Best foldable and flip phones 2025: Samsung, Google and more

Foldable phones might still feel like new technology, but they've been on the market for more than five years and long gone are the days of common screen damage and product recalls. 

Samsung released its sixth version of its iconic Fold & Flip phones last year, and there's now more competition than ever from brands such Google, Motorola and OnePlus. So is it time to ditch the traditional mobile? Read on to find out the pros and cons of these cutting-edge smartphones and if a tablet might suit you better.

See our expert pick of the best mobile phones at a range of prices.

Best foldable and flip phones

Samsung now has competition in the foldable phone market – Which? members can view our top-rated foldable phones below.

Looking for more basic options? Browse our reviews of the best simple mobile phones for cheaper alternatives to smartphones.

Join Which? to get instant access, or read on for our pick of some of the best foldable phones.

What are the benefits of foldable and flip phones?

There are two styles of foldable phones. Flip phones have a long main screen and fold down to a square measuring about two inches. When folded down there's a small screen for quick actions or notifications. Fold phones look like a standard smartphone when closed (albeit chunkier), but open to a large screen much like a miniature tablet.

Bigger display

Fold phones open to screens measuring over 7.5 inches – with a bigger screen, you might find this helps with eye strain and with being more productive. A larger screen also helps with multitasking. The latest Android software allows you to have multiple apps open and floating around the screen to do more at once.

Splitting screens

The hinges on a number of foldable phones are built to put in table-top mode – where you place the phone on a flat surface and fold up the hinge so it sits partially open, a bit like the shape of a laptop. Some apps can detect this and split your main screen in two. For example, on the camera app, the preview of the camera will appear on one side and the controls on the other.

Easier portability

If you're after a big-screen experience, a foldable phone is lighter and easier to transport than a tablet. In terms of weight, the bigger Fold phones weigh around 272g, while the average tablet weighs 500g. They're also easy to keep in a pocket, with a secondary screen for notifications and quick actions meaning you don't always have to open the phone to the main screen.

Better selfies

One perk unique to some foldable phones is that you can fold it and use the rear camera system to take selfies and use the smaller screen to preview shots. Rear cameras are much more powerful than front-facing ones, including multiple lenses and more photography modes. You can also do this to improve the picture quality of video calls.

What are the disadvantages of foldable and flip phones?

Less durable

The glass on the main screen of a folding phone needs to be thin and flexible so it can fold over. But so far, this means the screens are much more susceptible to scratches than non-folding ones. When we've sent these phones to the test lab, we've also found that foldable phones are generally not as robust when dropped over and over, whether opened or closed.  

Shorter battery life

Fuelling two high-quality and bright screens is heavy lifting for a smartphone battery. This means you'll likely notice it doesn't last as long as on a standard smartphone, especially with heavy use. 

Expensive

Foldable phone technology is still new enough to be very expensive with foldables launching from around £700 to £2,000. It's worth bearing in mind that with this sort of money to spend, you can buy a brilliant phone and tablet separately. Read on to find out more about the foldables on the market, and which tablets and phones we recommend as an alternative.

We review more than 65 smartphones a year. Find out the winners and losers in our smartphone reviews.

Of course. Let's give this another pass and inject more of a natural, human voice. Here is the revised copy, focusing on a more conversational and relatable tone.

Do foldable phones have a crease?

Let's get straight to it: yes, all foldable phones have some kind of crease. It's not a flaw or a sign that your device is broken; it's just the nature of the beast right now. To get a screen to bend in half thousands of times, manufacturers have to use super-flexible materials like ultra-thin glass. Think about folding a piece of paper — no matter how neat you are, it will always have a line down the middle. It's the same idea here. The powerful hinge that makes the magic happen also puts a lot of stress on that one spot, making a crease unavoidable.

But here's the good news: it's not the deal-breaker it used to be. The first foldables had deep, noticeable trenches in the middle of the screen. Today's models use clever "waterdrop" hinges that let the screen tuck into the phone in a gentle curve when it's shut. This makes a huge difference, softening the crease so it's much harder to see. Honestly, for most people, your brain just learns to ignore it after a day or two, especially when you're watching a video.

Are foldable phones worth it?

Potentially, yes, but given the high price you'll want to make sure you'll get enough benefit from the foldable design. Visit a phone store to try a foldable or flip phone out in person, and decide which design would best suit your typical needs.

You can also make savings by shopping for older models. Now the market is established enough, it's worth checking prices for a previous generation phone or considering the second hand phones market.

Below we overview some of the more popular foldable phones to help you decide.

Samsung's Fold and Flip phones

Samsung was the first major manufacturer to release smartphones with folding screen technology. But now brands such as Google, Motorola and OnePlus are giving them a run for their money, either trying to outperform the power of Samsung's foldables or undercut their prices. Samsung has two different types of foldable phones:

• Samsung Flip – this is a long, rectangular phone where the screen folds down to a pocket-sized device. It's cheaper than the most premium Samsung Fold and better suited to someone who doesn't want a bulky device.
• Samsung Fold – when open, it's like a mini tablet that you can fold in half to reveal a second screen that's still over 6-inches tall. It's worth considering if you prefer that big-screen experience and want to see lots of apps open at once.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7

The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 tries to give you the best of both worlds. When closed, there's a 4.1-inch screen to check notifications and carry out quick actions without having to unfold to the main screen. This year, it's much larger, up from a 3.4-inch outer display on the previous model, making more tasks possible. The main screen is 6.9 inches with 2,520 x 1,080-pixel resolution and a high 120Hz refresh rate.

