Top 5 Best Foldable Phone in 2024

Never before has there been more excitement surrounding flippable and foldable phones. Over the past several years, fun and powerful new designs have really come into their own. From expensive novelties to some of the best Android flagship phones, we now have an abundance of options that will appeal to all tastes.

Although Samsung was the one who actually started this trend in 2019 with the tablet-like Galaxy Z Fold, Motorola was also fast to join the fray, surprising us just a few months later with a smartphone-specific redesign of its legendary Razr V3. All of a sudden, we had two interesting form factors to choose from: flip phones, which brought back the whimsical and little designs of a bygone period, and vertically folding phones, which catered to people who sought pocketable tablets for serious productivity.

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Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Top 5 Best Foldable Phone in 2024

1.Motorola Razr+ (2023)

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

When the Motorola Razr Plus was released in June 2023, it seemed to be a sea change for foldable phones. Because of their more portable design, flip phones, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Razr, have always provided a certain amount of convenience as compared to regular phones. Flip phones are still primarily meant to be used while open, so generally, the experience didn’t feel all that different from using a standard phone.

The Razr Plus’s huge cover screen demonstrated how that is changing. Although it may not seem like much, using the Razr Plus has just how important having more screen real estate is. It has a little screen that fits in the palm of your hand, so you can use it for more than just seeing the time and receiving notifications.

The Razr Plus boasts an eye-catching style that draws attention right away.more aesthetically beautiful and simpler to hold because it has a vegan leather back in a magenta color. Moreover, the Razr Plus is remarkably light and thin. The statistics provided on the websites of both Samsung and Motoroa indicate that the Razr Plus is roughly the same weight and thickness as the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but it feels significantly smaller.

Prior to discussing the Razr+, it is important to remember that Motorola plans to introduce the Motorola Razr, a less expensive Razr variant, later this year. It will have many of the same features as the Razr+, including an expansive 6.9-inch internal screen, an adjustable hinge, and an exterior screen with Gorilla Glass Victus. But the 1.5-inch pOLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate will be the Razr’s exterior screen. This tiny screen, according to Motorola, is intended for digital minimalists. Although the business hasn’t disclosed the pricing or release date, it claims that this model will be less expensive than the Razr+, so if you’re shopping on a tight budget, it might be worth waiting for.

Returning to the Razr+, its closed dimensions are 3.48 by 2.91 by 0.59 inches (HWD). Its dimensions when open are 6.73 by 2.91 by 0.28 inches (HWD). When the phone is folded, you would need to exert significant force to jam a business card into the center of the device because the two halves of the phone come together without a noticeable space between them like on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

It’s interesting to note that the Razr+’s weight changes based on the color you select. It weighs about 6.65 ounces for the Infinite Black and Glacier Blue colors, which have a matte finish (on the non-screen section) and a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus glass panel. The exterior screen is covered in shiny Victus glass, which can be a fingerprint magnet. However, when the external display is lighted brightly, the fingerprints vanish. A vegan leather back is a feature of the eye-catching Viva Magenta edition, which makes it somewhat lighter at 6.51 ounces. The Viva Magenta Razr+ is exclusive to T-Mobile, while it is also offered on Motorola’s website.

With an IP52 classification, the Razr+ is resistant to dust but not dustproof, and it can withstand light rain but not splashes or submersion. That is a little disappointing because, although it isn’t dust resistant, the Flip 4 can be submerged in fresh water for up to 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1.5 meters. According to Motorola, the glass is made to endure 400,000 folds, which is twice as many as the previous generation, and the teardrop hinge is novel.

2.OnePlus Open

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

When Android 14 was released, the OnePlus Open was also released, thus owners had to wait until recently to receive the most recent OxygenOS14 update, which included the latest version of Android. With the most recent update, the OnePlus Open now has some AI picture editing capabilities, but OnePlus is continuing to defy expectations and avoid including an abundance of pointless AI tools on its phones. Since introduction, the pricing has stayed the same, which isn’t too bad considering that this is still the greatest foldable tablet phone available and the ongoing $200 trade offer makes it the most affordable foldable phone overall.

