The current iteration of flip phones with foldable screens has come a long way, improving in design, durability and features while dropping in price – the new Razr starts at just $700. These flip phones offer a modern twist on a classic design with large cover displays and the ability to run almost any Android app on the outer screen. They also pack great cameras and offer a regular phone experience in a foldable form. If you’re looking to hop on the flip phone wave, there are many options to consider. But we at CNET have tested and reviewed everything on this list to help you find the best flip phone for you.
Our Picks
What is the best flip phone for most people?
The Motorola Razr Plus (2024) is CNET's top flip phone pick. It was a close call between it and Samsung's new and more expensive Galaxy Z Flip 6. There's a lot to enjoy in the Razr Plus, like the larger cover screen, which I found myself using a lot of the time, the long battery life, fast charging and improved cameras. The new model is certified to survive temporary dunking, with an IPX8 rating that means it can be immersed under 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. The 2024 Razr Plus is an absolute delight to use and will no doubt appeal to fans looking for something more unique and fashionable than the standard rectangular slabs offered by Apple and Samsung.
Best flip phones of 2025
Best flip phone foldable
Pros
- Cover screen updates
- Good battery life
- Fun, fashionable design
- Camera upgrades a step forward, but could go farther
Cons
- New cameras are a mixed bag
- Camera cover screen position not great for right handed-people
- Gets warm gaming or charging
When I consider the Motorola Razr Plus on its own terms, it's outstanding. And perhaps more importantly, it's a delight to use. The 4-inch cover screen makes the Razr feel like two phones in one. You can use pretty much any app on the outer display, as well as respond to messages, watch videos, make video calls and even play games -- all without opening up the Razr Plus.
Add to that a long battery life, fast charging, improved cameras and an IPX8 rating that certifies that the Razr Plus will survive temporary dunking and you realize just how much value Motorola has poured into its flagship foldable. Its $1,000 price is steep, but you're getting one of the best clamshell style foldables you can buy.
Best flip phone for Samsung
Pros
- Matte finish
- New main camera is solid
- 7 years of OS updates
- Auto zoom for photos
Cons
- $1,100 starting price
- Cover screen a step down from the internal one
- Wonky way to add apps to cover screen
For better or worse, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldable is packed with AI. It can take a rough sketch and turn it into artwork or help me have a conversation in French or Korean despite my only knowing a few words of either language. The new autofocus/autozoom feature lets you prop the phone in a half-open position and the Z Flip 6 will automatically zoom in or out (switching between the main and ultrawide cameras) to get a photo that best suits the moment.
Samsung's latest clamshell style foldable has a new 50-megapixel main camera; a smaller hinge and crease; a larger battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. But all this comes at a higher starting price: $1,099, which makes it hard to appreciate the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for the absolute great phone that it is.
Best foldable under $700
Pros
- Roomy, 3.6-inch cover screen
- Great battery life
- Affordable price
- Minimal crease in screen
- Live camera preview on cover screen
Cons
- Not a full-size cover screen
- Some apps don't work on cover screen
- Camera features like night mode are hit-or-miss
- Only three years of OS updates
The 2024 Motorola Razr is an impressive example of a foldable phone that doesn't break the bank. Yes, you'll have to make some compromises when it comes to camera quality (shots aren't quite as remarkable as what you'll get on the -- pricier -- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Motorola Razr Plus, for instance, and night mode isn't great), but you'll still generally get high-quality images on both the rear and internal cameras. The phone also has great battery life (it can last for over a day and a half), and that crease in the internal display is hardly noticeable when you're using your phone like usual; I could barely see it when watching videos or scrolling through photos and apps.
The biggest selling point, though, is that 3.6-inch cover screen, which is convenient for quickly replying to a text, pulling up the camera and controlling your music. You can also take advantage of fun Moto features like gesture selfie, which automatically snaps your photo after you show your palm, and auto smile capture, which takes a picture when everyone in the frame is smiling. But the coolest feature, in my opinion, is External Display Preview mode, which shows a preview of the photo you're snapping using the cover screen. It's a prime example of how the 2024 Razr serves as a practical device that effectively utilizes both displays.
Last year's flip phone is still great
Pros
- Big cover screen is fun to use
- New hinge eliminates the gap when closed
- Solid battery life
- More storage in base model
Cons
- Expensive
- Not all apps work on the cover screen natively
- Apps don't transition from main screen to cover screen
- Minimal camera updates
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 was the biggest leap forward Samsung's flip phone had seen when it launched in 2023. Samsung significantly expanded the size of the cover screen located on the outside of the device, meaning you can look up directions, take photos and send messages without opening the phone. It's this, combined with the Z Flip's solid battery life and sturdy design, that makes it a top pick.