There's plenty to like beyond the screens. On the back is a suite of two high-resolution cameras and the system benefits from Galaxy AI features. It has the new Samsung Exynos 2500 processor – and a sizeable 4,300mAh battery. Storage shouldn't be a problem starting at 256GB in the base model.

Find out how the latest model performed in our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 review. You can buy it at the retailers below or compare the best contract deals. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

It’s 8-inch display is large enough to feel like a miniature tablet when open and the folding mechanism has been improved over the years, so that the crease between the twin frames is minimised.

When folded, its screen is 6.5-inches, which is similar to a non-foldable smartphone. It weighs 218g and is 9.1mm thick when folded, which is far thinner and lighter than the previous model. The rear cameras have a premium set up and it comes with some of the latest Galaxy AI features.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 available Sim-free at the retailers below. Compare contract deals here and read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 review.

Foldable phones from Google, Motorola and OnePlus

Samsung now has a number of rivals in the market, and these are well worth weighing up.

Google Pixel Fold

Google released its first phone with a folding screen in 2023 and it is most similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold phones. When folded it has a 5.8-inch screen (1,080 x 2,092 pixels), which is a bit smaller than most smartphones' 6.5-inch screens. It then unfolds to a 7.6-inch (1,840 x 2,208 pixels) main screen, similar to a mini tablet. It has high-spec cameras cameras, a modern Google Tensor G2 chip, and comes with 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Our Google Pixel Fold review reveals how it performs. Check out the current prices from retailers below or compare contract deals.

Motorola Razr 60 Ultra

Adopting the nostalgic Razr name, Motorola has released a few phones with folding screens. The latest of which is the Razr 60 Ultra. The Razr 60 Ultra is similar to the style of the Samsung's Galaxy Flip phones with a long 7-inch screen that folds in half to reveal a smaller 4-inch display. 

Check the scores and abilities in our Motorola Razr 60 Ultra reviews. They are available Sim-free at the retailers below or compare Razr 60 Ultra contract deals. 

OnePlus Open

OnePlus' first foldable is in the same style as Samsung and Google's Fold phones. When closed, it looks like a bulky smartphone and opens to the size of a mini tablet (7.82 inches), and the smaller screen is 6.3 inches. 

The bold rear camera nodule is hard to ignore – OnePlus has partnered with the camera manufacturer, Hasselblad, to develop the lenses, and they have impressive specs and capabilities. OnePlus claims it can charge it in just 42 minutes.

Find out if it can outperform foldables from Google and Samsung in our OnePlus Open review, or buy it from OnePlus.

Will Apple make a foldable phone?

All signs point to yes. It really feels like a question of when, not if. But this is Apple, and they play the long game. Instead of rushing out a foldable just to be in the race, if one is in production, they'll be quietly working behind the scenes. History has shown us, Apple's goal is often to wait until they can solve the biggest headaches that early adopters have complained about, with foldables this would be the durability and that pesky screen crease. It's a classic Apple move: let others test the waters, then arrive late to the party with a product that aims to perfect the experience.

As for what it might look like, the rumour mill is churning out a pretty consistent picture. Imagine a phone that opens up like a book into a mini-tablet, much like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series.. While you probably shouldn't hold your breath for it until 2026 or 2027, it's clear it'd be a big step in a new direction for Apple. Just be prepared for some serious sticker shock — it'd likely be the most expensive iPhone ever, with rumours pointing to a price starting north of $1,500.

Can you use a stylus with a foldable phone?

With a number of foldable phones opening to the size of a small tablet, you might assume that you can get a stylus to navigate it. However, they have limited compatibilities. And, with the latest Samsung foldables, support has been reduced further.

Samsung makes ones called S Pens that can be used on the third generation of Samsung's Fold phones and later, but only to navigate and write on the bigger screen. They won't work on the smaller, folded display.

• S Pen for Z Fold3/Fold4
• S Pen for Z Fold5/Fold6

With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, the brand has dropped S Pen support and hasn't released a new stylus as a result.

For older models, you might be able to find cheaper styluses at retailers or on online marketplaces, but be cautious. It's best to buy from a reputable manufacturer and double-check that the stylus is compatible with your foldable phone before buying. This is the only chance of finding a stylus for the Google Pixel Fold or OnePlus Fold since these manufacturers don't make a compatible ones.

If you're waiting for a foldable iPhone from Apple, you'll have to keep waiting. In the meantime, see the Apple iPhones we recommend. 

Foldable phones vs tablets

A foldable phone can be the best of both worlds; you get a big screen that folds up small for when you're on the move.

But with one device, you might need to opt for a foldable with more storage or use Cloud storage to hold all your data. You can also still feel the fold in the middle of the main screen, which some users might find annoying in comparison to a traditional tablet.