The first foldable phone that feels comfortable on a tablet is the OnePlus Open. The Pixel Fold, which was released recently, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the two previous “Folds,” all feel off. When closed, they have odd shapes: the Pixel is too squat, and the Galaxy is too narrow. The shape of the OnePlus Open is excellent, and it’s the biggest change OnePlus could have made to the form factor. You shouldn’t feel like your phone is the incorrect size half the time if you’re paying twice as much for it.

When you first open the OnePlus Open, its display greets you with the largest, brightest, and most gratifying of all the large foldable phones. The crease is not even detectable when you touch it; you have to look closely to see it.

The best part is that opening this phone is simple and pleasant. The Pixel Fold never likes to fold flat; it requires an awkward second push, and the Galaxy can be rather stiff at first. I was always afraid I would damage my Pixel Fold. I open the hinge, and the OnePlus Open instantly reacts.

The OnePlus Open is just better than other foldable tablets. When closed, its dimensions are more ideal. It opens more easily. The Open is superior in every aspect, but OnePlus went beyond just adding a foldable hinge. It also included incredibly good cameras, something no other manufacturer of foldable phones has dared to do.

The fold-in-half design’s size restrictions have led to cameras on every other foldable phone that range from subpar to completely horrible. With the best cameras among the group, the OnePlus Open is almost as excellent as the top phones with flat cameras—better than any foldable device I’ve used thus far.

Naturally, this calls for an enormous camera hump around rear. The hump is a powerful bubble that is twice as thick as the largest camera bump you have ever seen. However, even if there were moments when the phone felt strange in my pocket, it was still a worthwhile trade-off.

It’s unfortunate that the greatest folding phones to far haven’t had cameras to match the capabilities of these devices because foldable phones can be so flexible when it comes to camera angles. That is largely fixed by the OnePlus Open.

When folded, the OnePlus Open is the thinnest folding phone I’ve ever seen, and when it’s open, it’s exactly as thin as the Pixel Fold. Somehow, OnePlus Open manages to be lighter than all the others while providing better battery life and larger displays.

In actuality, it weighs a lot less than the Pixel, which is really noticeable when carrying it. The OnePlus Open weighs almost the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max from the previous year. It’s a remarkable feat to cram two screens, a bigger battery, and the upgraded camera into a unit that weighs the same as the greatest iPhone from the previous year. The iPhone 15 Pro Max this year is somewhat lighter thanks to titanium.

Thanks to OnePlus’s beautiful and straightforward software design, using the OnePlus Open is a pleasure. We’re happier that this phone lacks some of the features included in the Galaxy Z Fold 5 instead. OnePlus has simplified the process of creating a functional home screen, accessing tools and settings, and managing numerous windows at once.

What is the recommended size of a foldable tablet? When folded, it would have the exact same dimensions as a standard smartphone and, when open, those of a small tablet. Of all the foldable phones I’ve seen, the OnePlus Open is the closest to reaching this perfect size.

Most notably, the cover display’s aspect ratio is nearly exact to that of the greatest phones available. An iPhone’s aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The aspect ratio on the OnePlus Open is 20:9. It doesn’t appear excessively thin, as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and all previous ‘Galaxy Fold’ models have, nor does it appear excessively squat and wide, as the Pixel Fold does.

When closed, the OnePlus Open is undoubtedly hefty. I tried to think of the last time I had a flat phone this thick. When closed, the 2009 iPhone 3GS was roughly 12 mm in thickness, which is identical to the OnePlus Open. The iPhone 4 revolutionized thin phones with metal frames and glass on the front and back by shrinking the phone significantly.

3.Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 weighs at 8.92 ounces, which is less than the 9.28 ounces of the Fold 4, and has a beautifully polished, fitted, and finished package. It feels like you are carrying the Fold 5 instead of hauling it, which makes the ostensibly tiny 0.36-ounce difference significant. Whether you hold the gadget closed or open, the weight is well distributed, and it feels balanced. In contrast, because the cameras on the 10-ounce Google Pixel Fold can feel like a counterbalance, using the phone can be challenging. There are five colors for the Z Fold; however, two are only available on Samsung’s website. Though the Blue and Gray models are accessible, the Cream, Icy Blue, and Phantom Black varieties are generally available.

