The 7 Best Folding Phones We've Tested and Reviewed (2024)

You May be scoffing arsenic you work this. Folding phones? Really? Aren't those conscionable gimmicks? I'm present to archer you they're beauteous darn useful. And yes, determination are present quite a fewer of them truthful you person options to take from. Folding phones are an improvement of the accepted single-screen slab of glass we've each been utilizing for astir 2 decades—and we mightiness adjacent spot a folding iPhone successful the future.

They predominantly travel successful 2 antithetic forms—a folding flip telephone oregon a folding booklike phone—enabling you to either relive the glory days of a tiny telephone oregon grow your multitasking options portion connected the go. The champion folding telephone is going to beryllium a idiosyncratic decision—arguably adjacent much than a accepted smartphone since it hinges connected what benignant you similar (heh). Regardless, I person tested astir each of these phones, and my workfellow Simon Hill has helped trial models circumstantial to the UK and different markets. These are our favorites.

Check retired our different mobile buying guides, including the Best Android Phones, Best iPhones, Best Cheap Phones, Best Google Pixel Phones, Best Motorola Phones, and Best Phones With a Headphone Jack.

Updated July 2024: We've added models from Nubia, Honor, Motorola, and Samsung.

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Things to Know Before Buying

Folding phones are much fragile than mean phones. Folding phones person much parts than a accepted smartphone, not to notation a hinge. Companies advertise however galore folds these devices person been tested for—usually astir 200,000 oregon 500,000 folds—but a azygous driblet tin beryllium incredibly damaging. They are not arsenic dust-resistant and immoderate aren't arsenic water-resistant (almost nary of them are IP78-rated), truthful you'll privation to beryllium particularly careful. Use a case, and it mightiness beryllium worthwhile to put successful the manufacturer's instrumentality attraction policy.

Don't region the built-in surface protector. Most of these folding phones person a movie implicit the interior screen. You mightiness beryllium tempted to region it, but don't—it tin harm the display. There are usually instructions successful the packaging instructing you not to region it, and however to attraction for your device.

There's a tiny learning curve to the software. Flip-style folding phones are reasonably straightforward, but book-like folding phones that treble arsenic a tablet person immoderate caller multitasking tricks that volition instrumentality immoderate getting utilized to if you privation to marque the astir of them. I urge taking immoderate clip to tally done these features truthful you recognize however they work.

They're expensive. Do you request one? Nobody needs a folding phone. If you deliberation you're idiosyncratic who volition payment from them, cognize that they're often discounted during large merchantability events similar Black Friday, and you tin besides sound a fewer 100 dollars disconnected if you commercialized successful an eligible device.