Foldable phones have come a long way in just a couple of years. What used to be thick, fragile gadgets have turned into slim, sturdy devices that can actually keep up with regular flagships, and that’s exactly what makes them so tempting right now.
So the real question is which one to buy. A few years ago, your options were pretty limited, but that’s changed fast over the last year alone. Whether you want the thinnest book-style foldable you can find, a clamshell that folds down small enough to fit in your palm, or something built for multitasking on the go, there’s likely a foldable out there that fits what you need.
That said, it’s worth keeping expectations realistic. Foldables are still more fragile than a standard smartphone, simply because a screen that bends has more ways it can go wrong. Depending on what you need the phone for, that trade-off might be completely worth it.
That fragility, along with prices that are still on the higher side, is exactly why no foldable has earned a full five-star rating from us yet. Those two things remain the strongest arguments for sticking with a traditional flagship. Still, a few recent foldables have come closer than ever to closing that gap, so it’s clear the category is catching up.
Best Foldable Phones: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
Samsung has been making foldables longer than pretty much anyone in the game, so it says something that it’s taken this many tries to actually land on what feels like the best version yet.
The biggest change here is the shape. Gone is the tall, narrow body from the Fold 8 Ultra. In its place is a shorter, wider design that closes down to roughly the size of a passport. That one change matters a lot, because now the Fold 8 actually feels like a normal phone when it’s closed, instead of something awkward and stretched out.
Open it up, and you get a 7.8-inch inner display that’s genuinely great for tablet-style multitasking whenever you need more room to work. Using it feels satisfying, honestly, and this redesign is easily our favorite part.
That new shape brings other benefits too. The crease running down the main screen is noticeably less visible than on older Fold models, and the whole phone weighs just 201g, making it the lightest book-style foldable we’ve tested so far.
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On the software side, One UI 9 adds multitasking features built specifically for foldables, and Galaxy AI layers in some smart touches on top. Everything here feels like it was designed to work together, and it shows.
Performance holds up just as well. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 For Galaxy handles heavy tasks without slowing down or breaking a sweat.
Cameras are really the only weak spot, and even then it’s a small one. The dual 50MP setup is good enough for everyday shots, but skipping a dedicated telephoto lens is disappointing and will turn off buyers who care a lot about zoom.
If what you care about most is the actual foldable experience rather than having the best camera on the market, the Fold 8 makes a strong case for itself. It’s the most usable foldable we’ve reviewed so far.
Pros |
Cons |
| Good passport-style design | Underwhelming dual cameras |
| Excellent inner display and useful wide cover screen | Can stutter with more demanding tasks |
| Smooth day-to-day performance |
Best Foldable Phones: Oppo Find N6
The Oppo Find N6 might be the first foldable to really nail the formula. It gets past the two things that have dragged this category down for years: a crease you can’t ignore and a battery that never lasts as long as you’d like.
Unfold the phone, and the 8.12-inch inner screen is hard to find fault with. There’s a slight dip where it folds if you go looking for it, but you won’t notice it during regular use. That crease is so minimal that the screen feels fully immersive, closer to holding a small tablet than a phone with a hinge.
The battery held up well in our testing too. Its 6000mAh cell carried most days through with charge left over. You might still need to top it up on busier days, but compared to earlier foldables, this is a real improvement.
Photos from the 200MP main camera come out sharp and well balanced no matter the lighting. The 50MP periscope and ultrawide cameras don’t hit that same level of consistency, but having all three still gives you plenty of options depending on what you’re shooting.
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Powering it is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, though Oppo used a cut-down seven-core version rather than the full chip. Benchmark scores end up lower than what similar non-folding phones put out, but you wouldn’t know it from actually using the phone day to day. It never feels underpowered.
The catch is where you can buy one. The Find N6 is only sold in a limited number of markets right now, so most people will have to import it. If having a local store to buy from and support you matters more, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is still the more practical choice.
Pros |
Cons |
| Slimline design | Camera sensors still trail behind bar phones |
| The foldable crease is almost imperceptible | Snapdragon chipset is underclocked |
| Better camera hardware, with strong battery life and rapid charging | Very limited availability |
Best Foldable Phones: Motorola Razr 70 Ultra
Right now, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is the best clamshell foldable you can buy, and it earns that spot by getting nearly everything right.
The first thing that hits you is how good it feels in your hand. Our review unit came in the Pantone Orient Blue finish, and the texture feels almost velvety, matching how sharp it looks. The trade-off is that it picks up dust and lint easily, so you’ll either be wiping it down often or keeping the included case on.
