The best folding phones in 2023: the 6 best you can buy

Folding smartphones person taken nan world by storm. Initially, they appeared futuristic and exciting. However, pinch time, they person been refined and improved to cater to mundane use. Their prices are gradually decreasing arsenic nan exertion advances, but they still stay costly purchases, making it important to make nan correct buying decision.

Currently, location are 2 types of folding smartphones disposable successful nan market. The first type resembles a regular non-folding phone, which tin beryllium unfolded into a larger tablet-like device. The 2nd type is akin to nan classical Motorola Razr clamshell phones, wherever a normal-sized telephone tin beryllium folded successful half to go much compact and pocketable. Although some usage nan aforesaid surface and hinge technology, they cater to different needs.

In nan future, different styles will apt arrive, but for now you must take which of these 2 designs champion suits your lifestyle. Whichever you choose, those first fewer weeks and months pinch your caller folding smartphone are exciting, fun, and genuinely transformative. Now, let’s get you to that shape pinch our database of nan champion folding phones you tin bargain successful 2023.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The champion folding phone

Why you should bargain this: It's large and powerful, and has immoderate flimsy improvements that really elevate its performance.

Who's it for: Anyone who wants a tablet and smartphone successful their pocket.

Why we picked nan Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5:

Samsung has been successful nan foldable crippled longer than almost everyone else, and it's easy made nan astir folding devices truthful far, pinch each loop adding thing new. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 isn't nan biggest leap successful foldable tech, but it does present immoderate awesome changes that make it moreover amended than ever before.

The creation isn't a immense alteration from nan Galaxy Z Fold 4, pinch nan displays and specs being mostly nan same, But location are immoderate cardinal differences: nan Z Fold 5 is importantly lighter and thinner than its predecessor, and Samsung has yet created a hinge creation that folds wholly flat. Yes, there's nary much spread betwixt nan displays astatine nan hinge, and that makes nan phone's creation truthful overmuch much polished and finished. The thinner and lighter creation besides makes nan telephone overmuch little unwieldy, which is simply a large prize erstwhile handling a telephone this expensive. There's a 6.2-inch show connected nan cover, and a immense 7.6-inch show connected nan inside, some pinch Samsung's Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech and 120Hz refresh rates.

Flagship smartphones person agelong since reached nan constituent wherever processors are simply stupendously powerful and tin of moving almost everything, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from shoving a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy successful this phone. In fairness, upgrades make much consciousness successful nan Z Fold 5, which is tin of moving aggregate apps astatine once, and needs a batch of grunt to show everything connected nan large soul screen. It's a powerhouse, whether you usage it for activity aliases play. It starts astatine 256GB of storage, and goes each nan measurement up to 1TB if you really request nan space.

The camera isn't rather a lucifer for nan 1 connected nan Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it's still much than acceptable. It has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera, and a 10MP telephoto pinch a 3x optical zoom, nan aforesaid arsenic nan Z Fold 4. It's a bully group of cameras, and while it suffers from Samsung's accustomed oversaturation, it's improbable to fto you down. There's a 10MP selfie camera connected nan beforehand cover, and a 4MP Under Display Camera (UDC) is still experimental tech, but it's acceptable for video calls, moreover if it's not nan champion selfie snapper. Our Galaxy Z Fold 5 versus Fold 4 camera comparison goes into a batch much item connected nan Fold 5's imaging capabilities.

The 4,400mAh artillery will springiness you a afloat time and immoderate alteration connected a azygous charge, and nan 25-watt accelerated charging is good, moreover if you won't get that velocity pinch nan charger successful nan box. The telephone is afloat compatible pinch nan S Pen stylus (though it doesn't travel pinch one), making it a bully prime for sketching erstwhile mixed pinch nan larger soul screen.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

OnePlus Open

The champion folding telephone runner-up

Why you should bargain this: For a institution conscionable getting into nan folding instrumentality business, OnePlus has deed a location run. The OnePlus is innovative and nosy to use.

Who's it for: Anyone who wants a unsocial telephone experience.

Why we picked nan OnePlus Open:

The OnePlus Open is simply a singular instrumentality that has managed to seizure nan attraction of galore people. It is nan company's first-ever foldable instrumentality and it has been built pinch meticulous attraction to detail. The usage of titanium and different materials has made it lightweight and compact erstwhile folded, making it a awesome prime for those who are looking for a much portable and user-friendly device.

One of nan standout features of nan OnePlus Open is its high-quality screen and soul display. The screen show is astir nan size of a emblematic smartphone, making it very easy to use. The anti-reflective furniture connected nan soul show is simply a awesome addition, making it much comfortable to usage than different foldable devices for illustration nan Google Pixel Fold, which has a highly reflective soul display. The wide creation of nan OnePlus Open is rather charismatic too, and it has been well-received by those who worth aesthetics and design.