The Z Flip 5 was our favorite flip phone in 2023, but there are still some drawbacks to be aware of. Not all apps work natively on the front screen as they do on the Motorola Razr Plus. At $1,000, it's still expensive for a phone without a telephoto camera. The newer Z Flip 6 costs even more. Though the Z Flip 5 can often be found on discount. Read our Galaxy Z Flip 5 review.
Best flip phone value
Pros
- Large, useful cover screen
- Crease is barely visible
- Thin design
- Good battery life
- Fun photography features like photo previews
Cons
- Not as many Android updates as Samsung
- Flex View feels limited
- Front screen gathers fingerprint smudges easily
- $1,000 is still expensive
In 2024, you can find the Motorola Razr Plus (2023) often discounted -- we've seen it as low as $600 which makes it a fantastic value. The Razr Plus raised the bar for what a flip phone should be when it released in 2023. The 3.6-inch cover screen allows you to use almost any app without opening the phone, plus battery life is long enough to get you through a busy day. It's also thinner than the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which could make it the ideal choice for those who prioritize portability in a phone.
The Razr Plus (2023) is worth considering if you prefer a thinner design and want to use more apps on the phone's front screen without much extra fuss. The Razr Plus is a great choice for those who care about compactness above all else. Read our Motorola Razr Plus review.
Factors to consider when buying a flip phone
Don't discount the midrange: Features of last year's flagships always trickle down to this year's midrange handsets. You can get a great phone that does almost everything that a premium phone can do for a fraction of the price. Google's Pixel 8 Pro packs a great zoom camera, but the base Pixel 8 has most of the same key specs and comes at a more reasonable price. If you're trying to save a few bucks, you shouldn't be considering a flip phone. Devices like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus are priced like high-end premium phones, although Motorola plans to release a cheaper Razr this year.
Shop the sales: Look for deep discounts and promo deals around major holidays, especially Amazon's Prime Day and Cyber Monday. Find out what your grace period is in case you need a quick return or exchange.
Last year's phones: They can often be a great deal, too. Wait for this year's launch to get last year's phone for less, when stores and carriers may be trying to offload their existing stock. Keep in mind you'll miss out on the spacious cover screens found on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Razr Plus by going for last year's models.
Hold the phone in hand at a store first: You may love or hate the way it looks and feels in person. This is especially important for flip phones and other foldable devices, particularly if it's your first time using one.
The right time to buy a new phone
Knowing when to upgrade your phone largely depends on the age and condition of your current device as well as your budget. It's also a good idea to plan your upgrades in line with new models launching, if possible.
Samsung is also rumored to be working on a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip model that could cost around $400 to $500. That's according to a leak posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, by an account with the handle @Tech_Reve. T.M. Roh, the president and head of Samsung's mobile experience division, told CNET that offering a foldable phone for less than $1,000 is still a major challenge.
"And given the materials cost today ... it is probably not going to be easy for us to offer a less than $1,000 foldable in the very near future," Roh said. "But we will keep trying."
If there is a cheaper foldable phone in the works at Samsung, it could debut alongside the company's pricier models. Samsung also tends to launch cheaper A-series and FE-series phones separately from its flagship phones.
Most companies typically release new products around the same time every year, although launch cycles aren't always annual. Here's when Samsung, Motorola and Oppo launched their flip phones in 2023/2024, which could provide a hint at when they may launch future models.
Flip phone launches
| Phone | Release month |
|---|---|
| Motorola Razr Plus (2024) | June |
| Motorola Razr (2024) | June |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 | July |
| Oppo Find N3 Flip | October (global launch) |
How we test phones
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 (left), Galaxy Z Flip 5 (center) and Motorola Razr Plus (right)
We test every phone in real-world scenarios, focusing on its features, design, performance, cameras, battery life and overall value. We document our findings in an initial review that is periodically updated when there are new software updates, or to compare it against new phones from competitors such as Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus. Below is our methodology for testing smartphones in general, which also applies to flip phones.
Photography
Photography is a major focus for most phones, so we take pictures and videos of various subjects in multiple settings and lighting scenarios. We try out any new camera modes, such as the revamped Action mode on the iPhone 15 line, or the Magic Editor photo tool that launched with the Google Pixel 8 series.
Taking a photo with the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Battery life
Battery testing is conducted in a variety of ways. We assess how long a phone lasts during a typical day of use and note how it performs during more focused sessions of video calls, media streaming and gaming. We also conduct a video playback test, as a simple, replicable measure of pure battery life, which isn't always included in the initial review but is sometimes added later in an update.
Performance measuring
We use benchmarking apps to measure each phone's performance, alongside our own anecdotal experiences using the phone for our review. Of note are how graphics and animations look. Are they smooth? Or do they lag or stutter? We also look at how quickly the phone switches between horizontal and vertical orientations, and how fast the camera app opens and is ready to take a photo.
We perform processor-heavy tasks like editing photos, exporting videos and playing games. We evaluate whether a newer version of a particular phone includes enough features to make it worth upgrading from older models.
Read more: How we test phones