The best foldable phones you can get in 2023

It’s taken a long time to get foldable phones into the hands of consumers. The idea of a smartphone that folded was something of a dream product for both users and phone makers. Now, phones with actual flexible and foldable displays are a reality. The big problem is that, at the moment, most are prohibitively expensive. This article will look at the current foldable phones on the market, plus a quick preview of what we might see in the future.

The pros and cons of foldable phones

Foldable phones are all the hype these days. Are they worth the higher price tag, though? The truth is we don’t believe they’ve quite evolved enough yet. And while foldable devices come with significant advantages, there are also plenty of downsides to look out for. Let’s help you decide by pointing out the pros and cons.

Pros

• Larger displays: This is an obvious advantage that comes with foldable phones. The inner displays can be so large that they start getting into tablet territory. This makes them much more functional and entertaining. Not to mention the larger foldables have a serious advantage when it comes to multitasking. And let’s not even get started with editing and gaming.
• Smaller bodies: Regardless of the type of foldable you get, the body can be made much smaller and more portable. Flip phone foldables can often fit comfortably in a shirt pocket!
• The fun factor: Foldable phones are still novelty items, and they are downright the coolest gadgets mobile tech has to offer. Any foldable phone owner is at the forefront of mobile technology and is bound to turn some heads when using his device.
• Better selfie photos: We can all agree that rear-facing cameras are pretty much always better than front-facing ones. This is what makes foldable phones so enticing for selfie aficionados. You can use the rear-facing cameras to shoot selfies most of the time, and the external display can serve as a viewfinder.

Cons

• Water resistance is rare: While IP ratings are standard in most other high-end devices, they are still relatively rare in the world of foldable handsets. So far, very few have water protection. This makes sense, as these phones have more moving parts. It’s also important to note that dust resistance is even harder to achieve, and even the mentioned devices don’t have that.
• General durability is lacking: Furthermore, mechanical moving parts are yet another thing that can malfunction. Many of these devices are tested for about 200,000 folds, which is arguably more than enough. Still, having very reliable moving parts is always worse than having no moving parts.
• The crease!: Talking about moving parts, that typical crease that forms in the fold section is a serious eyesore. Manufacturers continue to improve this using advanced hinge mechanics, but very few have accomplished an unnoticeable crease.
• Thicker bodies: While foldable phones can be reduced in general size, all that material has to go somewhere. This is why foldables are much thicker than other phones. As an example, a Samsung Galaxy S23 is only 7.6mm thin. Meanwhile, when folded shut, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is 15.9-17.1mm. There’s also the matter of uneven folds. Sometimes the hinge makes it impossible to create a uniform fold, leaving annoying spacing between the flaps.
• Foldable screens are still worse: Foldable smartphone screens can’t be made with glass, which is arguably much better than plastic. Glass isn’t truly flexible, a requirement when you have a screen that needs to be folded in half. Plastic screens have less clarity, don’t look as nice, and are more often to scratches and general damage.
• They are expensive: Foldable smartphones are still costly. Among the most affordable is the Moto Razr 5G, which can currently be had for about $600. That’s because it’s getting older, though. At launch, it was $1,400. Pricing standards are generally higher in the foldable market. We consider the Galaxy Z Flip 4 “affordable,” and it launched at $999.

The best foldable phones

Editor’s note: We will update this foldable phone list as more devices hit the market.

Google Pixel Fold

After long anticipation and an onslaught of rumors, the Google Pixel Fold is finally here, and it’s busting doors with a heavy price tag. It costs $1,799, but it is still one of the best foldable phones available.

It’s powered by the same Google Tensor G2 we’ll find on the Pixel 7 series, as well as the Pixel 7a. It also carries 12GB of RAM, and a 4,821mAh battery with 21W wired charging.

Additionally, you’ll enjoy a large 5.8-inch exterior display that’s much more usable than those in other foldable. It has a 2,092 x 1,080 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The larger interior display measures 7.6 inches and also has a 120Hz refresh rate. Other features include wireless charging, an IPx8 certification, a trio of high-end cameras, and 256/512GB of storage.

