The best foldable phones in 2024: Our top picks from Samsung, Google, and more

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

There are two main types of foldable phones available, and our testing and experience show that the best foldable phones for most people are of the book-style, tablet-hybrid design rather than the clamshell-style flip phone.

Tablet-hybrid foldable phones are significantly more expensive but offer greater functionality, performance, and battery life in exchange. Clamshell foldables are, in effect, fashionable statement pieces with a secondary benefit of becoming compact when folded, and they're expensive for what they are; that said, there are worthwhile options for those who value the clamshell design. 

In our testing, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the best foldable phone overall thanks to its performance, premium design and build quality, large cover and tablet displays, solid battery life, and excellent cameras. If you want to spend as little as possible on a foldable phone, Motorola's Razr (2023) is your best option for a valuable and truly affordable foldable. 

Our top picks for the best foldable phones

Best overall: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold - See at Amazon

Best overall alternative: OnePlus Open - See at Amazon

Best foldable flip phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 - See at Amazon

Best budget foldable: Motorola Razr (2023) - See at Amazon

Best overall

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the best foldable phone we've tested thanks to its overall performance, excellent cameras, comfortable folding experience, thin design, and large 8-inch tablet display.

Indeed, we picked the Pixel 9 Pro Fold over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 largely due to the latter's awkward, narrow display, which leaves us wanting a better approximation of a regular phone when using the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in the folded position.

In contrast, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's 6.3-inch cover display is exactly the same shape and size as the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. Thus, using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in the folded position is a comfortable and familiar affair compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Additionally, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's 8-inch tablet display is the biggest in the business, at least in the US. It's noticeably larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 6's 7.6-inch display and marginally larger than the OnePlus Open's 7.8-inch display. To be fair, the experience of watching videos, using apps on a larger scale, and multitasking with multiple open apps is overall similar on all tablet-hybrid foldable phones.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold running on Google's Tensor G4 processor won't win any awards for benchmark results compared to other foldables running on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Still, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold wasn't perceivably slower, or slow at all, during testing and regular use running apps and games. It's proof that raw power and benchmark results don't paint the whole picture.

Despite having cameras with smaller megapixel numbers than the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold doesn't disappoint. It still delivers Google's signature "look" for photos, common to any of the best Google Pixel phones. It produces natural colors and an excellent balance of dynamic lighting that creates a sense of depth that no other Android phone maker can match.

Read our Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold hands-on assessment and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold cases to protect the phone.

Best overall alternative

We can't make a recommendation for the top foldable phone without including the OnePlus Open. It's only the "alternative" to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as it's nearly a year older and runs on the previous-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

To be sure, the OnePlus Open's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor still runs apps and games unquestionably quickly and smoothly. The model's currently discounted $1,300 starting price tag also helps to balance out its long-term value, as its performance may lag the more recent (and significantly more expensive) foldables with newer processors.

Otherwise, the OnePlus Open has a similar 6.3-inch cover display that's as familiar as a regular phone display. It also has a large, high-quality 7.8-inch tablet display. The apps we used during testing, including several Google apps, Reddit, Instagram, Apple Music, and LastPass, also display beautifully in tablet mode, whether they're optimized or not.

For its first attempt at foldable phones, OnePlus truly knocked it out of the park and created one of the best Android phones on the market. The phone looks and feels like the company has been designing and manufacturing premium foldable phones for years. It's one of the most satisfying and smooth foldable phones to unfold and fold, and (apart from its large, protruding camera) it's among the flattest foldables in tablet mode when some foldables don't appear or feel quite flat.

In terms of camera performance, the OnePlus Open takes gorgeous photos with its triple-lens camera system. The tuning provided by revered camera company Hasselblad delivers gorgeous colors, especially.

The OnePlus Open isn't perfect, however. It doesn't include wireless charging, a glaring omission for a modern high-end phone. And, while its cameras are excellent, they can deliver softer details on moving subjects, like pets or toddlers, than other top Android devices. It's rather reliant on sufficient lighting to capture tack-sharp photos.

If you can get past the fact it's running on a previous-generation processor, the OnePlus comes every bit as recommended as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Read our OnePlus Open hands-on assessment.

Best foldable flip phone

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the most polished, feature-rich, and powerful clamshell foldable you can buy. It's safe to say that if you're looking for the best clamshell foldable, you should buy the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

First and foremost, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 retains and improves on the Galaxy Z Flip 5's large cover screen, or "Flex Window," which is significantly more useful than the tiny cover displays that were previously common on clamshell foldables.  

