point at my face, and it unlocks, and I'm off to the races. Now, to be very clear, I am not trying to convince you to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 3. It is a good phone, but I know it's not for everyone. Instead, I'm trying to convince you that phones are about more than just their function or their specs. I think that tech operates in our culture a lot like fashion does, and when you get right down to it, clothing is also technology, just very, very old technology, and the way that we see ourselves is mediated and has always been mediated by technology. Phones are fashion, and fashion is culture, and all of that is a lot more complicated than it looks. Hey, everybody, thanks so much for watching. Just so it's out there, this video is not sponsored by the company that made this vest, or my, bleh, bleh. Like and subscribe. The vest is by Chrome. That'll work.