In position of performance, nan OnePlus Open is simply a top-notch instrumentality that is tin of handling moreover nan astir demanding tasks pinch easiness — thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. It comes equipped pinch nan latest hardware and software, and nan personification interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. The artillery life is besides impressive, lasting for hours connected a azygous charge. And erstwhile you request to recharge, nan 67W wired charging is among nan fastest you'll find connected a folding telephone today.

Overall, nan OnePlus Open is simply a awesome prime for those who are looking for a high-quality, well-built, and user-friendly foldable device. Its lightweight and compact design, mixed pinch its high-quality show and awesome performance, make it a awesome finance for anyone who values value and innovation.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Motorola Razr (2023)

The champion inexpensive folding phone

Why you should bargain this: Not everyone wants everything you could perchance get connected a foldable phone. If you're 1 of these people, this is nan 1 for you.

Who's it for: Anyone who wants a no-hassle foldable smartphone experience.

Why we picked nan Motorola Razr (2023):

The latest Motorola Razr has turned heads pinch its unsocial and compact flip creation and minimalistic features. The phone's elemental yet reliable creation has helped Motorola support nan value debased and make it cleanable for mundane use. You don't person to interest astir learning really to usage galore features that you whitethorn ne'er need. It's a folding flip telephone that runs Android, and it's a beautiful 1 astatine that. The vegan leather backmost is simply a awesome touch, nan hinge feels reliable, and Motorola's Moo characteristic is simply a axenic joy.

There are a mates of downsides to nan telephone arsenic well. The screen surface does not person an always-on option, which tin beryllium a small inconvenient for immoderate users. Additionally, nan wireless charging characteristic is not very efficient, and nan phone's processor whitethorn struggle erstwhile overloaded.

Despite these insignificant drawbacks, nan Motorola Razr is an fantabulous acquisition for anyone looking for a fund folding telephone aliases for a awesome buy. It's presently 1 of nan cheapest ways to get into foldable smartphones, which makes it an fantabulous action for those who want to acquisition this caller exertion without breaking nan bank. So, if you're looking for a sleek and unsocial smartphone that's easy to usage and affordable, nan Motorola Razr could beryllium nan cleanable prime for you.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Google Pixel Fold

The champion compact folding phone

Why you should bargain this: It's a powerful folding telephone pinch a cleanable banal Android acquisition and multitasking capabilities. It's besides noted for having a short and wide screen screen, which immoderate mightiness beryllium seeking.

Who's it for: Anyone who wants a foldable telephone pinch a normal-feeling screen display.

Why we picked nan Google Pixel Fold:

Google entered nan foldable smartphone marketplace pinch a beardown contender successful nan shape of nan Pixel Fold. If you don't admit nan Z Fold 5's constrictive screen show aliases for illustration a cleaner, much banal Android experience, past nan Pixel Fold could beryllium a bully action for you. It boasts a short and wide screen screen, which sets it isolated from akin handsets connected nan market.

The Pixel Fold's 5.8-inch OLED screen show looks stunning and is akin to astir smartphones, truthful it's comfortable to usage and type on. Due to its size, it is besides easy to usage one-handed, and location is nary spread erstwhile nan instrumentality is closed, arsenic seen connected nan Z Fold 5. On nan inside, nan instrumentality features a 7.6-inch soul OLED show that is positioned successful scenery predisposition by default, but tin beryllium rotated to image orientation. Both screens person a 120Hz refresh complaint and are sufficiently agleam for outdoor use. However, nan soul show tin beryllium rather reflective owed to nan built-in integrative surface protector.

The Pixel Fold is powered by nan Tensor G2 spot and features 12GB of RAM. It comes successful 2 retention capacities - 256GB aliases 512GB. Thanks to nan G2 chip, nan instrumentality is powerful capable to grip mundane tasks pinch easiness and is highly responsive. Google's cutting-edge AI and computational photography processing techniques guarantee that you get fantabulous results pinch photos. As for nan camera, nan Pixel Fold boasts a 48MP main camera, a 10.8MP ultrawide camera, and a 10.8MP telephoto camera pinch 5x optical zoom. The screen show has a 9.5MP selfie camera, while nan soul show has an 8MP selfie camera. You tin besides usage nan rear camera successful Rear Camera Selfie mode to return high-quality selfies erstwhile nan instrumentality is unfolded.

The Pixel Fold comes pinch a 4,821mAh artillery that lasts for astir a afloat time pinch mean to dense use. Charging speeds tin scope up to 30W, but Google does not supply a powerfulness adapter, truthful you will request to usage your own. While wireless charging is supported, its max speeds of 7.5W are a small underwhelming, and location is nary reverse wireless charging feature.

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

The champion folding flip phone

Why you should bargain this: Samsung's champion flip telephone conscionable sewage moreover better.

Who's it for: People who miss nan clamshell fold, but don't want to sacrifice nan "smart" portion of their phones.