The rounded edges, light build, and small folded size make this one of the easiest phones to hold for long stretches. You won’t get the finger fatigue that comes with the flat-edged phones that dominate most of the market right now.
Flip it open, and the inner screen is bright and smooth, running at 165Hz, with colors that pop right out of the box. It’s a bit taller and narrower than we’d like, and Motorola probably could have widened it a little. The bigger issue is the plastic film covering the display, which reflects too much light and makes reading outdoors genuinely frustrating.
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The cover screen is where this phone really shines. It runs full apps quickly and smoothly, so you can knock out quick tasks without ever opening the phone up. It also works well as a selfie mirror when you need one.
Inside, the Snapdragon 8 Elite handles anything you throw at it, whether that’s heavy gaming or regular multitasking, without any hiccups. The 5000mAh battery easily gets you through a full day, a clear improvement over what the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 offers, and 68W charging takes you to 50% in about 20 minutes.
Pros |
Cons |
| Nice design and a compact, pocketable form | Very expensive for a phone of this type |
| Cover screen is arguably still the best out there | Main display feels narrow and cramped |
| Vibrant, bright, colour-rich photos from cameras. Good battery life for a flip phone | Aggressive battery management can interfere with notification promptness |
Best Foldable Phones: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a real improvement over the last model, which makes it the top book-style foldable you can buy today. That said, it’s not quite as appealing to us as the standard Z Fold 8, thanks to that phone’s shorter, wider design.
The design changes here are subtle but noticeable. The edges are softer and sit better in your hand, and the hinge feels sturdier, with a satisfying snap each time you open or close it. The crease on the inner screen is barely noticeable during normal use, and reflections are handled much better than on the Z Fold 7, which makes the 8-inch display a genuine upgrade overall.
Pixel density on the inner screen is also higher than before, while the cover screen keeps the same sharpness, brightness, and smooth refresh rate as the last model. Overall, it’s hard to find anything to complain about here.
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Cameras are a bit of a mixed bag. The main sensor is basically unchanged, but the ultrawide now gets a 50MP sensor, which is a nice bump. The 3x zoom is still small and lower resolution than what competitors offer, and that’s still something Samsung needs to fix.
Inside, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performs as well as anything else in the foldable space right now. We ran 20 minutes of continuous gaming and saw no heat buildup or stuttering at all.
Battery life is another real win. The 5000mAh silicon carbon battery is an upgrade that was honestly overdue, and while it’s not the biggest in its class, it’s large enough that you won’t feel like you’re constantly compromising day to day. Charging is fast too, hitting 67% in just 25 minutes from empty.
Not having S Pen support is still a letdown, but overall, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a clear step forward from the Z Fold 7.
Pros |
Cons |
| Good sustained performance | The 3x zoom camera is still quite poor |
| Thin, lightweight design that’s very easy to open | Battery life still doesn’t match competitors |
| Battery life is improved from the last generation, and Anti-glare coating on the internal display is the real deal | Cover screen feels a little narrow, and no stylus support |
Best Foldable Phones: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
If durability is your main worry about foldables, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold makes an easy case for itself. It has a thicker frame that feels sturdy the moment you pick it up, and it’s the first foldable phone to carry an IP68 rating.
Google also added a new dual-layer coating over the display along with a redesigned hinge, which the company says can handle up to 10 years of regular folding and unfolding.
The 6.4-inch OLED cover display is great for quick tasks. Its aspect ratio makes it easy to reply to messages, follow directions in Google Maps, or use the camera without ever needing to open the phone.
Still, the real highlight is the 8-inch square OLED panel inside. It’s genuinely nice to use and produces vibrant colors. You will notice the crease if you’re looking for it, but it’s still a strong display for streaming, gaming, and running multiple apps side by side.
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Pixel phones are known for having some of the best cameras around, and while the 10 Pro Fold doesn’t quite match the Pixel 10 Pro XL, it still holds its own. The 48MP main lens is paired with a modest 10.8MP telephoto and 10.5MP ultrawide, but the phone still manages good shots in most lighting.
Running the show is Google’s Tensor G5 chip. Its benchmark numbers aren’t especially high, but it handles daily use well, especially when you’re using Google’s AI tools. That’s actually one of the strongest reasons to consider this phone, thanks to features like Magic Editor, Camera Coach for photography, Live Translate, and Gemini built throughout.
Battery life matches the rest of the Pixel 10 lineup, meaning it should get you through a full day without much worry. Charging tops out at 30W, which isn’t fast, but it still gets you to 50% in about 30 minutes.
If you’ve been wanting to try a foldable but durability has held you back, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a smart pick to start with.
