Best folding smartphones in 2023: Samsung, Google, more

Mobile devices, including laptop computers, tablets and smartphones with folding displays have recently become extremely popular–and with good reason. These devices fold up for easy and convenient transport. When they’re unfolded, however, they provide large, vibrant and beautiful touchscreen displays with more on-screen real estate than what you get with a more traditional, non-folding device. 

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With folding smartphones in particular, you get easier access to more information and additional ways to interact with your mobile device. And for convenience, the latest folding smartphones utilize three displays–one on the outside of the handset that’s accessible when the phone is folded and two inside screens that unfold to create a larger display space. While Apple hasn’t yet jumped on the folding display bandwagon with a folding iPhone model, if you’re an Android-based smartphone user, you currently have a handful of impressive folding smartphone options from Google, Samsung and Motorola.

Best folding smartphones in fall 2023

If you want an extremely compact phone that can easily fit in a pocket, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 or Motorola Razr+ are both feature-packed folding smartphones. For business people or anyone who wants an extra-large display at their disposal, either the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 or Google Pixel Fold are great options. The inside display of these phones can be used to provide plenty of on-screen space to fully utilize a single app, or you can multitask and display two apps at once. Let’s take a closer look at the latest smartphones with folding displays. These unlocked phones work with all of the popular cellular service providers. (And as always, if you’re upgrading to a new phone, you can keep your existing phone number.)

Best compact folding smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5

Outside Display Size: 3.4-inch Super AMOLED | Inside Display Size: 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity Flex display | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB or 512GB | Battery: 3,700mAh | Dimensions: 3.25 x 2.83 x 0.59 inches (closed), 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 inches (open) | Weight: 6.6 ounces | Charging Options: Wired or wireless | Stylus: No | Front Camera: 10MP | Rear Cameras: 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultra-wide) with 10x digital zoom

Available in eight eye-catching colors (graphite, gray, blue, mint, cream, lavender, green or yellow), the newly updated Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 offers 5G connectivity and is supported by all of the major cellular service providers. Choose between 256GB or 512GB of storage. 

What most people absolutely love about this 4.8-star-rated smartphone is that when folded, it conveniently fits in a pocket. Plus, using the outside 3.5-inch display, you can receive alerts and notifications or view app-related data without having to open the phone. When you do opt to unfold the phone, the angle of the screens can be adjusted, or you can open the phone so it’s flat. This provides a similar form factor to a traditional phone, but with a beautiful 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity Flex display.

Offering IPX8 water resistance and inside displays that have a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits, you can use the Flip5 indoors or outdoors. The inside displays’ 120Hz refresh rate makes animations, video content and games look fantastic. You can enjoy all of the benefits and features of a full-featured Android smartphone, but be able to fold it up and carry it in your pocket. 

Pros:

The inside AMOLED touchscreen displays offer a 120Hz refresh rate.Choose between eight casing colors, more than most smartphones offer.The outside, 3.4-inch Flex Window display is fully customizable, allowing you to handle many tasks without opening the phone.

Cons:

The cameras are not as high resolution or feature-packed as what you get in the flagship Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.It has decent, but not overly impressive, battery life.Not all apps work with the outside cover display.

Best quick charge folding smartphone: Motorola Razr+

Outside Display Size: 3.6-inch AMOLED | Inside Display Size: 6.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB |  Battery: 3,800mAh | Dimensions: 2.91 x 6.73 x 0.28 inches (open), 2.91 x 3.48 x 0.59 inches (closed) | Weight: 6.65 ounces | Charging Options: Wired or wireless | Stylus: No | Front Camera: 32MP | Rear Cameras: 12MP (wide), 13MP (ultra-wide + macro)

Motorola’s flip phone design has evolved a lot since it was first introduced back in 1996. This latest edition, the Motorola Razr+, is sleek, modern looking and comes in your choice of black, glacier blue, or viva magenta. It offers all of the features you’d expect from a smartphone running Android 13, but you get the added benefit of an outside display, a larger inside display and the ability to fold the phone into a compact size that nicely fits in a pocket or purse.

The main display offers a peak brightness of 1,400 nits and features a super-fast refresh rate up to 165Hz (with a touch rate of up to 360Hz in game mode). The body of the phone is coated with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, vegan leather on the back and relies on a durable 7000 series aluminum frame. It’s rated IP52 for water resistance.

The camera setup built into the phone is decent, but does not compare to what you get with a high-end smartphone, like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or Google Pixel 7 Pro. This Motorola folding phone is easy to carry when it’s folded, yet it gives you access to plenty of valuable information on the outside display. Meanwhile, the internal dual speakers offer Dolby Atmos and spatial audio support. To ensure you’re heard during calls and the audio sounds great when shooting video, the phone uses three microphones.

Pros:

The phone features a sleek, modern and very portable design.The AMOLED screens are bright, with a high refresh rate.You can recharge the phone wirelessly or using a USB Type-C cable.

