Foldable smartphones have gone from strength to strength in the retiring couple of year ; these once - chunky , fragile devices are now slender , more robust and more capable , and that means they ’re more enticing than ever .
The question is , which folding should you purchase ? While there was ab initio a limited number of foldable available , that bit has greatly expand in the past 12 months . Whether you ’re face for the slimmest record - style foldable around , a compact clamshell - style foldable that fits in the palm of your hand or something that helps you multitask on the go , there ’s a foldable for your needs .
Now it ’s worth noting that foldable sound are still more fragile than even smartphones , with none yet to offer full IP68 dust and piss resistance , and the conciliatory nature of foldable screens signify that there is likely for terms , but these could be worthy trade - offs depending on your needs .
enduringness issues and premium prices are the main grounds why we ’ve yet to give any foldable the sought after five - star rating and continue key reasons to prefer for a traditional flagship – though a couple of foldable entries have number closer than ever , advise that foldables are slowly but for sure closing the spread .
you could see a option of some of the most telling regular phones we ’ve test in ourbest iPhone , honorable Android phoneandbest phonebuyers ’ guides for context .
However , if that does n’t put you off , keep show . In this listing , we ’ve detailed the top - perform foldables we ’ve try and tested .
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All the speech sound include in our Best foldable phone leaning have been good test and used by one of our expert reviewer .
We do n’t go over phones based purely on benchmark scores or marketing hype . We expend them as our casual gadget for the review period , which is usually at least five days but can often be much long if the twist take it .
Whenever you read a phone review put out on Trusted Reviews , you should be convinced that the reviewer has put their personal SIM card into the phone , sync across their most - used apps and logged into all their distinctive explanation . We do this so you ’ll feel convinced in our review and confide our verdict .
Our follow-up process includes a mixture of real - macrocosm tests , more than 15 mensural tests , and industry - stock benchmarks . We believe this gives the most rounded horizon of a gimmick .
Honor Magic V3
Pros
Cons
Motorola Razr 50 Ultra
OnePlus Open
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Motorola Razr 50
Trusted Score
2023 ’s Honor Magic V2 was already thinner and light than much of the foldable competition , but the newerHonor Magic V3takes that to the next level . It ’s even slimmer , now just 9.2 mm and , with a exercising weight of 225 gigabyte , it ’s the first foldable to sincerely enter candybar smartphone district , and it ’s noticeable in everyday use .
The Magic V3 feels like a regular smartphone when it ’s fold , stark with a amply specced out 6.34 - column inch OLED screen that sports flagship technical school including a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate and a whopping peak brightness level of 5000nits . You could blithely use the cover screen and ignore the inner panel completely – though that ’s not exactly the degree .
That ’s especially true with the Magic V3 ’s internal CRT screen , which is well one of the serious around . The crease , while still present , is incredibly shallow at 78um – for comparison , the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a depth of 217um in its furrow , so it ’s a huge improvement . Not just that , it match the spec of the cover blind including that same telling peak brightness . Safe to say it ’s an right-down joy to use , with a swelled 7.92 - inch canvass perfect for browsing and split - screen multitasking .
Despite its industry - leading pattern , the Magic V3 boasts a 5150mAh atomic number 14 - C battery that ’s much larger than any other book - manner around aright now , and that lead to telling battery life , with our reviewer usually getting around seven hours of silver screen - on prison term out of the twist before require a top - up . And , with 66W cable charging sustenance , you’re able to get a full kick in just shy of an hour . There ’s also 50W wireless charging if that ’s more your thing .
The Magic V2 take to the woods the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU as much of the contention , which unsurprisingly go to rapid everyday performance when coupled with a sizable 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storehouse as standard .
The only potential helplessness is Honor ’s MagicOS 8 software system , which extend quite the release from stock Android 14 . While there are handy elements like XL folder on the home screen , MagicOS lack the polish and finesse found in the ilk of the OnePlus Open , and it ’s not quite as subject in the AI section as the Z Fold 6 either .
All that , and it ’s still £ 100 gaudy than the like of the Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold in the UK . What more do you desire ?
If you ’ve got your heart and soul set on a clamshell - style folding , theMotorola Razr 50 Ultrashould be of serious considerateness . The Razr 50 Ultra takes the grapple experience to the next level with a large 4 - inch pOLED exterior display with a super - smooth 120Hz refresh rate .
The back presentation is large enough not only to run widgets like theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 6but any Android app you wish , grant you to control voguish home plate technical school , respond to incoming content and get directions from Google Maps without have to unfold the exhibit . It not only skip down on how often you ’ll have to unfold the headphone , but the folded conformation factor makes it well-heeled to employ too .
That ’s not to say that you ’ll always be using the external display , especially with a tall , minute 6.9 - inch pOLED display found within . It ’s extremely smooth at 165Hz , and boasts LTPO tech that allows it to intelligently adapt the refresh rate count on what you ’re doing , and with a peak brightness of 3000nits , it can handle even bright sunshine with informality .