Pros |
Cons |
| Really good, durable build for a foldable | Big and heavy |
| IP68 is the highest dust-water resistance in a folding phone | Underpowered compared to competitors |
| Gorgeous, colour-rich displays with great stereo sound | Zoom and ultrawide cameras are underwhelming in lower light |
Best Foldable Phones: Honor Magic V6
The Honor Magic V6 is a good foldable, and it makes a genuinely strong case for why it deserves your attention.
Its hinge carries an IP68 rating, making this the most water- and dust-resistant book-style foldable on the market right now. That’s a real point of difference from the competition, and yet the phone still manages to stay slim and comfortable to use.
The 7.95-inch inner display is bright and colorful, and MagicOS 10 puts that extra space to good use, including a quick-access button that jumps straight into split-screen mode.
The software also includes AI translation, AI photo editing, and AirDrop-style sharing with Apple devices, which is a genuinely useful touch. That said, the software can feel cluttered and a little fiddly during everyday use, so keep that in mind.
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Camera performance is reliable without being exceptional. The main lens, 3x zoom, and ultrawide all perform well in daylight, and low-light results are respectable for a foldable, even if that’s not where the phone truly shines. It won’t wow you in the dark, but it holds its own.
Where the Magic V6 really stands out is performance and battery life. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 handles intense games and heavy multitasking without any strain.
The 6660mAh battery easily lasts a full day and often goes beyond that, and 80W wired charging gets you enough juice for most of the day in just 20 to 30 minutes, making it one of the fastest-charging foldables around.
If you want a book-style foldable that covers all the bases without any real weak spot, the Magic V6 is well worth considering.
Pros |
Cons |
| Thin, comfortable and durable design | MagicOS is complicated and unintuitive |
| Good battery life and all-round performance | Aggressive battery optimisation |
| Bright, vibrant dual screens, consistent and good camera performance |
Best Foldable Phones: Motorola Razr Fold
This is Motorola’s first crack at a book-style foldable, and while it doesn’t quite beat out the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold or the Oppo Find N6, what it delivers is still genuinely impressive.
Looks-wise, this is one of the better book-style foldables you can buy right now, especially in the Lily White colorway. It has a silky, satin-like back that feels close to premium faux leather. There’s also a Blackened Blue option with a fabric-style finish if that’s more your style.
Unlike a lot of competitors, the crease on the 8.1-inch inner screen barely stands out. Colors look punchy, blacks run deep, and the smooth 120Hz LTPO refresh rate makes it genuinely enjoyable for gaming or watching content.
The 6.6-inch cover screen might actually be the bigger standout. It hits close to 6000 nits of peak brightness and runs an even faster 165Hz LTPO refresh rate than the main inner display.
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Performance is strong across the board. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 pairs with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, so multitasking across several windows and running demanding games both feel effortless.
The software is where things get messier. Motorola’s approach to AI has gotten crowded, stuffing in its own Moto AI assistant alongside Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot all at once. Having four separate AI models crammed into one interface ends up feeling chaotic rather than genuinely helpful.
There’s also a performance catch worth mentioning. The chipset in the Razr Fold doesn’t seem to be running at its full potential, which means the Oppo Find N6 still comes out ahead in most CPU, GPU, and AI benchmarks.
Battery life, though, is one of the Razr Fold’s biggest strengths. The 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery comfortably lasts a full day, even with the larger inner screen doing most of the work.
Pros |
Cons |
| Luxurious tactile foldable design | AI feels bloated |
| Lovely crease-light inner display | Chipset feels underpowered |
| Great battery life |
Final Thoughts
Foldables have clearly turned a corner this year, and this lineup proves it. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 stands out as the most well-rounded pick, with its new squatter design making it feel like a proper phone even when closed.
If you want the sharpest inner screen and don’t mind a taller shape, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is right behind it, held back mainly by the missing S Pen support.
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For anyone chasing the best overall foldable experience, the Oppo Find N6 is hard to beat, thanks to its near-invisible crease and battery life that actually holds up. The catch is availability, so you’ll need to import it unless Samsung’s local support matters more to you.
On the clamshell side, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra takes the top spot with its refined design and genuinely usable cover screen. If durability worries you more than anything else, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the safest bet, backed by its IP68 rating and Google’s strong AI features.
The Honor Magic V6 rounds things out nicely for anyone who wants water resistance, solid performance, and fast charging without one glaring weakness. Motorola’s other entry, the Razr Fold, is a strong first attempt at a book-style foldable, let down slightly by cluttered AI software and a chipset that doesn’t quite hit full performance.
Whichever one you pick, this generation of foldables makes a much stronger case for switching than anything we’ve seen before.