Cons:

There’s no headphone jack built into the phone.Not supported by Boost, U.S. Cellular, Tracfone, Xfinity Wireless or Republic Wireless in the U.S.

Best folding Android smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5

Outside Display Size: 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display HD+ | Inside Display Size: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity Flex Display | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | RAM: 12GB | Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |  Battery:  4,400mAh | Dimensions: 6.24 x 5.06 x 0.26 inches (open), 6.24 x 2.66 x 0.52 inches (closed) | Weight: 8.9 ounces | Charging Options: Wired or wireless | Stylus: S Pen included | Front Camera: 10MP (cover screen), 4MP (under display, main screen) | Rear Cameras: 50MP (wide), 12MP (ultra-wide), 10MP Tele 2x optical zoom (30x space zoom)

In its closed state, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 resembles a traditional, rectangular smartphone. But what this phone does that most others do not is unfold to offer a large 7.6-inch touchscreen display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. This means you can run a single app on a large display, or multitask and run two separate apps side-by-side without compromising the content that’s displayed by either app.

Since the Fold5 comes with an S Pen stylus, it’s possible to handwrite, draw or annotate directly on the screen when using a compatible app. However, when using the virtual keyboard to type, you’ll enjoy larger individual keys than what’s possible on a traditional smartphone screen. The larger virtual keys make accurate typing and fast easier.

The outside, 6.2-inch touchscreen can also be used to run apps while taking advantage of one-handed phone operation. But, because you get two inside displays that can be used as one, it’s possible to position them at a convenient angle, based on what you’re using the phone for. While the phone, even when closed, is a bit larger than most smartphones, many will appreciate all of the extra on-screen real estate that’s offered by this full-featured, Android-based smartphone. 

Pros:

Enjoy a beautiful 6.2-inch AMOLED display on the outside and an even larger 7.6-inch AMOLED display (with a 120Hz adjustable refresh rate) when the phone is open.The phone is available in five colors: gray, blue, phantom black, cream and icy blue.Works seamlessly with other Samsung Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Buds2 Pro earbuds.You can get a free upgrade to the 512GB size when you buy direct through Samsung.

Cons:

It’s expensive, especially when you upgrade to 1TB of storage.The phone will fit in a purse or sport coat pocket, but not in most pants pockets.You don’t get a fast charging option, so you’ll have to be patient when recharging the battery.

Best folding Google smartphone: Google Pixel Fold

Outside Display Size: 5.8-inch OLED | Inside Display Size: 7.5-inch OLED | Processor: Google Tensor G2 | RAM: 12GB | Storage: 256GB or 512GB |  Battery:  4,821mAh | Dimensions: 6.2 x 5.5 x 0.25 inches (open), 3.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches (closed) | Weight: 10 ounces | Charging Options: Wired or wireless | Stylus: No | Front Camera: 9.5MP | Rear Cameras: 48MP (wide), 10.8MP (ultra-wide), 10.8MP (telephoto)

From the company that created the Android operating system comes a Google Pixel smartphone that folds. Unfortunately, the camera setup built into the Google Pixel Fold is inferior to the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and this phone is more expensive. The outside screen is also a tad smaller than the Pixel 7 Pro (5.8-inches versus 6.7-inches), but both displays have the same maximum brightness of 1,500 nits. Where the Pixel Fold shines is when you unfold the device to reveal a 7.6-inch OLED display that offers a maximum brightness of 1,450 nits, with 2,208 x 1,840 pixel resolution and a 6:5 aspect ratio.

The battery within the Pixel Fold will typically last more than 24 hours, but in Extreme Battery Saver mode will last up to 72 hours. The phone offers a convenient fast charging option. You also get an IPX8 waterproof rating. Choose between 256GB or 512GB of storage. This phone, like the others in the Pixel lineup, utilize the Titan M2 security chip, which offers fingerprint or face unlock. The phone also comes with a virtual private network (VPN) preinstalled. This gives you a higher level of security and privacy than what’s offered by many other Android-based smartphones.

The camera setup built into the Pixel Fold offers a wide range of shooting modes and features, so your still images and video content will look impressive, especially when you take advantage of the phone’s integrated editing tools. The Pixel Fold is equipped with stereo speakers that support spatial audio. The phone’s microphones utilize automatic noise suppression. Overall, this is an extremely versatile smartphone that takes full advantage of the Android 13 (or later) operating system.

Pros:

The internal OLED displays unfold to a full 7.6-inches and offer an impressive maximum brightness that allows them to be seen in most lighting conditions.The external always-on display can be customized to showcase the information you deem most important.Offers full Android versatility and personalization options.

Cons:

The phone is on the expensive side, compared to others in the Google Pixel lineup.The smartphone’s ability to multitask (run two apps at once) could be better.Currently, there is no stylus support for this phone.

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