You may be scoffing as you read this. The best folding phones? Really? Aren’t those just gimmicks? I'm here to tell you they're pretty darn useful. And yes, there are quite a few now (even Apple is in on the action), so you have options. Folding phones are an evolution of the traditional single-screen slab of glass we've all been using for nearly two decades.
They largely come in two forms: a folding flip phone or a folding book-like phone, enabling you to either relive the glory days of small phones or expand your multitasking options while on the go. A folding phone is a personal decision—arguably even more than a traditional smartphone, since it hinges (heh) on what style you prefer. We have tested almost all of them, and these are our favorites.
Check out our other mobile buying guides, including the Best Android Phones, Best iPhones, Best Cheap Phones, Best Samsung Phones, Best Google Pixel Phones, Best Motorola Phones, Best Phones With a Headphone Jack, and Best Phones You Can't Buy in the US.
Updated October 2026: We've added the Apple iPhone Duo, more on the Z Flip8 after testing, and updated prices.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 features fresh proportions for a form factor that feels just right and purpose-built. It is shorter and wider than the Galaxy Z Folds you might be used to, yet when you open it up, it feels even more tablet-like than ever. The crease is significantly less obvious than previous models, and the Fold8 is lighter and easier to handle than the larger Fold8 Ultra. You lose a little bit of screen real estate, but it's marginal.
The front 5.5-inch screen has a nice 10:16 aspect ratio that doesn't cause ridiculous letterboxing. I also found I opened the inner 7.6-inch screen far more often than with the Ultra, and you can comfortably have three apps side by side in split-screen mode. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset ensures the smoothest of rides with apps and games. The Fold8's 4,800-mAh battery (Samsung's first with silicon-carbon battery technology) lasts about five to six hours of screen-on time.
Where the Fold8 loses ground compared to the more expensive Ultra is the camera. The Fold8 has a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 50-megapixel ultrawide, with two 10-megapixel selfie cameras on the outer and inner screens. The Ultra adds a more powerful 200-megapixel main camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto offering 3X optical zoom, making it the better choice for photographers. That said, the Fold8 still takes great photos and will serve just fine for most folks.
If you've been on the fence about foldables, the Fold8 could be the tablet-phone combo to tempt you down. It's pricey at $1,900 (the Ultra is $200 more), but there are already offers popping up, and we'll see more as we head into the holiday season.
The iPhone Duo is astonishingly good for a folding-phone debut, and we're impressed by its polished hardware, graceful hinge, and durability. The outer screen is big enough to be useful, and it opens to a small tablet size with a clever nanotexture finish that almost completely hides the crease. But it is heavy at 254 grams (the Fold8 above only weighs 201 grams).
The side-by-side view for optimized apps on the inner screen is lovely, and Apple has shifted iOS navigation elements to the right, which works well in apps that take advantage of it. As a great choice for multitaskers, you may even consider working on the iPhone Duo. The battery life is excellent, and you’ll likely have around 40 percent left after an average day’s use.
Apple has also added features that take advantage of the form, like Kid Cue to help you catch your kid's attention for photos and Smart Take, which lets you prop it on a table and automatically shoot photos when everyone is posed. It also adds enhanced StandBy support, letting you use the outer screen as an alarm clock while the inside display gently pulses with light to wake you. Apple Pencil support will also arrive later this month.
Familiar folding-phone trade-offs include no Face ID (Touch ID is in the side power button) and no telephoto lens (you get a 48-megapixel primary camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide). Despite the limitations, this is the first chance for Apple fans to try a folding phone, so even starting at $1,999, it’s sure to be popular.
Flip phones are perfect if you want something that comfortably fits in your pocket or a small clutch. Motorola's Razr Ultra isn't just compact, but it's also the most fashionable smartphone today. You can buy it with suede-like Alcantara or a sustainably sourced wood on the back—both look and feel fantastic. It's also reasonably durable, with an IP48 rating for some dust protection, a titanium-reinforced hinge, and Gorilla Glass Ceramic for more durable displays.
Not much has changed over last year’s Razr Ultra 2025. You get the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 512 GB of storage, and 16 GB of RAM. The 4-inch OLED screen on the front lets you add multiple widget panels, so you don't need to open the phone as frequently. Once you do, though, you'll enjoy a super-bright, colorful 7-inch AMOLED screen. The big upgrade is the 5,000-mAh silicon-carbon battery, which can easily last two days between charges and is impressively huge for a phone this small.
The 50-megapixel main camera delivers great photos, and there's a reliable 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 50-megapixel selfie camera. While it's a good camera, it still doesn't quite match candybar phones from the likes of Google and Apple. Still, I love being able to take a selfie with the phone closed and see a preview with the front screen, and my wife loves it when I take a picture of her because she can see a preview of herself on the other side of the phone and can correct my poor angle. Video capture is also good, with Dolby Vision support that makes clips look sharp, colorful, and not too grainy in low light.
