The best foldable phones to buy – updated September 2021

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

We’ll start with our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review. This specimen is of great interest to most of us since it’s what most people imagined we’d use a foldable phone for – screen real estate. And real estate it does well. The phone was just released and keeps the thick and heavy feel of its predecessor that was deprecated but is way more durable and functional, with a massive 7.6-inch main display. 

The phone follows a book design, meaning that the display folds in and is protected from the outside where you’ll find another screen which is rather useful if you don’t really want to unfold this big boy. And on the topic of unfolding, this particular model sports Samsung’s new upgraded hinge and display layering design that makes it much tougher than its predecessor the Z Fold 2.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G

But Motorola is not the only one to include a flip phone-like design. 

The Honorable Mentions

Motorola Razr 5G

So now we move on to the Motorola Razr 5G which sports a different ideology for what a foldable phone is. This one folds like a flip phone and we think that’s pretty cool. It might not sport a massive display but the tall 6.2-inch screen is pretty cool by itself. 

There is also this weird chin on the bottom which we kind of dig since it sits flush when you do the satisfying slap to close your phone. Additionally, if you just wanted to check the time or see if you have any messages, there is an external 2.7 inch OLED display to tell you the time and sеe your notifications. But we should add that this same chin is also a slight pain. When we covered it with a hand, we regularly dropped our Wi-Fi connection which is something you don’t want to see on any phone.

Camera-wise you’re getting a rather capable phone with the ability to record up to 4K at 30fps, it’s certainly not as great as the rest of the phones in this lineup, but it should do the job. Performance-wise, this device is weaker than the Z Fold 2 since it sports a Snapdragon 765G and if that wasn’t enough, it also thermal throttles to oblivion leaving you with no power for games and the like. As you might’ve guessed, this isn’t a flagship phone spec wise and even if the design is supposed to carry it into that title we’d still stay a bit away from it.

Huawei Mate X2

Even if Huawei was banned from dealing with the US, that still doesn’t stop them from making impressive devices. One such device is their foldable Mate X2. Much like the Z Fold 2, it folds towards the inside and boasts a large tablet-like screen. When folded, you’ll find a glass-covered display on the outside which is 6.45 inches and when you unfold the phone, it spreads its inside screen to 8 inches.

The technology of this display is OLED much like on the rest of the foldable devices so colors won’t disappoint and it boasts a refresh rate of 90Hz which is cool. There is a drawback to this device though. Since this is a Huawei device, it does not have support for Google Play services which can be a nuisance if you’re used to that ecosystem. 

So this has been a quick cover of the best foldable phones out now which will only grow with time, if Samsung has its way. We are kind of more inclined to use the Z Fold 3 since it is the most solid out of the bunch while also being a true foldable but if we had to choose something more innovative or fun the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G is quite the cool little device since it unfolds to a decently sized phone while also bringing back that sweet sweet nostalgia.