Best foldable phones to buy in 2024: the top foldables we recommend
With Google's announced of its new foldable phone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, we finally have what should be most of the best folding cell phones for 2024.
Besides Google's foldable phone, we of course also have Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, while Motorola was first to enter the flip phone scene with the Razr Plus, which is better than its competition in more ways than one.
But in this top pick we want to focus on the book-like foldable phones, the ones that users typically buy to have something like a foldable tablet for extra productivity and the benefits of a larger screen size. For the best foldable phones with a clamshell design, you can visit our Best Flip Phones of 2024 article.
From the big foldables, the only major announcement we are still waiting for is that of the OnePlus Open 2, but rumours are saying we will have to wait until 2025 to see the successor to one of the best foldable phones we reviewed last year.
- Also check out: Best phones to buy right now
So, given that we already have the top foldable phones for 2024, which one should you go for? The good news is that there's enough variety to fit all needs, and we are here to tell you the areas in which each model excels at.
The best foldable phones of 2024 at a glance
- Best for mixed use: Pixel 9 Pro Fold
- Best camera on a foldable: OnePlus Open
- Best overall foldable phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
- Thinnest foldable phone: Honor Magic V3
- Best battery life on a foldable: Vivo X Fold 3 Pro
Best for mixed use: Pixel 9 Pro Fold
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a significant improvement over its predecessor, offering a larger, brighter display, a more robust design, and impressive AI features. However, its high price tag and relatively minor camera upgrades make it a tough sell compared to competitors like the OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Key features and benefits that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with include:
- Larger display: The Pixel 9 Pro Fold boasts an 8-inch main display, which is larger than the rest of the foldable phones we have tested. It also has the second-brightest main display we have tested, which helps a lot if you want to use that large screen real estate for productivity.
- Improved design: The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is thinner and lighter. We also noticed that its hinge mechanism is much sturdier than its predecessor, which is helpful when you want to place it in a specific position.
- AI features: One of the best parts about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is that it comes with all of Google's new and helpful AI features like Made You Look, Gemini Live, and Reimagine. We especially like reimagine, which can help you play with your creativity and rework photos to make them almost fantastical. A perfect way for kids to have fun.
Something that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is great at, just like its predecessor, is being used as a regular phone. The secondary display is shaped like one you would find on a regular non-foldable phone, which makes the phone more intuitive to use without opening it up. The main display is mostly reserved for watching videos or multitasking, which it also does very well, making it a great 2-in-1 device.
The starting price for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is $1,799 for the 256GB model, which is a tough sell. Also, even though it has a good camera system, it is not better than the OG Pixel Fold in any way.
Read more: Pixel 9 Pro Fold review
Best camera on a foldable: OnePlus Open
The OnePlus Open is a premium foldable smartphone that offers a compelling blend of performance, design, and features. Its lightweight construction and smooth hinge make it a joy to use, while the large, high-quality displays provide an immersive viewing experience.
Powered by a powerful processor, the OnePlus Open delivers exceptional performance for demanding tasks. The versatile camera system captures stunning images and videos in various lighting conditions, and the long-lasting battery ensures you can stay connected throughout the day.
Here are some key features that make the OnePlus Open a great choice:
Powered by a powerful processor, the OnePlus Open delivers exceptional performance for demanding tasks. The versatile camera system captures stunning images and videos in various lighting conditions, and the long-lasting battery ensures you can stay connected throughout the day.
Here are some key features that make the OnePlus Open a great choice:
- Lightweight and easy to use: The OnePlus Open is one of the lightest foldable phones on the market, making it easy to use with one hand. It also has a smooth and responsive hinge mechanism that allows it to fold and unfold easily.
- One of the best camera systems on a foldable: Like much of its competition, the OnePlus Fold has three cameras at the back. But even though it is older then rest of the entries on this list it still has arguable superior image quality. In fact, it has the highest camera score from our tests from all foldable phones so far.
- Very fast charging: Out of all the book-style Foldable phones we have tested, the OnePlus Open is the 2nd fastest to charge from 0-100% — only 43 minutes.
- Intuitive UI for multitasking: We think that the OnePlus Open has one of the best optimized UIs for foldables on the market. It's drag-and-drop functionality is smooth and always works as you expect it to, and the app continuity helps go from the secondary display to the main one in a flash, while keeping everything intact.
Overall, the OnePlus Open is a blend of everything you would want from a foldable phone, and more. Given that it is a bit older than the other devices on this list, you can also probably find it with great discounts that reduce its price. OnePlus itself has currently placed a 23% discount on its website, dropping the price down to $1,299.99.