You'll hear a lot about Motorola's AI features on this phone—there's even a dedicated “AI” button—but the long and short of it is that most of these features aren't very helpful. Pay Attention is the only one I've found myself using due to the nature of my job; it starts a recording with real-time transcription and an AI summary at the end, but most flagship phones can do that these days. Don't buy it for Moto AI, buy it because it's a flipping-cool Razr.
You can get a cheaper folding phone if you're willing to make a few sacrifices. The regular Razr flip phone has a similar design to the Ultra, but with slightly smaller screens. It also makes do with a slightly souped-up MediaTek chipset and less RAM, which means slower performance, but nothing too frustrating. It has the same titanium-reinforced hinge as the Ultra and an IP48 dust- and water-resistance rating.
The camera is still solid, offering pleasing shots in good conditions, but it struggles a little with low light and high-contrast scenes. The outer display is smaller, but still customizable. Battery life is good and should last a couple of days when you need it to.
The fact that you only get three Android upgrades is disappointing, and the Razr has the same unimpressive Motorola AI features as the Ultra. But weighing up the package at this price, the Razr is the most affordable, but still worthwhile, way to try a folding phone.
A polished update to Google’s Pixel line, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold brings several minor improvements. One of the few folding devices with a proper IP68 dust- and water-resistance rating plus the ability to withstand 10 years of folding, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold may be your most durable option. It's also the only Android folding phone with Qi2 25W wireless charging support, meaning you can magnetically stick it to MagSafe or Qi2 wireless chargers.
Even with a slimmed-down body, it's noticeably thicker and heavier than Samsung’s folding options, which makes it more cumbersome to use. Despite a smaller battery than last year's model, it has enough stamina to get through most days, and that's mostly because the new Tensor G6 chipset is more efficient. Google added floating Bubbles for better multitasking, so you can have an expandable chat floating over two other apps in split-screen mode. There are also enhancements for Gemini, including some useful contextual pop-ups in chats to add links to your calendar for events or open destinations in Maps.
Despite the “Pro” in the name, the Fold lacks most of the Pro features available in the cheaper Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL. You do get the new HiLight feature, a group of color LEDs in the camera module’s flash that light up different colors based on who is calling or while you chat to Gemini. But you miss out on a much more powerful camera system and features like instant Night Sight, 120X digital zoom, and better video capture. You can still capture excellent photos on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, but they're not the best that Google offers. That's a bitter pill when you're coughing up $1,900.
Despite the sizable camera bump, the otherwise super-svelte Honor Magic V6 (4.1 mm open, 8.8 mm closed) is a lovely foldable that's easy to handle and feels close to a regular phone when closed. It brings better battery life, faster charging, and greater durability over last year's Magic V5, and also has a versatile camera and a responsive fingerprint sensor in the power button. Honor’s MagicOS is packed with potentially useful foldable and AI features, but also some bloatware.
The biggest enhancement this year is the long-lasting 6,660-mAh silicon-carbon battery, and Honor is promising better durability than before, with an IP68/69 rating for water resistance. There’s also a snazzy new red finish. The Honor Magic V6 is the best book-like foldable for folks in the UK, Europe, or other markets where the phone is sold, though you can always import it into the US. Read more in our Best Phones You Can't Buy in the US guide.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for $2,100: The Z Fold8 Ultra is a refined release with a 6.5-inch cover display that opens to an expansive 8-inch screen that feels like two 6.5-inch displays side by side. It's fast and smooth, with a 5,000-mAh battery, but it's the camera that earns it the “Ultra” title. It's an impressive combo, including a 200-megapixel main shooter, 50-megapixel ultrawide, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens that supports 3X optical zoom. Sadly, it lacks Qi2 support for magnetic wireless charging, and the camera module makes it rock when lying flat on a surface. But the main reason it misses out on a place above is that the smaller Fold8 is so much easier to handle.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 for $1,200: If you want something compact, the Galaxy Z Flip8 is the lightest and thinnest flip phone in the world with a redesigned chassis, and it comes a close second to Motorola's Razr Ultra. It has a 4.1-inch cover screen, and it flips open to become a 6.9-inch candy bar. It's also more durable than ever and boasts the same excellent chipset and performance as Samsung's larger Fold models. The 4,300-mAh battery is solid, but the camera system is relatively basic, comprising a 50-megapixel main shooter backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide.
Motorola Razr Fold for $1,900: The first book-style foldable from Motorola is good, but not great. The front screen feels very much like a normal phone, and you can open it to enjoy the vast 8.1-inch display inside. Sadly, the Razr Fold lacks the top-end processor of the year, which is disappointing at this price. The highlight is the massive 6,000-mAh battery, which can stretch to nearly three days of use. Thankfully, it does come with seven years of software updates (unlike Motorola's Flip family). Motorola has also added a telephoto lens to the capable, triple 50-MP camera. But, overall, we prefer Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
Motorola Razr+ 2026 for $1,100: The awkward middle child in the Razr lineup lacks the bells and whistles or top-notch specs of the Ultra, but still costs more than $1,000. You can get very close to the same experience from the cheaper Razr and save hundreds. Even battery life is unimpressive, because it has the smallest capacity of the Razr family. The cover glass isn’t the ceramic glass mixture as on the Razr Ultra. I found out the hard way after dropping the phone once, roughly a 4-foot drop onto asphalt, and the front screen shattered. Get a screen protector!