The Z Fold 5 is 6.10 by 2.64 by 0.53 inches (HWD) when closed, whereas the Fold 4 is 6.11 by 2.64 by 0.62 inches (HWD). The Fold 5 folds flat, eliminating the wedge-shaped form of the earlier models and making it marginally thinner than the others. When folded, the Google Pixel Fold measures 5.5 by 3.1 by 0.5 inches, making it slimmer. Folded, the Z Flip 5 measures 3.4 by 2.8 by 0.6 inches, making it even lighter and smaller. The Fold 5 (6.10 by 5.11 by 0.24 inches) is somewhat smaller when unfolded in all dimensions than the Fold 4 (6.11 by 5.12 by 0.25 inches). These small adjustments result in a more portable, comfy gadget.

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is more drop resistant than Victus+ on the Fold 4, is used to protect the cover screen and back panel. Like the Pixel Fold and the Flip 5, the Z Fold 5 maintains the same IP classification of IPX8, which it shared with the Fold 4. Therefore, while it is completely water resistant, it is not dustproof.

The 7.6-inch inner screen retains the same 4:3 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and 2,176 by 1,812-pixel resolution as the Fold 4, but it can become brighter than before, reaching a peak brightness of 1,750 nits as opposed to 1,000 nits. The fold’s crease is still discernible. It is most noticeable when the screen is completely black and least noticeable when you have two apps open in a 50/50 split screen. When you examine text, images, and videos on the screen, you probably won’t see the distorted portion of the screen. Furthermore, compared to the crease on the Fold 4, the folded area feels a little shallower to the touch.

The Fold 4’s 4MP under-display camera is located in the same spot. It’s hardly perceptible and appears to be less of a camera and more of a dried water spot. Similar to the crease, the under-display camera is more visible in dark environments.

Similar to its predecessor, the Z Fold 5’s 6.2-inch outer screen has a resolution of 2,316 by 904 pixels, an aspect ratio of 23.1:9, and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.

When the Z Fold 5 is opened, the two speakers are situated on the upper left and lower left corners. A USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port for 25W rapid wired charging is located on the bottom right. On the left side is a nano-SIM slot, while on the right side is a hybrid fingerprint sensor/power button and volume rocker. It is easy to place your finger on the sensor because the combination button is recessed.

There is a peculiarity with fingerprint input: for the gadget to register your prints, it needs to be open. Your hand will strike the fingerprint sensor on the Z Fold 5 differently when held in this angle as opposed to when it is closed. This caused some frustration because, when the device was closed, one of my fingers (left hand, middle finger—possibly a cosmic joke) would regularly fail to open it. Still, the three other fingerprints functioned flawlessly.

Similar to phones from Honor, Oppo, and other brands, the Google Pixel Fold folds flat. Samsung made the perfect update to the Z Fold range, which was necessary.

4.Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The form factor and Samsung’s unique approach have rapidly evolved in the three short years that the Galaxy Z Flip line has solidified its place among the best foldables. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers some long-overdue improvements to counter new competitors in a market that Samsung used to have all to itself.

Although Samsung hasn’t exactly been complacent in the evolution of its foldable lines up to this point, the major improvements that the Z Flip 5 offers give us the impression that, for the first time, Samsung is catching up to competitors in the foldable market, like Oppo and the aforementioned Motorola. However, it has caught up.

Similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which debuted with it at the Samsung Unpacked event in July, the Z Flip 5 delivers a significant and long-overdue improvement over its folding predecessors: when the phone is closed, its two halves now fold completely flat against one another, leaving no space between them. Even though phones with foldable screens like these seem to be endowed with near-wizardry, Samsung has always had to account for the bend radius on the main screen of each device in order for the Flips and Folds to bend in half. This has led to a wedge-shaped profile, with a gap that can be seen through the middle of their folded forms.

Both the Flip 5 and Fold 5 now mimic the many competitors who already have such a design, albeit much thinner, without sacrificing IPX8-certified water resistance, which is still uncommon in the foldable market.