The Razr 50 Ultra ’s redesign hinge mechanism also manages to reduce both the visibleness and the tactual feel of the crinkle on the inner display to a point where it ’s not really an yield .
The camera have had a serious rise this yr , with a dual 50MP setup in berth of three-fold 12MP sensors from theRazr 40 Ultra , though Motorola has ditched the ultrawide for a new 2x telephotograph electron lens . grant the selfie - focused nature of clamshell folding , it makes sense , and it ’s still uncommitted on the slightly cheaperRazr 50if you ca n’t be without an ultrawide electron lens .
The use of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 mean it ’s not quite as brawny as the Samsung alternative , but in genuine - earth use , there is n’t much in it at all . It pass just as rapidly in everyday usage , and although foldables are n’t really design for sustained gaming , it can handle casual play without issue .
The 4000mAh battery is an betterment on the Razr 40 Ultra ’s 3800mAh cell , and even with a larger covering screen , it ’s adequate to of lasting all daylight with around five hours of screen on time before needing a top - up . Thankfully , with 40W wire charging and 15W wireless charging , you ’ve got plenty of charging options available .
If you ’re on the hunt for a book - elan foldable with superb computer software , you ’ll find no better than the OnePlus Open .
Its approach to foldable tech is genuinely useful , with elements like Open canvass multitasking software that lets you use three apps in full - screen mode with simpleness , a handy app toolbar that can display over other apps , the power to shut the foldaway and convey on what you were doing on the cover screen with a swipe and much more . It is a great experience , and one that we trust other folding manufacturers emulate in time to come .
It also facilitate that the OnePlus Open has pretty telling hardware on offering . While the likes of theZ Fold 6andPixel Foldoffer a tall - and - narrow and short - and - squat covering fire display respectively , the OnePlus Open sports a regular 6.3 - in 20:9 exhibit with all the premium bells and whistle you ’d expect from a flagship display , including an adaptative 120Hz refresh rate , telling bill luminousness of 2800nits and a pixel - bundle resolving .
This all imply there ’s no compromise using the cover display in place of the larger internal one for anything from reply to text to casually scroll on Instagram .
Of course , it ’s all about the foldable inner showing , and OnePlus has knocked it out of the parking lot here too . There ’s a much shallower fundamental crease than the competition , so much so that it ’s hard to see unless you ’re expect at it off - angle , and there ’s hardly any change in tactile feedback as you black market your fingerbreadth over it . That makes the 7.86 - in OLED control panel an absolute joyfulness to expend .
That stellar carrying out continues with the camera setup , shoot a line a trio of rearward lenses that , unlike most of the competitor , are all design specifically for use in foldables . That translates to strong performance from not only the 48MP main and ultrawide sensors , but the 64MP periscope lens in particular , delivering heavy shot at 3.5x , 6x and although image are fairly terrible at the full 120x , it does a good job up until the 25x mark .
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is start out to get a little long in the tooth , but it still perform pretty well in casual task . Throw in loyal 67W SuperVOOC charging with a charger in the box and OnePlus ’ signature tune volume slider , and you ’ve develop a very tantalizing book - style flagship that costs less than others on the market at £ 1,599 – it ’s just a shame it ’s not pronto available on contract in the UK , making it a hefty upfront purchase .
Samsung continues to dominate the foldable market despite increase competition from the likes of OnePlus , Motorola , Google and others .
Samsung ’s latest edition of its flagship foldable – theZ Fold 6 – provide a few fundamental changes for the first time in a few years , with a slimly across-the-board ( but still narrow ) 6.3 - in OLED cover screen , mat edges and squared - off corner to give it a looking not too dissimilar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra .
These are welcome changes that make the Z Fold 6 palpate more like the premium bit of foldable kit that it is . It ’s still comparatively chunky ( 12.1 mm ) and heavy ( 239 g ) however , and Samsung has yet to dole out with the ill-famed crease on the 7.6 - column inch interior screen , persist one of the more noticeable option around , so there ’s still elbow room for improvement .
significantly , it boasts the custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy and encourage cooling capabilities that make it , along with theFlip 6 , the most knock-down foldables around right now , making light work of high - end gaming , stock split - screen multitasking and just about anything else we could throw at it during examination .
That customs duty Snapdragon chipset also help to power Samsung ’s Galaxy AI experience , with a sprawling issue of AI - powered features useable on the folding . It ranges from simple tasks like rewrite texts and email in unlike styles to more advanced capableness like real - prison term interlingual rendition in headphone cry and the ability to transcribe recording . hurl in seven years of O upgrade and it ’s an experience that ’ll only get better over time .
The 4400mAh battery remains the same as last year , and that mean that battery life is only all right . It ’ll get you through lighter days of function just fine , but on heavier days , you ’ll likely ask a top - up during the twenty-four hour period . And , with relatively slow 25W charging , it shoot well over an hour to fully charge .
With a 6.3 - in outer jury that feels just like using aPixel 9 Proand an 8 - column inch inner panel with a tweaked aspect proportion , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a welcome refresh from its predecessor , thePixel Fold .
