Best foldable phones 2024: the top folding smartphones right now

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in Porcelain mostly closed showing cameras
(Image credit: Google)

The best foldable phone is two devices in one. You can buy a big tablet foldable like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which gives you a phone and mini tablet that you can fit in your pocket. Or, choose a flip foldable like the Motorola Razr Plus 2024, which snaps closed and gives you a whole new experience with the versatile cover display. Either way, a foldable phone is more than just a smartphone with a crease.

Foldable phones have to offer more, because they are much more expensive, sometimes even more than buying a phone and a tablet separately. The best foldable phone has to be perfect - and that means durable enough to last through years of opening and closing.

I've reviewed all of the best foldable phones you can buy in the US and here are my favorites from the larger foldables to the smaller flips. I've included budget options, and I've even tested the cameras to find the foldable that defies the rule that foldable phones can't take great pics.

If you want the best phone overall, foldable or flat, check out my list of the best phones you can buy.

The best foldable phones

Here are our top picks for the best foldable, the best flip phone, and the best choice for folks looking for a bargain

The best flip phones

Best foldable phones 2024

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We've reviewed all of the best foldable phones you can buy; here are specs and everything you need to know to choose your favorite

The best foldable phone

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in Porcelain mostly closed with Editor's Choice badge

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

1. Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Best foldable phone

Specifications

Release date: August 2024
Weight: 257g
Dimensions (open): 155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1mm
Dimensions (closed): 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5mm
OS: Android 14
Screen size (inside / outside): 8.0-inch / 6.3-inch
Resolution (inside / outside): 2076 x 2152 / 1080 x 2424
CPU: Google Tensor G4
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 256GB / 512GB
Battery: 4,650mAh
Rear camera: 48MP (wide) + 10.8MP (5x zoom) + 10.5MP (ultra wide)
Front camera: Inside: 10MP; Outside: 10MP

Reasons to buy

+
Best cameras on a foldable phone
+
Aspect ratio inside and out feels normal

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as feature-packed as Samsung's Galaxy Z phones
-
Not water resistant like Samsung

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the first foldable I've reviewed that feels completely normal no matter how you use it. The cover display is the exact same as the screen on the Google Pixel 9, no more and no less. The inner display is the largest screen ever stuffed into a foldable phone at the time.

No matter how you use it, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is easy and satisfying. It has some AI tricks that are incredibly useful, other photo AI tools that are almost magical, and some photo Reimagine tools that can be downright scary. However you feel about AI, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is definitely the best phone to give all of Google's AI advances a try.

The cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are decent, with excellent zoom on par with the best camera phone. The image quality isn't quite as good as I'd hope for such an expensive phone, but I can definitely see that foldable cameras are getting better.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold isn't quite as powerful as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and it isn't as stylish as the OnePlus Open, but it has the right combination of slim design, advanced features, and amazing screen quality to make it my favorite foldable phone for 2024.

Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review

The best bargain foldable phone

OnePlus Open from back showing cameras with TechRadar recommends badge

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

2. OnePlus Open

Best bargain foldable

Specifications

Release date: October 2023
Weight: 239g
Dimensions (open): 153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8mm
Dimensions (closed): 153.4 x 73.3 x 11.7mm
OS: Android 14, Oxygen OS 14
Screen size (inside / outside): 7.82-inch / 6.31-inch
Resolution (inside / outside): 2640 x 1080 / 1066 x 1056
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Battery: 4,805mAh
Rear camera: 48MP (wide) + 64MP (3x zoom) + 48MP (ultra wide)
Front camera: Inside: 20MP; Outside: 32MP

Reasons to buy

+
Best cameras on a foldable phone
+
Aspect ratio inside and out feels normal

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as feature-packed as Samsung's Galaxy Z phones
-
Not water resistant like Samsung

The OnePlus Open gives us everything we want in a foldable phone that we weren't getting before. It has great cameras, especially for portraits and selfies. It also has the best design of any big foldable phone, especially if you're willing to pay a bit more for the OnePlus Open Apex edition, which comes in a Crimson Shadow Color and includes 1TB of storage inside. .

In classic OnePlus fashion, the OnePlus Open is a flagship killer, so you get great specs, especially when it comes to the phone's performance and the great displays, inside and out. You also get a cool design, all for a lower price than most competitors. Don't be scared off by the phone's price tag, OnePlus is making it easy to get an even bigger discount if you have any phone to trade.

The OnePlus Open admittedly comes with some compromises that you won't find on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. It isn't water resistant, while Samsung's phone can take a dunk under water. It doesn't have S Pen support, or a ton of great productivity features, like Samsung has.

That doesn't matter, because the OnePlus Open is built right, while the Samsung Fold just feels wrong. It's too narrow when closed, while the OnePlus Open feels perfect. If you want a tablet foldable phone for less, there's only one to consider.

Read our full OnePlus Open review

The best foldable phone cameras

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 open in hand with TechRadar recommends badge

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

3. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

The best foldable phone cameras

Specifications

Release date: July 2024
Weight: 239g
Dimensions (open): 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm
Dimensions (closed): 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 mm
OS: Android 14, One UI 6.1.1
Screen size (inside / outside): 7.6-inch / 6.3-inch
Resolution (inside / outside): 1856 x 2160 / 968 x 2376
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Battery: 4,400mAh
Rear camera: 50MP (wide) + 10MP (3x zoom) + 12MP (ultra wide)
Front camera: 10MP cover; 4MP inside

Reasons to buy

+
Best cameras on a foldable phone
+
Aspect ratio inside and out feels normal

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as feature-packed as Samsung's Galaxy Z phones
-
Not water resistant like Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the most feature-packed foldable phone you can buy - by far. It has so many options for running multiple apps in multiple windows, with productivity tools and shortcuts added throughout the system. It really is a power-user's foldable phone, and it's perfect for business use.