Oppo Find N6 for $1,929: With an 8.12-inch internal display, the Find N6 is a beautifully engineered folding phone that’s impossibly slim and light. Despite its promise of being creaseless, the fold is still discernible. You’ll hardly notice it when the screen is on, though you’ll feel it if you use the optional stylus. Performance is impressively slick, with enough stamina to see you through a busy day, and the camera system is excellent. It’s a big step up from last year’s N5, with a 200-MP main shooter, 50-MP telephoto, and 50-MP ultrawide. The global model can use familiar Google apps, but you’ll have to import it, as this phone won’t officially be released in the West.
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold for $1,799: The only reason to consider the Pixel 10 Pro Fold right now is if you see it on sale. Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold is superior, but the 10 Pro Fold isn't far behind this year's release. It's still a reasonably slim device with a large front screen that feels like a normal phone, an excellent 8-inch inner screen, and a triple-camera system that delivers great results, though not as great as the Pixel 10 Pro series. Read our Best Pixel Phones guide for more.
Xiaomi Mix Flip for $899: Xiaomi’s first flip phone has a lovely design with excellent displays inside and out, long battery life with fast charging, and flagship-level performance. It also boasts a solid dual-lens camera, opting for telephoto instead of ultrawide alongside the capable main shooter, which is more useful for most folks. The software lets the party down a little; there’s no IP rating, and it is pricey, but I had fun with this flip phone.
Things to Know Before Buying
Folding phones are more fragile than normal phones. Folding phones have more parts than a traditional smartphone, not to mention a hinge. Companies advertise how many folds these devices have been tested for—usually around 200,000 or 500,000 folds—but a single drop can be incredibly damaging. They are not as dust-resistant, and some aren't as water-resistant (only the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and iPhone Duo are IP68-rated in the US), so you'll want to be especially careful. Use a case, and it may be worth investing in the manufacturer's device care policy.
Don't remove the built-in screen protector. Most of these folding phones have a film over the inner screen. You might be tempted to remove it, but don't—it can damage the display. The packaging usually includes instructions not to remove it and how to care for your device.
There's a small learning curve to the software. Flip-style folding phones are fairly straightforward, but book-like folding phones that double as tablets have new multitasking tricks that will take some getting used to if you want to make the most of them. I recommend taking some time to run through these features so you understand how they work.
They're expensive. Do you need one? Nobody needs a folding phone. If you think you'll benefit from one, know they're frequently discounted during big sale events like Black Friday, and you can also knock a few hundred dollars off if you trade in an eligible device.
Which Type of Folding Phone Is for You?
Folding flip phones are for people who want a compact device. Think of a normal phone you can fold in half. That's pretty much what you get, plus a screen on the front to monitor widgets and texts. This does mean you can flip the phone to answer a call and flip it shut to end one—super cool. You can put the phone at a 90-degree angle, and some apps will adapt to show controls on the bottom and important details at the top, like in video calling apps or when watching videos on YouTube, though this depends on the phone. Folding flip phones typically have mediocre battery life, and their cameras aren't as good as their non-folding counterparts.
Folding book-like phones are for people who want the big-screen experience. Are you constantly watching full-length movies on your phone? Or do you always find yourself jumping back and forth between two apps? Then these are for you. They have good battery life and better cameras (though not as good as non-folding phones), but they're far more expensive. These include the short-lived triple-screen folding devices like Samsung's Galaxy Z TriFold. They're thick and heavy, though we're seeing newer models that are surprisingly thin. Still, you may have a hard time fitting them in your pockets.
Is Now a Good Time to Buy?
If you're team Android, this is a good time to buy. Samsung and Google just updated their foldables, and Motorola released its first big foldable in the summer and won't announce the Razr 2027 lineup until the spring. For folks outside the US, we probably won't see new foldables from Honor or Oppo until the spring, too.
If you're considering an iPhone, Apple is likely to unveil a new folding phone soon, so you might want to wait and see what it looks like.
My Favorite Folding Features
Whichever style you go for, my favorite feature of folding phones is the ability to see the viewfinder on the external screen and snap a selfie with the high-quality rear cameras—just set the phone down slightly folded so it stays upright, and there's usually a button you can click in the camera app to send the preview to the external screen. You can usually trigger the shutter hands-free with a palm gesture. (Motorola's Razr Ultra lets you start and stop video recordings with hand gestures, too!) It's excellent when traveling if you want to take a photo of yourself next to a point of interest.
Many of these phones offer similar functionality with translation—Samsung and Google, for example, let you show your words translated on the external screen so the person you are speaking to can see it, and then they can tap a button on the screen to have the phone start translating their words, which you'll see on the internal screen. It's a much nicer system than using Google Translate on a candy bar phone. —Julian Chokkattu
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