This is a high-end foldable phone through and through. We wish it had faster wireless charging, as it is limited to 7.5W, but that is our only real complaint about it. Oh, and its price.

Pixel Fold specs:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is now the latest and greatest foldable from Samsung and is a minor upgrade over its predecessor. It packs a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 4,400mAh dual battery. While the battery life still isn’t elite, it’s a solid cell to keep you moving throughout your day.

There are still three cameras at the back, a 10MP front-facing camera on the external display, and an under-display selfie shooter that packs just 4MP. The phone sports a side-mounted fingerprint reader and S Pen support in an attempt to capture some of that Galaxy Note glory.

The main display is quite big when unfolded at 7.6 inches, while the smaller one comes in at 6.2 inches. You also get an IPX8 rating, Android 12L, and wireless charging.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 specs:

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Samsung’s other premium foldable takes on the clamshell market in the form of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. While the Fold 4 might take a lot of the headlines, this is the one to buy if you’re ready to test out a relatively affordable foldable phone.

The Flip 4 offers excellent build quality, with a premium exterior finish and a 6.7-inch internal display. The external display comes in at 1.9 inches to make managing your notifications that much easier. On the inside, you’ll find a powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor leading the charge, with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage backing it up.

There are two 12MP rear cameras and a 10MP front-facing camera. The handset also comes with a 3,700mAh battery and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the most affordable folding option from Samsung, so it might just be the springboard the company needs to reach the masses.

Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs:

OPPO N2 Flip

The OPPO N2 Flip became one of our favorite foldable devices very quickly. Just look at it. We could argue it’s the best-designed flip foldable to date. It’s gorgeously designed and has an exquisite build quality. Other things we liked about it were the all-day battery life, the fact that there’s no display crease, selfies are great, and the device comes paired with a long-term update policy. The device will get four Android updates and five years of security patches.

It’s no weakling, either. The phone is plenty powerful. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 Plus, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 4,300mAh battery. The main display measures 6.8 inches and has a Full HD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. Even the external display is excellent, offering a 3.26-inch panel with a 720 x 382 resolution that can reach 60Hz refresh rates.

Of course, the device comes with its downsides. Charging is lower than we would expect an OPPO phone to be, as it doesn’t have SuperVOOC charging. Additionally, the cameras aren’t great, and the device only has an IPx4 rating. We also wish OPPO would have given us more freedom over the external display, which is quite limited.

Overall, though, this is still one of the best foldable phones you can get right now. The price is also pretty good for a foldable, at £849, which is about $1,025 USD.

Find N2 Flip specs:

OPPO Find N2

While much less popular than the other devices on this list of the best foldable phones, the OPPO Find N2 is one of the best of its kind. For starters, the design is gorgeous, while keeping a smaller profile that will help with portability. Additionally, it has no noticeable crease where the display folds. The hinge also feels much more robust, and looks much more seamlessly designed than others. Not to mention the design and materials, which are nothing short of premium. OPPO sure knows how to make good hardware!

The OPPO Find N2 is not cheap, but you’ll get plenty for your money. Specs are plenty powerful, offering a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, as much as 512GB of storage, and a 4,520mAh battery. Both the outer and inner displays are excellent, offering AMOLED technology with 120Hz refresh rates.

All in all, we would highly recommend the OPPO Find N2 to foldable enthusiasts. The only real issue is that it can’t be had officially in the USA, but it’s easy to import it.

Find N2 specs:

HONOR Magic Vs

While not as popular in the USA, HONOR makes one of the best foldable phones around. The HONOR Magic Vs comes with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, and 8-12GB of RAM. This may not be the latest processor anymore, but the device is still very powerful and sits comfortably in the high-end category.

In our review we mention we like what the unit has to offer in terms of price point. The €1,599 MSRP is much better than the closer to $2,000 its main competitors want to charge. It also comes with an excellent hinge design that allows there to be no gap when folded. It has a good battery life, super fast 66W charging, and a pretty solid triple-camera system.