The Flip 5, with its considerably larger cover screen that now takes up most of the phone’s outside, may have more to celebrate than its transversely folding sister. This improvement goes beyond the Flip 5’s new, slimmer appearance. The Flip 5’s larger outer screen provides greater functionality without requiring the user to open the phone. This means that tasks like email triage, quick reply messaging, and checking notifications without opening full-screen apps are now easier to access than they were on the smaller outer screen of earlier models.

The Flip 5 still has a dual 12MP camera arrangement on the exterior, just like the 2022 Flip, but it also has a much more noticeable viewfinder thanks to the larger external cover display. This makes it easier than ever to frame images when you’ve placed the Flip 5 down on a level surface to take pictures with friends.

In reality, image quality has improved significantly across the board, particularly in terms of white balance and detail, even though the camera hardware appears to be the same between generations (apart from a new, lower-glare lens on the main sensor and a new image signal processor (ISP) because of its updated chipset).

The chipset is the last significant update to mention. It is the same specially-tuned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy that Samsung and Qualcomm worked on to create the Galaxy S23 series, which was released at the beginning of the year. It powers the new Fold 5 and Galaxy Tab S9 series as well, providing class-leading performance that is significantly better than the next-best clamshell foldable.

5.Motorola Razr (2023)

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The first clamshell foldable phone was the Motorola Razr, which debuted in 2019. However, the Samsung Z Flip was released a few months later. Since then, the companies have made adjustments to their designs and reduced their costs, resulting in this year’s Razr Plus 2023 and Z Flip 5, which are still beyond of reach for the majority of consumers. However, Motorola has recently launched the Razr 2023, the most reasonably priced foldable phone available globally, which I have been testing for the last twelve days.

While phone manufacturers such as TCL have been developing more affordable foldables for years, Motorola is the first to commercially market a foldable that feels and looks premium but costs a lot less than its competitors’ clamshell models.

In order to cut costs, Motorola gave up some features, such as a larger front display and more sophisticated specifications than its more expensive competitors. These are fair trade-offs, but the 128GB storage configuration’s single, non-expandable configuration is more difficult to accept. If you need more space, you’ll either need to use a cloud solution or shell out for the Razr Plus 2023, which has 256GB of built-in storage (which is also non-expandable).

However, you will have to give up a few things in order to have the Razr 2023, which Motorola is offering at launch for just. This phone is sleek and small.

Given their similar design progression, the Motorola Razr 2023 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 may first be confused for one another. The Razr gave up on its quirky flip phone design origins and appeared to take a more modern approach, adopting Samsung’s style. The Razr 2023 resembles a standard phone with a foldable central section. I didn’t detect the slight wrinkle in the display while it was unfurled flat, neither when I looked at it or ran my finger over it.

Overall, it’s a pleasant feeling to handle the Razr 2023. I folded it up and performed a few test drops on my carpeted floor without fearing that the two halves would separate thanks to its sturdy construction, which feels comfortingly dense. The phone snaps shut with a pleasant click, and when it’s unfurled, the two parts meet smoothly over the hinge cover at the rear. The Razr stays partially unfolded at any angle, making it difficult to open with one hand despite the added resistance in the hinge. This makes it ideal for video chats and taking selfies with the inside screen’s camera.

Even without the fold, the design is elegant, with a lustrous aluminum frame and hinge cover, and a vegan leather back cover that provides some much-needed texture. As someone who is used to a full-size phone, I found it difficult to get used to carrying a folded-up clamshell because it has a smaller footprint. The phone’s slim external twin cameras and small outer display are both shielded by the glass strip on the upper part of the rear.

When the phone is unfolded, its tall and narrow 6.9-inch OLED display (2,640×1,080 pixels) with a variable refresh rate up to 144Hz is revealed. It displays details that are vibrant and clear, on par with rival phones with 1080p Full HD quality. With a customizable refresh rate of up to 144Hz, the Razr’s home screen navigation and internet browsing are silky smooth. The Razr 2023 is comparable to other clamshell foldables in terms of its fully working inner display, but its outer screen is a different story.