I'm not a big fan of the slimmer cover display, which Samsung says makes the phone easier to use one-handed while closed. Still, the power and performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 are undeniable. This is the fastest foldable you can buy, and it's not even close.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 also has the best cameras of all the foldable phones I've tested. Samsung's camera modes shine when I'm taking food photos, or nature close-ups. You won't be disappointed with the images you get from this phone, unlike previous generations of foldable phones.

With all of that, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 also supports Samsung's S Pen (if you buy the Fold version that is softer on the inner display), so this is the only foldable for folks looking for a drawing tablet on the inside, and not just a bigger display. It's one of the most expensive foldable phones, but it offers more than all of the rest.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review

The best flip phone

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 partially closed with TechRadar Editor's Choice badge

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

4. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

Best flip phone

Specifications

Release date: July 2024
Weight: 187g
Dimensions (open): 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm
Dimensions (closed): 85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm
OS: Android 14, One UI 6.1.1
Screen size (inside / outside): 6.7-inch / 3.4-inch
Resolution (inside / outside): 1080 x 2640 / 720 x 748
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB / 512GB
Battery: 4,000mAh
Rear camera: 50MP (wide) + 12MP (ultra wide)
Selfie camera: 10MP

Reasons to buy

+
Best cameras on a foldable phone
+
Aspect ratio inside and out feels normal

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as feature-packed as Samsung's Galaxy Z phones
-
Not water resistant like Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the most powerful and reliable flip phone you can buy. It may not be as fun as the Motorola Razr Plus 2024, but it feels much more durable and powerful, and Samsung's AI features are surprisingly fun and useful.

In fact, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the rare Samsung phone that I wish included even more of Samsung's advanced software features. Samsung offers so many options and customizations that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Thankfully, Samsung's Bixby is the best voice assistant to help use your phone, and Samsung's other AI features, like the writing assistants, can be a useful tool, without crossing any AI red lines (so far).

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is Samsung's most refined flip phone design yet, and it feels remarkably solid. Other flip phones make you wonder if they'll break after a few thousand flips or so, but the Samsung feels like it will last as long as my knuckles can bend it.

The colorful options look much better in person for the Z Flip 6, so check them out if you can, or just stick with the unique, textured black that you can only buy online. It's a very cool look.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review

The best cover display

Motorola Razr Plusexternal/target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Freviews%2FB0D2JBK6PG%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dtrd-us-7661659191027589877-20501 Amazon customer reviews

Specifications

Release date: June 2024
Weight: 189g
Dimensions (open): 171.4 x 74 x 7.1mm
Dimensions (closed): 88.1 x 74 x 15.3mm
OS: Android 14
Screen size (inside / outside): 6.9-inch / 4-inch
Resolution (inside / outside): 1080 x 2640 / 1272 x 1080
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 4,000mAh
Rear camera: 50MP (wide) + 50MP (2x zoom)
Selfie camera: 32MP

Reasons to buy

+
Best cameras on a foldable phone
+
Aspect ratio inside and out feels normal

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as feature-packed as Samsung's Galaxy Z phones
-
Not water resistant like Samsung

The Motorola Razr Plusexternal/target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Freviews%2FB0D2JBK6PG%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dtrd-us-7661659191027589877-20" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank" role="link" tabindex="0">501 Amazon customer reviews

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How to choose the best foldable phone for you

First decide if you want a foldable phone that opens into a larger tablet display, or a foldable phone that folds into a smaller clamshell device. We have picks for both options.

A tablet foldable phone gives you an outer display that is a little smaller than a normal smartphone, especially if you buy a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 instead of our pick, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The inside display on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the largest I've seen on any phone, and it gives you more screen real estate than an iPad mini.

A flip foldable phone gives you an inner display that is larger than most smartphones. The Motorola Razr Plusexternal/target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Freviews%2FB0D2JBK6PG%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dtrd-us-7661659191027589877-20" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank" role="link" tabindex="0">501 Amazon customer reviews

How we test the best foldable phones

We've only included phones on this list that we've thoroughly tested, and our testing regiment is deep and detailed. We test every aspect of a phone that you might use from day-to-day, then we dive deeper to discover all of the hidden features.

We test phones for battery life and charging, speed and performance, and especially for camera capabilities. We make sure that phones deliver on their manufacturer's promise. If it says a phone can charge in 30 minutes, we break out the stopwatch.

We've seen every phone around, so we have a good idea of how each model stacks up to one another. We know what you're getting, no matter what you pay. We make sure the phones deliver what we'd expect for the cost.

Once we're done, we don't stop. We keep updating our reviews as we learn more, and as the phones are updated. Our reviews are always fresh, so check back before you buy to make sure you're getting the latest opinion on the best phones you can buy.

Philip Berne
US Mobiles Editor

Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, starting more than 20 years ago at eTown.com. Phil has written for Engadget, The Verge, PC Mag, Digital Trends, Slashgear, TechRadar, AndroidCentral, and was Editor-in-Chief of the sadly-defunct infoSync. Phil holds an entirely useful M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. He sang in numerous college a cappella groups.

Phil did a stint at Samsung Mobile, leading reviews for the PR team and writing crisis communications until he left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. Phil is certified in Google AI Essentials. He has a High School English teaching license (and years of teaching experience) and is a Red Cross certified Lifeguard. His passion is the democratizing power of mobile technology. Before AI came along he was totally sure the next big thing would be something we wear on our faces.