When foldable phones initially came into the market, their exorbitant costs and occasional durability issues made them a costly luxury for the few – but today, after several years, they’re still some of the most excellent phones currently available.
If you are looking for one of the best foldable phones in the market, here is a list for you.
1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Core Specs
Weight: 282 g
Size: 159.2 x 68 x 16.8mm / 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9mm
OS: Android 10
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 4,500mAh
Screen: 6.2-inch / 7.6-inch
Resolution: 2260 x 816 / 2208 x 1768
CPU: Snapdragon 865 Plus
Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 12MP
Front camera: 10MP / 10MP
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 succeeds the Samsung Galaxy Fold, and it improves its design elements while also resolving its flaws. The smartphone is an ‘innie’ foldable having an external display for basic operations and a full inside display visible when the device is unfurled flat.
With a 6.2-inch display extending from edge to edge on the new foldable, this secondary external screen has been upgraded from the awkwardly small one outside the original Fold. When the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is folded shut, it resembles a traditional (although bulky) smartphone. The inner screen expands to 7.6 inches, and both screens use a punch-hole camera for a more modern look.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 features a Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage (unfortunately not extendable), a 4,500mAh battery, and 5G capability.
2. Huawei Mate Xs
Core Specs
Weight: 300 g
Size: 161.3×78.5x11mm
OS: Android 10
Battery: 4,500mAh
Rear camera: 40MP + 8MP + 16MP + TOF
Front camera: N/A
Screen: 6.6-inch / 8-inch
Resolution: 2480 x 1148 / 2480 x 2200
CPU: Kirin 990 5G
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB
The Huawei Mate Xs is the company’s follow-up to the Huawei Mate X. It’s an improvement in several ways, resulting in a more durable smartphone with the same superb core design as the Mate X. Unfortunately, it lacks Google apps and services, which means the Android ten experience won’t receive Google updates or improvements, and the device won’t have access to tried-and-true apps like Google Maps.
Despite this, the Huawei Mate Xs is still a fantastic device and an excellent implementation of the foldable concept. It’s an ‘outie’ foldable, with only one external screen that can be unfolded flat for an 8-inch tablet display or folded closed for a 6.6-inch display.
With a Kirin 990 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, a quad-lens camera (headed by a 40MP primary sensor), a 4,500mAh battery, and a sleek, notch-free design, it’s also a robust phone.
All of this comes at a high price.
3. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Core Specs
Weight: 183 g
Size: 167.3×73.6 x7.2mm / 87.4 x 73.6 x 17.3mm
OS: Android 10
Screen: 1.1-inch / 6.7-inch
Battery: 3,300mAh
Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP
Front camera: 10MP
Resolution: 112 x 300 / 1080 x 2636
CPU: Snapdragon 855 Plus / Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
With a leading Snapdragon 855 Plus CPU and 8GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Flip has the upper hand in terms of specifications. Samsung’s photo software is still more robust, and the two rear cameras (12MP f/1.8 primary and 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide) outperform Razr’s single camera. Although its 3,300mAh battery is modest compared to other phones, it is still significantly better than the Motorola Razr 2020s.
The clamshell foldable lives up to its name, slamming shut with a gleaming glass rear that gives it the appearance of a makeup compact. The 6.7-inch display is plastic, but it’s still Full HD+ (2636 x 1080), and it’s protected by a thick plastic bumper around the edges – go ahead, snap it shut with vigor.
The phone can also be unfolded and left at any angle, which comes in useful while conducting video calls and leaving it propped open. Except when it is unfolded flat – and no, it doesn’t go beyond that, so don’t try – the software does an excellent job of splitting the interface into the top and bottom parts.
The front display of the Galaxy Z Flip is a massive 1.1 inches long (300 x 112 pixels); for comparison, the original Motorola Razr phones, which launched in 2004, featured a display with 220 x 176 pixels. The AMOLED screen on the Z Flip displays a line or two of text for basic information, as well as a (minimal) preview of any selfies you’re about to snap.