The Razr 2023 sports a 1.5-inch OLED external screen in place of its larger sibling, the Razr Plus 2023. However, this screen is too small to display much information other than the time, app alerts, and a few shortcuts to the weather, contacts, calendar events, voice recording, and other features. To determine whether I need to unlock my phone, it’s about as beneficial to check my smartwatch for snapshots of notifications and texts. Taking selfies with the rear cameras—which are much better than the one above the inner display—is also helpful, but overall, it falls short of my expectations.

The 3.6-inch outer display of the more expensive Razr 2023 Plus foldable is big enough to accommodate a keyboard for typing, though most users will probably only use it as a notification and app preview screen, as well as to preview selfies. The smaller outer display is the most obvious compromise made in order to get to the lower price on the Razr 2023.

You will need to use Motorola’s characteristic gesture shortcut (twist your wrist twice while holding the smartphone) to launch the camera as there isn’t a camera shortcut on the outer display. Fortunately, this gesture is dependable. Yes, the Razr can be folded or unfolded while using the brand’s gesture shortcut to turn on the flashlight, which involves making two chop motions.

FAQs

Are foldable phones worth it?

Foldable phones are currently more expensive, specification for specification, than their conventional flat equivalents. In light of this, foldable phones must provide a feature to justify their increased cost. A foldable phone is worthwhile if you see the value.

Foldable phones that resemble books combine elements of a tablet and a regular phone. A book-style foldable tablet could be worth buying if you’ve ever wanted to have both at the same time but find it impractical to carry around a separate tablet, especially one that requires a separate data plan.

When not in use, clamshell foldables provide compact portability and can also be stylish show pieces. We believe that the advantages of a book-style foldable outweigh theirs. Who are we to say it’s not worth it, though, if you appreciate the concept of a tiny, fashionable, and flippable clamshell?

How Durable Are Foldables?

The hinges on foldables present an inherent design flaw. There is a point of failure whenever you add a moving part or parts. Despite their superb engineering, the hinges will eventually wear out. Motorola states that the Razr+ can endure 400,000 folds, while Samsung boasts that the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 can each withstand 200,000 folds over the course of their lifespan. There’s a lot going on there with the hinge. In simpler terms, 200,000 folds is equivalent to approximately 100 folds each day for almost five years.

How about that screen that bends? Certain foldable devices’ external screens are shielded from scratches and drops by Gorilla Glass. The interior screens are typically shielded by a second layer of folding glass since their flexible nature precludes manufacturers from covering them with the same tough materials as a standard phone.

As a result of the hinge’s engineering difficulties, no foldable device has yet obtained an IP68 certification that fully protects against dust and water. Due to its weak IP52 rating, the Moto Razr+ is resistant to most dust infiltration and can tolerate extremely small amounts of water (simple splashing). In contrast, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is completely water-resistant with an IPX8 rating, which does not include any dust protection.

What Is It Like to Use a Foldable Phone?

The experience with foldable phones differs slightly from that of a regular phone because you can use them closed or open. Selfies are an excellent illustration of how things are different. Typically, you use the front-facing camera on a conventional phone to shoot selfies so you can see the viewfinder. The greatest camera on a foldable varies depending on what you’re doing and the type of photo you want to take because they have various displays where you can see yourself.

As of right now, Android is the only mobile operating system compatible with foldable smartphones—there are no folding iPhones. The good news is that everyone who has used an Android phone in the last several years should be familiar with the robustness of the platform. Nevertheless, most Android apps aren’t designed with small or large screens in mind, hence Android suffers from usability problems in these situations.

What’s Next for Foldables?

With the advancement of folding phone technology, expect the devices to pack more power into ever-thinner and lighter frames, have lower bezels, and be more robust. Is a folding iPhone ever in Apple’s plans? It hasn’t formally endorsed the concept. Samsung has now refuted rumors that it may release less expensive foldables at some point in 2024. Since Samsung has a track record of integrating premium features into more reasonably priced handsets, a Z Fold FE appears inevitable—at least, we hope so.