There is one issue with the inner panel and that ’s the noticeable plication in the centre . How big an military issue this is depends on your personal druthers however as we know it is potential for a foldable to be close - creaseless , like theHonor Magic V3 , the crease feels like a bitter tab to withdraw .
Otherwise the Pixel 9 Pro Fold runs on Google ’s Tensor G4 mainframe which prioritises AI carrying out over rank power . While this mean the French telephone scored fairly low during our Geekbench tests , in reality we found that it performed well in mundane use , with apps open quickly and games play well too .
Overall the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is made up of five camera , include three rear and two 10MP selfie lenses . The rear trio might not be as powerful as the Pixel 9 Pro orPixel 9 Pro XLbut thanks to Google ’s image processing capabilities , shots have a contrast - heavy finish with rude - looking final result .
That ’s not where the Pixel 9 Pro Fold ’s AI prowess terminate . The handset comes preloaded with apps includingPixel Screenshotswhich collects and prepare your screenshots and Pixel Studio for engender images based on drug user prompting .
Although the Pixel 9 Pro faithful pack a lowly assault and battery than its harbinger , we did come up the French telephone could just about get through the daylight on a individual explosive charge .
If you ’re keen to experience the AI and photography capableness of the Pixel lineup but want a more singular handset , then the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is an idealistic option .
TheSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 6is perhaps the most well - known clamshell useable right now . It ’s also ideal if you ’re implicated about the frangibility of these folding devices thanks to some much - needed climb in strength .
Visually , the Galaxy Z Flip 6 take care very like to theZ Flip 5that came before it . However , the hinge is stronger and more impact - repellent this time around , feeling tight and more static than most flip headphone . The machine is also dust - immune for the first time and about as piddle - immune as it flummox with its IP48 rating .
The 3.4 - in cover exhibit remain a major rise liken to the smaller CRT screen on theZ Flip 4 , though this display has been overshadowed by the declamatory and more useful sieve on theMotorola Razr 50 . blossom the gimmick and you ’ll find a magniloquent and narrow 6.7 - inch inner exhibit with a 120Hz refresh charge per unit that we feel to be cleared and crisp .
Cameras have also been a major point of improvement this time around , with the Z Flip 6 deal the same 50 - megapixel main sensing element as theGalaxy S24 Plus , along with a review 12 - megapixel ultra - wide electron lens . There ’s no zoom electron lens here , but the chief camera is a strong performer in fairly much any situation from bright daylight to nighttime and an radical - wide lens system is something rival like theRazr 50 Ultramiss out on .
The Z Flip 6 is also powered by the same customs duty version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 find across the rest of Samsung ’s line of credit - up , making this one of the most powerful foldables around capable of benchmarking alongside some of the best flagship machine . The foldable is packed with useful Galaxy AI feature , including a transformation pecker that makes the most of its dual - CRT screen folding form factor .
lastly , the bombardment offers a full day of regular exercise , though charging it quite slow compared to many devices on the marketplace .
However , if you ’re calculate for a solid all - round foldable experience , the Galaxy Z Flip 6 bear with a new , more durable design and amend camera experience .
TheMotorola Razr 50is a fantastic entry - level foldable that addresses practically every complaint we had with theRazr 40while also matching theRazr 50 Ultrain many key areas .
The Razr 50 features a grapple design , an attractive vegan leather rear end and a broad 3.6 - inch 90Hz cover screen , build the outer display more useful than that on theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 6at a fraction of the cost . The material body quality has better too , with an IPX8 weewee - electric resistance rating and a hinge mechanism that feel just as rigid and exchange premium as that on the Razr 50 Ultra .
The larger masking screen door makes it potential to run full - screen apps without unfolding the headphone , while the 6.9 - inch 120Hz pOLED privileged video display with an FHD+ solving and a crest luminosity of 3000 nits . The crease is also significantly less noticeable this clock time around , putting the pickpocket more in line with the Z Flip series .
The cameras have also been give an rise , with the dual layout include a 50 - megapixel main sensor and a 13 - megapixel extremist - wide camera , along with a 32 - megapixel selfie camera in the showing . This is the same main camera found in the Razr 50 Ultra , producing vibrant and detailed daytime shot with a salutary amount of born bokeh .
Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300X , this foldable offers square mid - range performance and comes match with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of computer storage as criterion . There are some AI features to get excited about , include the Image Enhancement Engine and Google Gemini access on the cover screen , though its AI features are n’t as talkative as that of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or even the Razr 50 Ultra .
Finally , the Razr 50 is equipped with a 4200 mAh battery that offers a full day of utilisation and can appoint fully in just under an hour . If you ’re on the Leigh Hunt for an affordable foldable , the Motorola Razr 50 wo n’t let down .
FAQs
Apple has n’t released or announce any intention to make a foldable phone yet , however rumours swirl that we ’ll see a big manoeuvre for this family from the Cupertino society in the coming old age . For now , all the best foldable phone run on Android .
Test Data
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