4. Motorola Razr 2020
Core Specs
Weight: 192 g
Size: 169.2×72.6×7.9mm / 91.7 x 72.6 x 16mm
OS: Android 10
Screen: 6.2-inch / 2.7-inch
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 2,800mAh
Rear camera: 48MP
Front camera: 20MP
Resolution: 2142 x 876 / 800 x 600
CPU: Snapdragon 765G
RAM: 8GB
The Motorola Razr was a folding ‘clamshell’ gadget that blended revolutionary technology with a nostalgic form factor that harkens back to the Motorola Razr V3. This phone caught the world by storm when it was released in 2004. With a high price and too many rough edges, the Razr released in 2019 came close to living up to that a
The Motorola Razr 2020 (also known as the Motorola Razr 5G) has improved upon many of its predecessor’s flaws. Still, it remains an expensive gadget that focuses on novelty rather than design advancements.
However, it’s a stylish device: when folded, the phone is the size of a mint tin, with a 2.7-inch touchscreen.
The Snapdragon 765G chipset is adequate but not exceptional when compared to others around. Its 2,800mAh battery has been increased over its predecessor, but it’s still tiny: Razr claims that using the external smaller screen is less draining than using the main screen so that most users will get a day of battery life, but that’s not much.
5. Samsung Galaxy Fold
Core Specs
Weight: 263 g
Size: 160.9 x 62.9 x 15.5mm / 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 4.6-inch / 7.3-inch
Battery: 4,380mAh
Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 16MP
Front camera: 10MP / 10MP + 8MP
Resolution: 1680 x 720 / 2152 x 1536
CPU: Snapdragon 855
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 512GB
The phone has a 4.6-in HD+ Super AMOLED screen on the front and a foldable 7.3-in QHD Dynamic AMOLED display on the inside, allowing you to use it as a phone and a tablet simultaneously. Although the external screen appears limited compared to the Z Fold 2’s edge-to-edge display, the original Fold’s screen is still handy for everyday chores.
The gadget supports three-app multitasking and allows you to move from one screen to the next without losing your place, with the information you were watching transferring between them when you open or close the larger display.
It comes with a 4,380mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. Cameras? There are six cameras on the smartphones – a 16MP lens and two 12MP lenses, a 10MP camera, and a dual-lens 10MP and 8MP combination on the inside, visible while utilizing the vast foldable screen.
6. LG Velvet
Core Specs
Weight: 180 g
Size: 167.2 mm x 74.1 mm x 7.9 mm (unfolded)
Screen: 6.8 inches (unfolded)
Resolution: 1080 x 2460 pixels (unfolded)
Battery: 4,300 mAh
Rear camera: 48 MP wide + 8 MP ultrawide + 5 MP depth
Front camera: 16 MP
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
RAM: 6GB / 8GB
Storage: 128GB
The LG Velvet isn’t an actual folding phone, but it’s near enough – and it’s worth considering if you’re looking for something similar. It includes a dual-screen attachment that effectively doubles the phone’s display size.
That means you can have two programs open simultaneously, or have touch controls on one screen while a game is playing on another, or have multiple browser windows open at the same time, and so on. The dual-screen cover also has a handy tiny display on the outside for displaying essential data.
Even without the casing, this is a fantastic phone: a 6.8-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, up to 8GB of RAM, a triple-lens 48MP+8MP+5MP rear camera, 5G, and wireless charging are some of the fantastic specs of the smartphones.
7. XIAOMI MI MIX FOLD
Core Specs
Weight: 317 g
Size: 173.3 mm x 133.4 mm x 7.6 mm (unfolded)
Screen: 8.01 inches (unfolded)
Resolution: 1860 x 2480 pixels (unfolded)
Battery: 5,020 mAh
Rear camera: 108 MP wide + 8 MP telephoto/macro + 13 MP ultrawide
Front camera: 20 MP wide
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM: 12GB / 16GB
Storage: 256GB / 512GB
The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold’s major flaw is that it’s now only available in China, so you might not be able to get your hands on one quickly. Otherwise, this is a terrific phone and probably one of the best folding phones available. We didn’t expect anything less from Xiaomi.
The handset has an 8.01-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1860 x 2480 pixels when fully open and a 6.52-inch AMOLED display with 840 x 2520 pixels resolution when closed. When closed, it looks like a regular phone, and when opened, it looks like a tablet.
Internal specifications are also impressive, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 5G, up to 16GB of RAM (try using all of that at once), up to 512GB of internal storage, a triple-lens 108MP+8MP+13MP back camera, and more. Oh, and it all appears to be quite trendy.
This list is exhaustive, but these are a few of the best foldable phones available right now.
