Best foldable phones in 2024: Samsung, Google & more

Looking to get yourselves a fancy folding smartphone? Here’s a list of the best foldable phones you can buy in 2024.

Foldable phones are no longer limited to the realm of sci-fi movies. In fact, foldable phones have been around since 2018. Six years later, almost every major phone maker has a foldable phone or two in their catalog.

Samsung’s foldable phones lead in terms of quality, but other brands like Motorola are dishing out affordable handsets, giving the South Korean giant tough competition. However, one big competitor is still missing, as we’re still waiting on more news regarding Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone.

So, if you’re looking for a new flagship phone and do not want to cheap out on a budget device, you can get one with a foldable screen. If you’re a gamer, a larger screen than most gaming phones can give you some extra screen real estate, which is always a bonus.

The list below has some of the best foldable phones you can buy right now, including tablet-style phones ideal for productivity and compact clamshell foldables too.

1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: The best foldable phone

Samsung

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Display:
  • Primary: 7.6-inches Dynamic AMOLED, 1812 x 2176, 120 Hz refresh rate
  • Secondary: 6.2-inches Dynamic AMOLED, 904 x 2316, 120 Hz refresh rate
• Battery: 4,400 mAh
• OS: Android 14
• Memory: 12GB
• Storage: 256GB, 512 GB, 1TB

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the best foldable phone right now. It’s the fifth-generation product from Samsung, which means that every iteration of the Z Fold has gotten better year by year. The gap between the displays has been eliminated, making the phone much more pocketable and compact.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has two gorgeous displays – a larger 7.6-inch inner display that folds in half when not required and a 6.2-inch cover display that helps you handle notifications and other tasks that do not warrant the bigger primary display.

Apart from the improved camera performance and minimal design, the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s software is key. Samsung’s OS offers a slew of handy features that allow you to get the most out of the large primary display on the phone such as widgets, handy user experience tools, and more.

If you want to use the phone for multitasking, then this phone is ideal. You can use it in a half-folded state like a tiny laptop, or in a split screen mode that lets you use two apps simultaneously.

While the matured design, AI-powered software, excellent display, and a powerful chipset under the hood make a strong case for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, its price tag, lackluster camera, and slow charging speeds might turn some users off. Even the S Pen, which has the best use case for the large screen, is sold separately.

2. OnePlus Open: The best fast-charging foldable phone

OnePlus

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Display:
  • Primary: 7.82-inches LTPO3 sAMOLED, 2268 x 2440, 120 Hz refresh rate
  • Secondary: 6.31-inches LTPO3 sAMOLED, 1116 x 2484, 120 Hz refresh rate
• Battery: 4,805 mAh
• OS: Android 14
• Memory: 16GB
• Storage: 512 GB

The OnePlus Open is one the best foldable phones to buy, thanks to its large display and fast charging tech, which is present on all OnePlus phones.

While it’s slightly cheaper than the other flagship foldables, it still commands a premium. However, you won’t be disappointed with what you get at this price point. The OnePlus Open is a rebranded Oppo N3 – with OnePlus firmware and signature design.

The OnePlus Open has one of the biggest displays in the foldable segment, and wider the aspect ratio of its displays makes it a convenient device for productivity. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the external display on this phone is also slightly wider, making it more useful for more than just basic tasks.

Under the hood, the OnePlus Open has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, coupled with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is ideal for most tasks thrown at it. OnePlus has used a heavily customized Android skin, which helps you open multiple apps at once using resizable windows.

OnePlus was able to offer a near-perfect foldable phone on its first attempt thanks to its parent company, Oppo, perfecting the device after a few iterations released in limited markets. It lacks wireless charging, a glaring omission on a phone that’s this pricey.

3. Google Pixel Fold: The best foldable phone for a Pixel experience

Google

• Processor: Google Tensor 2
• Display:
  • Primary: 7.6-inches OLED, 1840 x 2208, 120 Hz refresh rate
  • Secondary: 5.8-inches OLED, 1080 x 2092
• Battery: 4,821 mAh
• OS: Android 14
• Memory: 12GB
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB

Google is known for being a slow starter on the hardware front. While it took a few iterations for the company to nail the design of its Pixel lineup, Google has done a commendable job with its first gen foldable phone – the Pixel Fold.

