Best foldable phones of 2024

We've seen big changes to the best foldable phones over the past year. What used to be a Samsung-dominated zone now has some new competition — and it turns out some of the new options are pretty fantastic.

Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip models used to be your best choices for foldable phones, but the field is more wide open than ever. Google, OnePlus and Motorola have led the charge against Samsung, with devices that have turned up the heat on those existing models. As a result, the bar for the best foldable phones has been raised.

We've even seen the prices on some of these notoriously expensive handsets mellow out a little bit. The new Motorola Razr (2024) and Motorola Razr Plus (2024) both offer some serious upgrades without raising the price. There are also rumors that cheaper models are in the works including a less expensive version of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold.

Now that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 have been announced at Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung's foldables could prove to shakeup this list once they're properly tested. Aside from that, Google's also revealing its next wave of Pixel hardware two months early, and that Made by Google Event could see the launch of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold — also known as the Pixel Fold 2.

But if you're more concerned about foldable phones that are currently available, here's what we think of the various contenders, along with our recommendations on which foldable you should buy based on our extensive testing and comparisons. 

The quick list

The best foldable phones you can buy today

Best foldable phone overall

The OnePlus Open is the best foldable you can buy thanks to its ample screen real-estate, excellent performance and overall value. It's $100 less than similar notebook-style foldables from Samsung and Google, which is a step in the right direction given the high prices that these kind of phones demand.

OnePlus didn't cut too many corners to lower the price, as the Open takes excellent photos for the most part. (The exception is in low-light settings.) We also appreciate the Open Canvas multitasking features that let you run multiple apps simultaneously in any size window you want. OnePlus seems to understand that the appealing thing about foldable phones is that they double as tablets and should perform as such.

As for the displays, the 7.8-inch main screen is the largest you can get on a foldable right now, though the OnePlus Open's hinge keeps the overall phone slender and light. This is really a great device that moves the entire foldable market forward.

Read our full OnePlus Open review.

Best alternative foldable

Samsung didn't change much about the Galaxy Z Fold 5 compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but it's enough of an improvement for Samsung to edge out an up-and-coming device like the Pixel Fold for a spot near the top of this best foldable phones list.

With a new Flex hinge that made the Galaxy Z Fold 5 lighter and easier to fold flat, plus enhancements to the phone's cameras, main display, performance and multi-tasking abilities, it's ahead of a lot of other phones as an all-round top quality foldable. The optional S Pen adds to the appeal, as you can use the stylus to be even more productive on Samsung's ultimate portable.

Many months after its initial release, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 got a boost in the form of Samsung's One UI 6.1 software release. That updated software brings the Galaxy AI features introduced with the Galaxy S24 earlier this year to more phones, including the Z Fold 6.

Read our full Galaxy Z Fold 5 review

Best foldable phone value

After introducing its lower cost foldable phone in 2023, Motorola came back strong with the Razr 2024 — partly because of how it's a drastically different phone. Most notably, the company ditches the tiny outer screen and replaces it with a larger 3.4-inch one.

What vaults the Razr (2024) ahead of the more premium Razr Plus 2024 is how it balances features and price. First of all, it features a 50MP main camera paired with a 13MP ultrawide, effectively making it more user-friendly for content creators who love recording videos of themselves. 

Secondly, the larger outer screen lets you use full apps, which can be handy for notifications or those times you're just scrolling through your social feeds. Rather than opening up the phone to use those apps, they're all accessible through the outer screen.

And finally, its $699 cost makes it the foldable phone that most people could afford. You won't find any other flip style phone at this price.

Read our full Motorola Razr 2024 review.

Best foldable for cameras and usability

The Google Pixel Fold has been overshadowed by Samsung's latest foldables, but the fact that Google was able to get so much right on its first attempt at a folding phone is quite impressive.

The Pixel Fold stands out with a wide 5.8-inch front display that’s easy to use (and type on), the thinnest design on a foldable when open and a super smooth hinge that feels natural. 

Other highlights include a stellar camera system that includes a great 48MP main sensor and 5x telephoto zoom, along with great low-light performance. We also like the intuitive software for split-screen multitasking, handy tabletop and tent modes and bevy of apps optimized for the big internal 7.6-inch display. The performance from the Tensor G2 chip could be faster and the bezels smaller but overall this is a super foldable phone for those willing to pay the premium price.

Read our full Google Pixel Fold review.