Why we picked nan Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5:

I's not perfect, but it's a batch person to cleanable than Samsung has managed before. Samsung has taken everything we loved astir nan Motorola Razr Plus and added it to nan already fantabulous Z Flip 4, making nan Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 a genuinely fantabulous flip/foldable smartphone.

As pinch nan Z Fold 5, Samsung has eradicated nan spread wherever nan displays meet astatine nan hinge, truthful nan Z Flip 5 now sits wholly level erstwhile folded shut. This besides intends nan telephone is somewhat thinner than before, which helps it to beryllium amended successful pockets. There's besides a stronger consciousness of value successful nan Z Flip 5, pinch parts conscionable emotion much coagulated than before, and moreover much truthful than nan Motorola Razr Plus.

The different large alteration is nan caller screen screen. The Z Flip 5's screen surface stretches to 3.4-inches (up from 1.9-inches), and tin do overmuch much than earlier pinch a large action of useful widgets. Apps are a spot much of a situation though, and it's present you'll find 1 of nan Z Flip 5's fewer problems. Getting astir apps to run involves immoderate workarounds utilizing apps from nan Galaxy Store, which is ne'er really explained connected nan device, truthful it's a spot fiddly. However, it's still a large betterment from nan Z Flip 4's mini display.

The cameras are mostly unchanged from nan Z Flip 4, and that's not a bad thing. The image awesome processor has been upgraded for nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and there's a caller clear lens coating, but otherwise, it's arsenic bully arsenic nan camera connected past year's device. Yes, immoderate images are oversaturated and not existent to life, but it's besides a batch much reliable than nan Motorola Razr Plus.

The artillery life isn't hugely positive. Like past year's model, nan Z Flip 5 is simply a 1 day-only affair, and dense users whitethorn find themselves needing to apical up earlier nan time is over. It recharges astatine 25W, though, truthful it won't walk excessively agelong connected nan charger for top-ups, though you don't get a 25W charger successful nan box.

Joe Maring/Digital Trends

Motorola Razr Plus

The champion folding flip telephone runner-up

Why you should bargain this: Motorola's Razr Plus is 1 of nan fewer competitors for Samsung successful nan flip smartphone market, and it's a awesome telephone successful its ain right.

Who's it for: Anyone who wants a powerful telephone successful a compact and mini package that's besides nosy to use.

Why we picked nan Motorola Razr Plus:

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 whitethorn person taken its throne, but nan Motorola Razr Plus is 1 of nan champion compact flip phones we've utilized this year. It has a coagulated hinge, though it's not arsenic stiff arsenic that of nan Z Flip 5, truthful you can't support it propped up astatine immoderate perspective for illustration nan competition, but it's still easy to unfastened and it tin still clasp nan telephone upright erstwhile you request it to. The Viva Magenta colour is agleam and eye-catching, and besides has a unsocial leather backmost that adds grip. The different 2 colors, Infinite Black and Glacier Blue, look bully arsenic well, but don't travel pinch nan leather backing. Instead, those 2 person frosted glass. The Motorola Razr Plus besides has awesome IP52 particulate and h2o resistance.

The screens connected nan Razr Plus are impressive. The exterior has a 3.6-inch pOLED show that is HDR10+ certified. Ithas a 1066 x 1056 solution astatine 413 pixels per inch (ppi) and a 144Hz refresh rate. Plus, it tin do truthful overmuch much than conscionable show you notifications and elemental widgets. You tin entree Quick Settings and person a screen show "home screen" pinch panels. But nan champion characteristic is that you tin tally immoderate Android app connected nan screen screen. Sure, it whitethorn not beryllium nan astir optimized measurement to usage immoderate apps, but being capable to entree them connected a 3.6-inch show without having to unfastened up nan telephone is simply a feat successful itself and makes nan screen surface vastly much usable.

When you unfastened up nan Razr Plus, you get a 6.9-inch pOLED show pinch a 2640 x 1080 resolution, 1,400 nits of highest brightness, HDR10+ support, and a 165Hz refresh rate. In different words, it's lovely. Colors are agleam and vivid, matter is crisp and sharp, and it's agleam capable to usage outdoors successful nonstop sunlight without issue. And if you're worried astir nan crease, don't be! It's very minimal compared to different foldables connected nan market, including nan Z Flip 5.

The cameras aren't ace great, arsenic you only get a 12MP main camera, a 13MP ultrawide camera, and a 32MP selfie camera. Pictures will travel retired good for nan astir part, but nan colors whitethorn beryllium somewhat disconnected from what you spot successful reality, and nan telephone whitethorn not seizure mobility shots very well.

On nan inside, nan Razr Plus has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which packs successful plentifulness of powerfulness contempt coming retired past year. It besides has 8GB of RAM, truthful nan Razr Plus should grip beautiful overmuch immoderate task pinch ease. But beryllium warned — it does thin to get lukewarm aft prolonged use.

The 3,800mAh artillery lasts astir 1 afloat day. It reaches charging speeds of up to 30W done wired charging and 5W wireless charging. There is nary reverse wireless charging, however.

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