Read more: OnePlus Open review
Best overall foldable phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Galaxy Z Fold 6's sleek design, powerful performance, and robust software support make it a top choice for users seeking a high-quality foldable smartphone.
Here are some of the key characteristics that make it the safe choice as far as foldable phones go:
- Improved design: The Fold 6 has a thinner and lighter design than the Fold 5. Even during our hands-on experience with the phone we could already tell the improvements Samsung had made to the hinge mechanism, making it more comfortable to use.
- Display improvements: The Fold 6's main screen has a new protective layer that is more resistant to pressure and sharp objects. The crease in the middle of the screen is also less noticeable than on previous models.
- Durability: The new protective layer on the main display is one of the reasons Samsung managed to make the Z Fold 6 the first of its kind to come with a IP48 dust and water resistance rating.
- Excellent performance: The Fold 6 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, specifically made for Galaxy phones. That performance superiority of the Z Fold 6 was also clearly visible in our benchmark tests, where the phone consistently gave better results than the competition. The Z Fold 6 also has a larger vapor chamber for better thermal management, although we still noticed its right half getting quite warm during gaming.
- Improved battery life: The Fold 6 has the same battery capacity as the Fold 5, but the power efficiency of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the improved thermal management helped it achieve considerably better results in our battery life tests compared to the Fold 5.
- Reliable main camera: While the rest of the cameras on the Z Fold 6 are nothing to brag about, the main camera is solid and reliable. It scored 79 points in our camera scoring system, which puts it a little below the modern non-foldable flagships.
But where there is good, there is usually bad, and the Z Fold 6 lacks in some specific areas, just like its predecessor. For example, it does not have a dust resistance rating, which means it may not be the best phone for use in dusty environments. Also, it only supports 25W wired charging, which is slower than some other flagship foldable phones like the OnePlus Open.
Arguably the worst part about the Z Fold 6 is its extreme price tag of $1900 for the 256GB model, reflecting a $100 price increase compared to its predecessor. The 512GB and 1TB variants come in at $2020 and $2260 respectively.
Read more: Galaxy Z Fold 6 review
Thinnest foldable phone: Honor Magic V3
The Honor Magic V3 has emerged as a formidable contender in the foldable smartphone market. In our Honor Magic V3 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 comparison, the Honor narrowly edged out its rival, securing a 0.2-point advantage in our rating system.
While both phones offer compelling features, the Magic V3 stands out for its exceptional thinness. If a sleek, compact foldable is your priority, this device is a compelling choice. However, availability may be a challenge, particularly in regions like the United States.
Some of its standout features are:
- Exceptional thinness: The Magic V3 boasts the slimmest profile among foldable phones, measuring at an impressive 4.35mm when folded. This makes it remarkably portable and pocket-friendly. The slim design contributes to a more comfortable and discreet carrying experience, making it easier to slip into your pocket or bag.
- Powerful performance: You get the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which helped the Honor Magic V3 give some of the best results during our benchmark tests, only beaten by the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, but not by much.
- Long-lasting battery: The Magic V3 features a substantial battery that can comfortably last through a full day of moderate to heavy usage. The only phone that beat it in our battery life tests was the next on the list, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro.
The V3 has very limited availability and you won't find it in stores in the US. That said, you can buy it on Ebay for $2,489, which is quite the hefty price tag.
Also read: Honor Magic V3 review
Best battery life on a foldable: Vivo X Fold 3 Pro
The Vivo X Fold 3 presents a compelling proposition in the foldable smartphone market. Its combination of high-quality displays, sleek design, robust performance, and competitive pricing makes it a worthy contender.
As you might have guessed, though, the it is not available in the US, just like the Magic V3. There is an international version of the X Fold 3 that can cost you around $1,500. For that money, you get:
- Exceptional displays: There is simply no better main display on a foldable phone at the moment than the one on the Vivo X Fold 3. I is much brighter than even the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and our unit even showcased better color accuracy during our display lab tests.
- Compact and lightweight: Despite its expansive main screen, the X Fold 3 maintains a thin and lightweight profile. It depends on your hand size, but some of our colleagues even felt comfortable using the phone with one hand when it's folded.
- Enduring battery Life: The X Fold 3 Pro's endurance is truly remarkable, especially for a foldable phone. It managed to take first place in our battery life tests, scoring a total of 6h 44m of estimated battery life.
