1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is in a class by itself, with huge power, a huge internal display, and more features than you’ll know what to do with. Samsung has been making foldable phones longer than any other maker on this list, and it shows in the refinement and polish on the latest Fold 5.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 stuns onlookers every time we unfurl the huge display within. That 7.6-inch span makes it more of a small tablet than a phone, and you’ll probably use the big inside screen more than the narrow cover display. That’s the whole idea of the foldable phone, and once you enjoy playing games or even writing notes on the inside screen, you won’t go back to flat phones.
The Google Pixel Fold software is a bit more simple, but the Galaxy Z Fold 5 still holds its own with S Pen stylus support, better color options, and tons of Samsung additions like DeX, which lets you make your smartphone into a desktop computer with a keyboard, mouse and monitor.
The Z Fold 5 prioritizes being a tablet, so if you’re looking for a big screen that you can carry anywhere, this is the phone for you.
2. Motorola Razr Plus 2023
The Motorola Razr Plus (or the Razr 40 Ultra outside the US) is more than just the best flip-style phone you can buy, it’s an entirely new category of smartphone, offering more than any handset before it. With the phone shut, it’s a compact miniature communicator, a pocket mirror, and a palm-sized map.
That external display isn’t a gimmick, and it isn’t low-quality. It’s big: big enough to type on the keyboard with ease. Big enough that you’re not just getting driving directions, you’re reading the street names on the map.
The Razr Plus is the most fun phone that you can buy right now; it’s the most unique experience you’ll have with any smartphone. Just like the original Razr, this is going to redefine smartphone design and unleash a deluge of copies. Flip phones are about to have a big moment.
Even when the Razr Plus is bad, it’s good. The cameras aren’t great, but you can create such unique angles and shots that you might forgive the blur. Battery life could be better, but that’s because the extra screen is going to draw extra power. It’s a worthwhile trade.
If you’re bored with the incremental updates and minor tweaks you got with your last new phone, the Razr Plus will shake up your expectations for what a smartphone can be.
3. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the follow-up to one of the coolest phones Samsung ever made, and probably the first flip phone to change our minds about recommending the new flip phones. There was really only one glaring flaw with the older Flip 4, and that was the tiny cover display, but Samsung has thankfully added a bright new screen on the outside for your viewing pleasure.
If you need a high-performing phone that can fold compact, you won’t find a faster flip than the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Motorola’s Razr Plus may be more stylish, but it’s still using last year’s chipset inside, and not the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (‘for Galaxy,’ of course).
We wish there were better cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, and maybe better battery life, but it still outpaces the competition in both, and Samsung has the most experience when it comes to foldable phones, so the software is polished and ready for fun.
4. Google Pixel Fold
The Google Pixel Fold arrives a little late to the foldable party but it’s a smartphone/tablet combo that mostly delights, and it earns a place among our ranking of the best Foldable Phones.
From its construction, including its precision hinge, to its high-resolution screens, the Pixel Fold is a well-thought-out Android phone that’s equally at home as a small-screen, but thick, 5.8-inch phone or, unfolded, as a 7.6-inch mini tablet.
The large bezel around the main screen might give pause, but it quickly fades into the background. Even the unavoidable crease down the middle is somewhat less prominent than the crease on competing foldable phones. When you fold the Pixel Fold, the two sides meet with nary any visible space between them.
Google’s Android software is more simple and elegant than Samsung’s stuffed One UI skin, but apps generally look better on Samsung’s foldables. Google really needs to update Android to play nicer with the big screens.
Google also stumbles when it comes to the pricing, and $1,799 / £1,749 is a lot to pay. You’re essentially getting two premium devices in one here, and Google is asking you to pay for that.
5. Oppo Find N2 Flip
Oppo launched its first clamshell foldable internationally, in the Oppo Find N2 Flip; which seems purpose-built to trump the Z Flip 4 at almost every turn. Samsung answered with the Z Flip 5, but Oppo’s phone is still a solid device for a good price.
The Find N2 Flip packs a zero-gap folding design rated to withstand double the number of folds as Samsung’s alternatives, a significantly larger battery with faster charging, a larger cover display, equivalent flagship performance and perhaps, most importantly, a lower starting price.
A capable pair of rear-facing cameras – fronted by a 50MP sensor – can be used for snapping selfies, thanks to the N2 Flip’s huge 3.26-inch portrait cover display, while the 4,300mAh battery keeps the phone powered up for a day without worry and recharges rapidly thanks to 44W fast charging.
As well as undercutting Samsung on price, Oppo’s debut clamshell foldable also matches its rival on an impressive four years of OS updates and five years of security updates.
6. Honor Magic Vs
Far later to market than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, with similar internals, the Honor Magic Vs is a great alternative for those after a book-style foldable for a little less than the category leaders.
Another big hook is the phone’s expansive 7.9-inch main display, enshrounded by an elegantly simply four-piece hinge which Honor claims is rated for up to 400,000 folds.
MagicOS 7.1 (which this device launches with) offers up to three-app simultaneous multitasking, but Samsung’s implementation is more elegant and offer stylus support in all markets, whereas Honor’s rival only boasts this feature on a China-only special edition.
The cameras deliver pleasing versatility but fall short when it comes to consistency and image processing.
Even with these shortcomings, however, the Magic Vs still feels pretty well-rounded in makes for a good placeholder until it’s successor – the Honor Magic V2 – truly makes it to market. US and Australian buyers need not apply, sadly.