Sadly, it has no water resistance, or wireless charging. We also don’t like the fact that the main screen has a 120Hz refresh rate while the outer one sticks with 90Hz. Regardless, those are downsides some of you may not mind living with, especially if it means spending less.

Magic Vs specs:

Motorola Razr 2022

Motorola announced its foldable Razr smartphone with a familiar name and design in late 2019, launching it in early 2020. It then followed up with the Razr 5G, a significant improvement later in 2020 that fixed many design and spec problems. Motorola is back in action with the Moto Razr 2022, a device we can finally consider a high-end handset.

This time around, the device comes with a sleek design, a large outer screen, and overall better looks. Additionally, it’s a very powerful device, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 found inside. It also has 8-12GB of RAM, as much as 512GB of storage, and a foldable 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a great 144Hz refresh rate.

While the battery is considered small at 3,500mAh battery, that’s a vast improvement over the previous iteration’s 2,800mAh battery. We still believe the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is an overall better offering, but the Moto Razr 2022 definitely has a better design.

The only downside is that the Motorola Razr 2022 isn’t officially available in the USA. At least it has seen a global launch, though, and you can easily get it imported if you really want.

Razr 2022 specs:

Are there any other options?

There aren’t that many foldable phones on the market right now, although the ones listed above aren’t the only ones you can choose from. A few other manufacturers have also released their own foldable phones, some of which you can check out below. However, remember that most of these are only available in China for now, and the possibility of them making their way over to the US or Europe is slim to none.

• vivo X Fold (buy here): This foldable is also similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, featuring a smartphone screen on the outside and a tablet-sized folding display on the inside. It also offers two ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensors (one for each screen), the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Soc, and four rear cameras.
• HUAWEI Mate X3 (buy here): This phone is pretty powerful, and actually comes with an IPX8 rating. It also has great cameras and a gorgeous design. The only reason we don’t recommend it is because it has no Google services.
• HUAWEI Pocket S (buy here): The Pocket S is a great flip phone if you can live without Google services, too. It comes with mid-end specs, but a great design.

The future of foldable phones

What does the future of foldable phones with flexible displays look like? TCL gave us a look at two possible new designs back in 2020. One is called the Tri-Fold foldable concept device. The phone itself is thick as three phones piled on top of each other. Its two hinges cause it to fold out like an accordion, resulting in a big 10-inch tablet-sized screen.

The other TCL concept is not a foldable phone; it’s a rollable phone. It looks like a standard smartphone, but you can roll out the flexible design inside from left to right.

TCL has a pretty intelligent strategy of showing off prototypes and designs without releasing anything at the consumer level, so don’t hold your breath. However, it is an idea of where things may be going.

Furthermore, OPPO has previously demonstrated the OPPO X 2021 rollable phone. Again, this isn’t a foldable phone, but it does seem like a very intriguing alternative to foldables.

More recently, we’ve seen Samsung playing with the idea of a dual-folding device, which also has a unique way to store the S Pen.

Additionally, Motorola joined the rollable display party at MWC 2023, where it showed off the Rizr.

The best upcoming foldable phones

As we look forward to a brighter future for foldables, some of you might be interested in knowing what’s coming in the near future. You might want to wait for some of the phones we’re expecting to come later in 2023. There are some pretty exciting ones, but just remember that some of the information in this section is based on rumors and speculation. Click on the device names to learn more about any product that calls your attention.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: We’re patiently waiting for the next Galaxy Z Fold, and we will likely see its launch in August. Rumors say it will have an improved hinge, high-end specs, and more.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Of course, we should also see the smaller Samsung foldable around August. It is also expected to get a new hinge mechanism, as well as a larger cover screen, and a nice selection of high-end specs.
• TECNO Phantom V Fold: This is looking to be the most affordable foldable, at least in terms of devices that fold out into a larger screen. It is also already announced and we’re just waiting for its launch, likely in Q2 of 2023.

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