The Galaxy Z Flip 6's 3.4-inch cover screen lets you see a wide range of information at a glance, access basic settings, and use Samsung's Galaxy AI features to perform tasks like real-time translation and replying to messages with Suggested Replies, which we found useful. 

We found that Samsung significantly improved battery life and camera quality year-over-year. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 doesn't struggle to endure a day's use like its predecessor did, and its upgraded 50MP main and 12MP wide cameras don't suffer as badly from the overexposure issues that recent Galaxy phones have uniformly displayed, though any of the best Samsung phones is more prone to inconsistent camera quality relative to Google's phones and any of the best iPhones.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor for Galaxy, the top Android processor in 2024. It's a supremely powerful and capable processor that can run anything you throw at it smoothly and quickly. 

Combine its stellar performance with a 6.7-inch foldable OLED panel running at 120Hz and supporting 1080p resolution, and you have an ultra-premium fluid experience while swiping around apps and the Android operating system. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review and see our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 cases to protect the phone.

Best budget foldable

Motorola's base Razr (2023) wins the accolade for the best budget foldable phone, as it's also the only worthwhile foldable that fits our definition of "budget": a sub-$500 starting price. 

As you can imagine, the Razr's comparatively low price means the phone isn't quite as fully kitted as more expensive clamshell foldables, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 or 2024's Razr or Razr Plus, which have larger cover displays. Like most of the best budget Android phones, its camera quality is also not on par with high-end devices. 

The Razr runs on the previous-generation mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor rather than a current flagship processor, like the Snapdragon 8 series. Despite this, the Razr remains surprisingly snappy and runs apps without trouble. 

You'll also find the Razr's small external display less useful than the larger external displays on flagship foldables. It's only good for showing notifications and the time and doesn't let you do much else, forcing you to unfold the Razr to do anything meaningful or menial, like writing a quick response to a text. 

Still, the tiny external display can be used as a viewfinder for taking selfies with the main camera, which is a marquee feature of foldable phones. Once unfolded, the Razr offers a premium display experience with its 6.9-inch OLED folding panel that runs at a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1080p resolution.

Starting at a discounted $350, the 2023 Motorola Razr remains a solid entry-level foldable phone that's a good option if you can't justify the $1,000-plus price tags of most foldable phones or want to experiment with the foldable clamshell design.

Read our Motorola Razr (2023) hands-on assessment.

Best foldable phones compared

How we test foldable phones

Foldable phones go through our typical phone performance, camera, and battery tests with some additional testing and considerations due to their foldable designs.

We have extensive experience with phones from Samsung, Google, Apple, OnePlus, Motorola, and more, and we can usually reach a firm conclusion within a few days of using a test device.

Our typical phone performance test involves using the phone as our main daily driver during the testing period to run common and popular apps and games. We expect quick and smooth performance, and we're looking for any variation of our expectactions. We also run the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark test and various 3D Mark tests to measure year-over-year performance improvements.

Our typical camera tests involve taking photos of the same scenery across the phones we review. When a new phone is released, we bring all its generationally relevant competitors to take test photos at the same time of day and time of year to get the most comparable photos.

Much of our camera assessment is based on the quality of spontaneous and uncontrolled personal photos, as they reveal strengths and weaknesses that controlled test photos miss, like taking photos of subjects in motion, and the day-to-day experience of using the phone's camera app. They're also the kinds of photos most people would take compared to our controlled test photos. Even though they weigh heavily in our assessment, we often don't include personal photos that depict family and friends in order to protect their privacy. We'll include as many relevant personal photos as possible, however.

Our battery test involves two runs of the 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test, one hour of music streaming while connected to a Bluetooth speaker, five runs of the Geekbench 6 CPU test, and two hours of video streaming. The test is designed to simulate a mix of light and heavy use with three hours of screen-on time.

For book-style foldables, the 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test and video stream portions of the battery test are done in tablet mode with the interior display. These tests simulate tasks that would normally be done in tablet mode, like playing a game or streaming videos. The other tests, including the Geekbench 6 and music streaming test, are performed with the exterior display when the phone is folded.

Special considerations and tests for foldables include assessing the feel of the folding mechanism, ease of unfolding and folding, and the phone's overall functionality in folded and unfolded modes.

FAQs

Are foldable phones worth it?

Spec for spec, foldable phones are more expensive than their traditional flat counterparts. With that in mind, foldable phones need to offer a benefit to compensate for their higher prices. If the benefit makes sense to you, a foldable phone is worth it. 