Best flip-style phone

Motorola improves its Razr Plus 2024 in a big way, complete with an even larger 4-inch outer screen, which is up from its predecessor's 3.6-inch one. There's also more focus in personalizing with more widgets to choose from, as well as the ability to stitch several ones for more convenience.

In addition to a larger outer screen, Moto fashions in a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom that pairs nicely with its main 50MP one. It's great to get closer to your subjects than before, while its updated camcorder mode can now record video in either horizontal or vertical.

And then there's the design, which now feels much more solid with its folding mechanism thanks to a redesigned hinge that's smaller. Several color options are available too, which helps to complement its already outstanding design.

Read our full Motorola Razr Plus 2024 review.

Best flip foldable for cameras

Sadly for Samsung, it no longer produces the best flip-style foldable around. But the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still a worthwhile product thanks to its upgrades. And like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 benefits from the One UI 6.1 update and  the AI capabilities that software makes possible.

As for other improvements, the tiny front cover display on previous Flip models has now been replaced by a much more usable Flex Window, although mostly you'll be using it just for app widgets rather than full usage. The cameras remain potent, and with other upgrades to the design, battery life and chip power, it's still worth shortlisting. If only it wasn't so iterative, it could have been a champion just like its predecessors.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review.

Least expensive foldable phone

There's no question that the Nubia Flip 5G is limited compared to the other entries on our list of best foldable phones. Camera quality, in particular, is subpar and you're likely to get limited software updates. But with a starting price of $499, the Nubia Flip 5G also figures to get foldables in the hands of more people, and that's a positive step.

Those who get the Nubia Flip 5G will get a stylish design with a smudge-resistant matte texture. The overall look of the phone suggests you paid a lot more for this flip phone-style device than you did. You'll also appreciate the 6.9-inch display that's available when you open up the Nubia Flip 5G. 

Battery life seemed so-so in our everyday use, but at least the Nubia Flip 5G offers peppy 33W charging that can top off the phone's battery quickly. If you want a foldable phone, but can't afford a more premium model, you certainly won't feel short-changed by this option.

Read our full Nubia Flip 5G review.

What to look for in a foldable phone

Before you buy a foldable phone, you'll need to consider what that kind of device will be able to do for you that a standard phone can't. With the exception of the $699 Motorola Razr, most foldables still cost $1,000 or more. Unless you really need the extra screen real estate, you may be better off with a phablet or one of the other best big phones that we've tested.

If you do think a foldable phone will help you get more done, though, be sure to pay attention to the device's construction. Early foldable phones like the Galaxy Fold and original Motorola Razr had design quirks that led us to pan those handsets. With the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in 2020, though, Samsung made some critical changes that made the phone more likely to withstand everyday use, and that work has continued with subsequent models. After adding water-resistance to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung worked on a lighter, slimmer hinge for its latest foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5.

There are two screens to consider when buying a foldable phone — the larger internal display and a secondary screen, usually on the outside of the device. Find out just what you can do with that exterior screen — can you run full apps or is it just there for notifications and a few other features? And does the screen support something like Samsung's continuity feature where the app you're using on the cover screen is waiting for you when you open the device?

Apart from size — you'll want to make sure a closed foldable phone is something you're comfortable carrying around — you're looking at a lot of the same criteria you'd use to judge conventional phones. That includes the processor, cameras and — especially — the battery life. After all, there are usually multiple screens to keep powered up on a foldable phone.

How we test foldable phones

We test for the best foldable phones the same way we review any smartphone. (See our look at how Tom's Guide tests and review smartphones for a more detailed explanation of our process.) We conduct lab tests, including synthetic benchmarks as Geekbench 5 and 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited to measure graphics performance. We also run a real-world video transcoding test on each phone using the Adobe Premiere Rush app and time the result.

To measure the quality of a phone's display, we perform lab tests to determine the brightness of the panel (in nits), as well as how colorful each screen is (DCI-P3 color gamut). In these cases, higher numbers are better. We also measure the color accuracy of each panel with a Delta-E rating, where lower numbers are better and a score of 0 is perfect.

We run a custom battery test in which we have the phone surf the web over cellular with its screen set to 150 nits of brightness. We then time how long it takes the phone to run out of power. For foldable phones, we conduct this test on the phone's main display.

We also test the cameras on each foldable phone, taking them out into the field to perform comparative shots, usually with another device that features comparable specs. In some cases, that's a foldable phone or another device in the same price tier.