The Pixel Fold has many software customizations to help get the maximum out of a tablet-sized phone, and it also has the best camera on a foldable smartphone. This is not a surprise, as Google has already perfected camera performance on its other phones thanks to a blend of software, AI and hardware.

The same is the case with the optimized Android experience on the phone, which comes packed with a ton of nifty features to streamline the wider aspect ratio’s demands. The sturdy hinge on the phone is worth a mention too, as it holds the phone in whatever position you want.

The Pixel Fold has a small, wide front display that feels natural and lets you type quickly, like on a regular phone.

While you’re bound to love the compact foldable phone with stellar camera performance, the thick bezels on the inner display and the sub-par performance of the Tensor G2 chipset may have you look at the other two book-styled foldable phones.

4. Moto Razr+: The best folding flip phone

Motorola

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
• Display:
  • Primary: 6.9-inches AMOLED, 1080 x 2640, 165 Hz refresh rate
  • Secondary: 3.6-inches OLED, 1056 x 1066, 144 Hz refresh rate
• Battery: 3,800 mAh
• OS: Android 14
• Memory: 8GB, 12GB
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB

The Moto Razr+ marks Motorola’s re-entry into the foldable phone segment. The Lenovo-backed company paused making foldable phones briefly after failing its first two attempts.

With the Razr+, Motorola has done away with the old Razr flip phone design and adopted modern design standards, which has given flip phones a new lease of life.

The Razr+ has almost all the ingredients required for a modern foldable phone, including a gorgeous 6.9-inch primary display with a 165 Hz refresh rate – the fastest among foldable phones. In addition, you have a handy and vibrant 3.6-inch external display for your notifications, too.

If you want to reduce your screen time, then the Razr+ could be perfect for you. Its external display is small enough not to get you hooked on social media apps or work emails, but instead just notify you of them. While this might be a downside to some, it’s certainly one way getting a flip phone can help you cut down on screen time.

5. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: The best Samsung folding flip phone

Samsung

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Display:
  • Primary: 6.7-inches AMOLED, 1080 x 2640, 120 Hz refresh rate
  • Secondary: 3.4-inches sAMOLED, 720 x 748
• Battery: 3,700 mAh
• OS: Android 14
• Memory: 8GB
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a compact flip-style foldable phone that is rugged and has a massively improved design compared to its predecessor. The external display on the previous Flip 4 was tiny and had minimal usage, but the company has finally addressed that with the Flip 5. Samsung has not only improved the design and increased the size of the external display with the Flip 5, but it also didn’t raise the price at launch.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 also has a much-improved hinge design that eliminates gaps between the two displays while folded, securing the inner display against any unwanted damage or dust. This improved hinge also means that you can use the phone in a semi-opened position. This might remind you of good old camcorders, ideal for vloggers and content creators.

The onboard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, coupled with 8GB of RAM can handle most tasks, and you can even play games on a large internal display. However, the camera performance on the phone hasn’t improved, as Samsung has reused the same camera module as its predecessor.

Lastly, while the secondary display is now bigger and better, it has a limited use case as it can only access widgets instead of apps directly.

Honorable mentions

• Moto Razr
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Are foldable phones safe to buy?

The tech used in foldable devices is improving with each generation. Compared to the first few foldable phones we saw, foldable phones in 2024 are way more rugged and feature-rich. That said, since these phones have moving parts and use a flexible OLED panel, they need extra care compared to your regular smartphone – especially while closing the lid.

Moreover, many of these phones now come with an IP rating for dust and water resistance, which means they can withstand more than normal wear and tear.

Will Apple make a foldable iPhone?

While Apple has not yet officially confirmed it, rumors hint that Apple is indeed working on a foldable iPhone and an iPad. However, these devices are not guaranteed to see the light of day.

Should I buy a foldable flip phone or tablet-style foldable?

There is no fixed parameter to decide which is the better one of the two. Each design has its pros and cons. The flip-style folding phone is better for content creators and people who want a compact, pocketable, large-screened phone. On the contrary, the tablet-style foldable phone is better for content consumption or for people who prefer multitasking.

In the end, it’s your use case and budget that defines the best foldable phone for you.

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