Book-style foldables are a hybrid of a traditional phone and a tablet. If you've ever wished you had both simultaneously but find it unpractical to carry around a separate tablet, especially one that needs a separate data plan, a book-style foldable could certainly be worth it.

Clamshell foldables offer compact portability when not in use and can be fashionable statement pieces. However, if you ask us, we find their benefits less worthy than those of a book-style foldable. Yet, if you like the idea of a sleek, stylish, compact clamshell that can be flipped open and folded shut, who are we to say it's not worth it?

Is Apple making a foldable phone?

Apple has reportedly been working on prototypes for "at least two iPhones that would fold widthwise" since the start of this year. A more recent report from The Information suggests that Apple could start selling foldable phones as early as 2026. 

There's no reliable indication that a foldable phone could come any earlier. With that in mind, we wouldn't recommend waiting for an Apple foldable if you want to venture into the foldable realm or upgrade. If your current phone is in dire straits and you're looking for a worthwhile Apple phone, we would direct you to the new iPhone 16 series.

Best overall

The OnePlus Open provides the best overall experience out of any foldable phone I've used and tested, including the Google Pixel Fold, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Motorola's Razr Plus.

In terms of performance, display, and camera quality, the $1,700 OnePlus Open excels as much as any other foldable phone in the $1,800 range. It runs on 2023's top Android processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which provides an ultra-smooth, fast, premium experience. Its displays are also high-resolution OLEDs that run at high 120Hz refresh rates, and it takes gorgeous photos with its triple-lens camera system.  

What sets the OnePlus Open apart is its incredibly high build quality. It's also one of the most satisfying and smooth foldable phones to unfold and fold, and it's among the flattest foldables in tablet mode when some foldables don't appear or feel quite flat. 

We also love the OnePlus Open's 7.8-inch OLED 120Hz tablet display, which is larger than the 7.6-inch tablet displays on other book-style foldables available in the US. The apps we used during testing, including several Google apps, Reddit, Instagram, Apple Music, and LastPass, also display beautifully in tablet mode, whether they're optimized or not.

The OnePlus Open isn't perfect, however. It doesn't include wireless charging, which is a glaring omission on a $1,700 phone. And, while its cameras are excellent, they can deliver softer details on moving subjects, like pets or toddlers, than other top Android devices. It's rather reliant on sufficient lighting to capture tack-sharp photos.

For its first attempt at foldable phones, OnePlus truly knocked it out of the park. The phone looks and feels as if the company has been designing and manufacturing foldable phones for years.

Best overall alternative

We can't make a recommendation for the top foldable phone without including the Google Pixel Fold. It's only the "alternative" to the OnePlus Open based on a purely subjective trait — it doesn't quite look and feel as well-built and sleek thanks to the larger borders around the tablet display, and a mushy sensation when unfolding the phone. 

Otherwise, the Pixel Fold comes every bit as recommended as the OnePlus Open. The Pixel Fold is also a smaller foldable phone with its 5.8-inch exterior display and 7.6-inch tablet display, which may better fit your preference. 

In every other way, the Pixel Fold offers a premium experience. Both its displays are high-end OLED panels with a silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and the tablet display has razor-sharp 1840p resolution. Paired with Google's Tensor G2 processor from 2023's flagship Pixel 7 generation, the Pixel Fold runs apps, games, and the Android operating system quickly, smoothly, and without a hitch. 

Its assortment of five cameras is among the best you can find on a foldable phone and only slightly behind other high-end Pixel cameras. And thanks to the Tensor G2 processor, the Pixel Fold includes Google's suite of AI photo editing features, like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Portrait Blur. 

Battery life is also excellent in both phone and tablet modes, and it'll easily last you through the day. In fact, battery life is so good that you could use the Pixel Fold in tablet mode exclusively all day and still have leftover battery life. 

(You might be surprised that Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 didn't make our list of the best foldable phones you can buy. That's almost entirely because of its narrow cover display, which delivers an awkward and uncomfortable experience when you're not using the tablet display. Otherwise, it's a very good book-style foldable phone.) 

Best foldable flip phone

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the most polished, feature-rich, and powerful clamshell foldable you can buy. It's safe to say that if you're looking for the best clamshell foldable, you should buy the Galaxy Z Flip 5. 

First and foremost, the Galaxy Z Flip 5's large cover screen, or "Flex Window," is significantly more useful than the tiny cover displays that were common on clamshell foldables before.  