- Powerful performance: The second-best performing foldable phone, with only the Z Fold 6 being slightly better.
But while the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers impressive features like high-quality screens, robust build, dual ultrasonic fingerprint scanners, exceptional performance, and long battery life, its availability can be a challenge, especially in certain markets.
Given the potential difficulties in acquiring the X Fold 3 Pro and the risk of carrier compatibility issues, it might be worth considering alternative options that are more readily available and can still deliver a satisfying user experience.
Given the potential difficulties in acquiring the X Fold 3 Pro and the risk of carrier compatibility issues, it might be worth considering alternative options that are more readily available and can still deliver a satisfying user experience.
If you're fortunate enough to secure the X Fold 3 Pro, you'll be rewarded with a premium device that offers excellent value, particularly when compared to the price increase of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. However, the challenge of finding a reputable retailer selling the X Fold 3 Pro may deter some potential buyers.
Also read: Vivo X Fold 3 Pro
Are foldable phones worth the extra cost?
Well, nowadays it is the big book-like foldable phones that actually cost more than your regular flagship phone. Whether that extra cost is worth the money depends on what you want to use that phone for. If can make use of the additional productivity that this form factor allows, then yes, it might be worth the cost. In all other cases, however, we would venture to say that you are better off with something like a Galaxy Ultra from Samsung, or any equivalent from another manufacturer.
- They are usually much more expensive than a regular high-end flagship
- They tend to weigh more
- They are not as durable
- They can very rarely match the camera performance of regular flaghsips
- There is a display crease where the screen folds
On the other end of the spectrum are flip phones, which have become more affordable, with the best example being this year's Razr (2024) from Motorola. For a starting price of just $700 you get many benefits of this form factor, such as a more compact body and the ability to control much of the phone functionality without having to open it. Still, you get the usual downsides of a foldable phone when you buy a flip foldable, which is less space for good camera hardware and lower durability.
Are foldable phones durable enough?
The foldable tech has been improving in the last couple of years. Foldable smartphones were somewhat fragile in the beginning. Now things have changed and current foldable phones are way more durable. For the Z Fold 4, Samsung promises the device is durable enough to survive a minimum of 200,000 folds – more or less 5 years if you fold and unfold it 100 times a day. Americans check their phones on average 344 times per day, according to a survey by Reviews.org on smartphone usage for 2022. That's around 122,000 checks a year. But checking doesn't mean interacting with it – you can check the secondary screen of the Samsung foldable for notifications, texting, or even a brief scroll through social media, without ever unfolding the phone.
The moral of the story – a foldable phone like the Z Flip 4 and the Z Fold 4 should survive for around five years of regular usage. Good enough for today's standards.
Is battery life affected in foldables phones?
Yes, battery life seems to be a bit lower than regular flagship phones. When comparing a foldable phone to regular flagship devices, we see some differences in the battery department, including when pinning them against the best Android phones. As you may know, we at PhoneArena perform extensive tests for all the phones we review. Check the table below to see for yourself what the battery life results for foldable phones vs regular phones are.
Are there any differences between foldable and traditional phones' camera quality?
It depends on which foldable vs which traditional phone. The camera has no interaction whatsoever with the folding mechanism, and is like any other smartphone camera. If it has a higher megapixel count and better features, image processing and color calibration, it will be better no matter if it's on a foldable phone or a standard smartphone. The only thing is that some folding phones may lack the space for a periscope lens or some other special lens though. If we talk about selfies, some foldable phones like the Z Fold 4 can deliver even better results given the fact that you can use the phone's rear camera to take a selfie.
How we rate phones
Our phone ratings are a comprehensive score that considers 12 key aspects of the smartphone experience, including battery life, photo quality, design, and performance. Each category is rated on a scale of 0 to 10, with varying weights assigned to reflect their relative importance. For instance, battery life is considered more crucial than design.
To provide a more accurate comparison, we also introduce the "Price Class Average." This metric evaluates how a specific model stacks up against competitors with similar specifications and pricing. By understanding the average score within its class, you can gain a better perspective on the device's overall performance.
Please note that perfect scores (9s and 10s) are rare. Our new rating system has been meticulously designed to be forward-looking and capable of discerning even subtle differences between phone models. This allows for future growth and ensures that top-tier devices maintain a competitive edge.
Currently, the best Android phones typically score around 7.5, leaving room for future advancements and improvements. For a more in-depth analysis, explore our sub-categories, such as Battery Score and Camera Score, which provide detailed breakdowns and finer-grained ratings.
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