Smartphones are evolving every year. It wasn’t long ago when we used to have large ugly bezels around smartphone screens, and then the so-called bezel-less smartphones came with a notch. These notches were tub-shaped placed on the top of the display and started a unique but ugly trend of screens. Then hole-punch display tech was a whole new different approach to making smartphones bezel-less. But, one problem was persistent; smartphones were getting boring.
It wasn’t until October 2018 when Royole, a company, announced the world’s first smartphone with a foldable display. Before that, Samsung, LG, and Huawei have been working on foldable display tech, but there wasn’t any foldable phone in the flesh. FlexPai might be the first assembled smartphone/tablet with foldable tech, but it wasn’t up to the mark. FlexPai was more of a prototype than a finished product. Then, Samsung came forward with a polished and well-built product, Galaxy Fold.
Then we saw competition among companies growing like Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi with their phones and prototypes. Huawei announced Mate X, Oppo and Xiaomi announced that they are also working on their folding phones, Motorola launched foldable Razr phone and now Samsung brought a new take on folding phones with Galaxy Z Flip.
Now it seems that smartphones are getting interesting every year. Now, we have enough folding phones to compile a list of best folding phones to date.
Here are the best foldable phones till now:
1. Galaxy Z Flip
Samsung has already done a foldable smartphone before the Galaxy Z Flip. The Galaxy Fold was their first take on a foldable phone. But Fold had few issues. First, it got caught in the display scandal, where the review units sent to YouTubers started to wear out. Samsung called the Fold units back and then delayed the launch of the phone until they got it right. But it was still an expensive phone. Noting that it was Samsung’s first attempt to a foldable phone.
After a year, the company learned a lot from the previous experience, and Z Flip is the result of their hard work. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a much better phone and deserves the number one spot for the best folding phone to date until a new, better phone replaces it.
Z Flip has a well-built hinge, better screen protection, the world’s first foldable glass (with a protective plastic layer), and, more importantly, a solid phone. It has everything that they learned from the previous experience. It still needs more work, but overall, the phone is the best take on any folding phone yet.
2. Galaxy Fold
Before MWC 2019, Samsung announced Galaxy S10, which is one of the best smartphones of the year, along with a mystery device, the Galaxy Fold, which they already gave a sneak peek at Samsung Developer’s Conference 2018. Galaxy Fold sits at the second spot on the best foldable smartphones list. And I have my reasons.
The Fold has a considerable crease in the display where it folds; it has a secondary display on the back, and five cameras in different places. Galaxy Fold also has a large battery split on both sides of the phone. But why it’s not the number one folding phone? Well, the phone had issues with built quality and price. It isn’t as durable as Galaxy Z Flip.
Galaxy Fold has an intuitive and well-engineered hinge. It does have a robust hinge, but it is still prone to dust. The display can be easily damaged, the phone is taller than usual phones when folded, but the most important drawback is the price. It costs $1,980, which is just mind-bending. Galaxy Z Flip costs lesser and is better at a lot of things.
3. Huawei Mate X
Huawei brought Mate X foldable phone to CES 2019. The main difference was, Galaxy Fold folds inside, while Huawei’s Mate X folds outside, and tbh, it looks pretty cool to me. But coolness isn’t the only factor that we will be counting.
Huawei Mate X is vulnerable to the drop, there’s not drop test yet, but the design seems to be fragile. The phone is only sold in China and costs $2,420 approx., which is bonkers.
4. Motorola Razr 2019
I always get a nostalgic feeling when talking about the classic Motorola Razr flip phone. It was so cool. Motorola brought the same coolness with a foldable display, called it Motorola Razr 2019, and guess what? It was called “a Folding flop.” Motorola Razr has a character if we look at the design. It brings back that Razr nostalgic feeling with the satisfaction of ‘click’ when you close it. But it’s not enough for a price of $1,499.
The crease in this phone is a little dispersed as compared to other folding phones; however, it is not the best display that one should expect at this price. Razr also has an external display used to show notifications, and it is good. Comparing to Z Flip, it has a better way of showing notifications when closed.
Speaking of internals, the Razr doesn’t have a flagship processor or a massive battery. Hence, it doesn’t qualify for the best folding phone to date. That’s why it’s in 4th spot.
5. Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha
Mi Mix Alpha is Xiaomi’s concept smartphone that comes with a 108MP sensor. Xiaomi and Samsung team engineered this camera sensor together. The concept phone has been released at a small scale, but it is too much expensive than other foldable smartphones and is available in select Mi Home stores in India.
Mi Mix Alpha doesn’t fold, but it does have a folded screen. A secondary screen at the back showcases Control Center styled features and has a gorgeous surround display. It proves the ambition of Xiaomi to build a futuristic smartphone and will open more possible outcomes of what a smartphone can become. Mi Mix Alpha doesn’t have physical buttons and comes with customizable soft keys. The phone gets the number 5 spot because of the price. Mi Mix Alpha is a limited edition smartphone and is available in select stores. It costs a staggering $2,800 and is the most expensive phone in this category yet. Unless you’ve got a lot of money sitting somewhere, you shouldn’t spend money on this beast.
So, these were the best smartphones with foldable display tech to date. If you know any other smartphone that you think should be added to the list, let us know in the comments below.
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