The larger cover screen lets you see more information at a glance and access basic settings like airplane mode or the flashlight. You can even write a text using a full-size keyboard without unfolding the phone. Some apps are supported to run on the cover screen without unfolding the phone, but Samsung could do better to get more apps to support it. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a "previous-generation" processor now that phones are coming out with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. It's still a supremely powerful and capable processor that proves it's more than enough to run anything you throw at is smoothly and quickly. 

Combine its stellar performance with a 6.7-inch foldable OLED panel running at 120Hz and supporting 1080p resolution, and you have an ultra-premium fluid experience while swiping around apps and the Android operating system. 

Photos taken with the 12MP main and ultrawide cameras are on par with Samsung's high-end phones in well-lit scenarios, but they're lacking in low-light situations. 

Best budget foldable

Motorola's base Razr wins the accolade for the best "budget" foldable phone, but it's also the only affordable foldable that's well under $1,000.

As you can imagine, the Razr's comparatively lower price means the phone isn't quite as fully kitted as more expensive clamshell foldables, like the Razr Plus or Galaxy Z Flip 5, and its camera quality is not on par with high-end foldable devices. 

The Razr runs on the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor rather than a flagship processor, like the Snapdragon 8 series. Despite this, the Razr is surprisingly snappy and runs apps with no trouble at all. 

You'll also find the Razr's small external display is less useful than the larger external displays on flagship foldables. It's only good for showing you notifications and the time and doesn't let you do much else, which forces you to unfold the Razr to do anything meaningful or menial, like writing a quick response to a text. 

Still, the tiny external display can be used as a viewfinder for taking selfies with the main camera, which is a marquee feature of foldable phones. Once unfolded, the Razr offers a premium display experience with its 6.9-inch OLED folding panel that runs at a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1080p resolution.

Starting at $700 (and occasionally discounted to around $500), the Motorola Razr is a solid entry-level foldable phone that's a good option if you couldn't previously justify the $1,000-plus price tags of most foldables or if you want to experiment with the foldable clamshell design.

Best foldable phones compared

Specification	OnePlus Open	Google Pixel Fold	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5	Motorola Razr (2023)
Starting price	$1,700	$1,799	$1,000	$700
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Google Tensor G2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
Battery	4805mAh	4821mAh	3700mAh	4,200mAh
Unfolded display	7.82 inches, 2268p, AMOLED, 1-120Hz	7.6 inches, 1840p, OLED, 120Hz	6.7 inches, 1080p, AMOLED, 120Hz	6.9 inches, 1080p, pOLED, 1-144Hz
Cover display	6.31 inches, 1116p, AMOLED, 10-120Hz	5.8 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz	3.4 inches, 720p, AMOLED, 120Hz	1.5 inches, 194p, OLED, 60Hz
Rear cameras	48MP main, 64MP 3x zoom, 48MP ultrawide	48MP main, 10.8MP 5x zoom, 10.8MP ultrawide	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	64MP main, 13MP ultrawide
Front / tablet cameras	32MP (front), 20MP (tablet)	9.5MP (front), 8MP (tablet)	10MP	32MP
RAM / Storage	16GB / 512GB	12GB / 256GB, 512GB	8GB / 256GB, 512GB	8GB / 128GB
Release date	October 2023	June 2023	August 2023	October 2023

FAQs

Are foldable phones worth it?

Spec for spec, foldable phones are currently more expensive than their traditional flat counterparts. With that in mind, foldable phones need to offer a benefit to make up for their higher prices. If the benefit makes sense to you, a foldable phone is worth it. 

Book-style foldables are a hybrid of a traditional phone and a tablet. If you've ever wished you had both simultaneously, but it's not practical to carry around a separate tablet, especially one that needs a separate data plan, a book-style foldable could certainly be worth it.

Clamshell foldables offer compact portability when not in use, or they can be fashionable statement pieces. If you ask us, we find their benefits less worthy than those of a book-style foldable. Yet, if you like the idea of a sleek, stylish, compact clamshell that can be flipped open and folded shut, who are we to say it's not worth it?

Will Apple make a foldable phone?

Apple is undoubtedly exploring the foldable phone concept, but at the time of writing, a foldable iPhone is comfortably stuck in the rumorsphere, so far. There are only analyst predictions, mostly based on patents, to indicate that a foldable iPhone is in the works.

There's no telling when a foldable iPhone could be released, with projected release dates varying from last year (2023) to 2027. With that in mind, we wouldn't recommend waiting for one if you're putting off an upgrade, especially if your current phone is in dire straits.