Foldable smartphones have come a long way in two years. It's more reliable and its prices are slightly accessible now, although it's still in the top tier of more expensive smartphones. If you liked this concept as well, here are the best models available on the market.
In the late nineties and early 2000s, foldable phones were at the height of their popularity. Eclipsed by the rise of touch screens, she gradually returned to center stage. Thanks to the arrival of flexible screens that changed the game and paved the way for foldable smartphones. If there was any doubt as to why they existed two years ago, things have since evolved.
Major manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei or Motorola have improved their design. The issue of reliability is no longer on the agenda. There are two morphological factors today to meet all tendencies. For example, you can choose the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you are looking for a smartphone that can turn into a tablet with the comfort of a large screen.
Or choose the Galaxy Z Flip 3 or Motorola Razr if you're looking for a foldable phone experience. And this is without radically breaking the spirit of classic smartphones that are still largely dominant in the market. Here are the best foldable smartphones right now.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is arguably the best foldable smartphone. Samsung has improved many aspects of the Z Fold 2 which has already fixed most of the problems of the first-generation model. The hardness of the smartphone is not debatable. Featuring a reinforced hinge, it benefits from a comprehensive aluminum structure and a Gorilla Victus glass protected screen, the most resistant on the market. Galaxy Z Fold 3 is also waterproof (IPX8 certified). Obviously, one of its most important creations is its compatibility with the S-Pen .
By abandoning the Note range, Samsung wants to impose its Z Fold line as its successor. The latter offers all the advantages of the old range: a large screen, optimized applications for taking notes and the use of S-Pen, but also high performance. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is based on a 7.6-inch main screen when the smartphone is unlocked. When folded, the external display takes on a close format to traditional 6.2-inch smartphones.
Either way, you get a beautiful screen that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung now relies on the Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O board. The name is impressive, but it only means that the screen is brighter and has better contrast. The One UI interface adapts perfectly to both screens.
Finally, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 was launched at a price 200 euros less than the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It is in particular the first phone to appear under the bar of 2000 €: 1799 € very accurately, but it was found cheaper. At 1699 € at the time of this writing. To know everything about this foldable smartphone, we invite you to read our full test of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 .
Galaxy Z Fold 3 features:
Release Date : August 2021
Screens : 6.2 inch closed / 7.6 inch open
Resolution : 2268×832p / 2208×1768p
Soc: Snapdragon 888
Storage/RAM: 256/12GB and 512/12GB
Battery : 4400 mAh
Rear image sensors : 12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP
Front image sensors: 10 MP / 4 MP.
Galaxy Z Flip 3
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the best-selling model in Samsung's foldable smartphone lineup. Because it is cheaper, but also and above all because it offers an experience close to that of foldable phones. It is very compact when folded and fits easily into a pocket in its square format. With the Z Flip range, Samsung retains the truncated model to attract audiences.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has succeeded Z face from 2020 and improves in several aspects. The smartphone is unveiled with a 6.7-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz . When folded, the external display provides a convenient diagonal of 1.9 inches to display notifications and other important information. It also always works.
Thanks to the flexible mode that must be activated in the settings, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 changes the control system by splitting the screen into two when it is curved at right angles. The top is reserved for app content. At the bottom, the interface retains a lot of space for various controls.
As for the features of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, it has a Snapdragon 888 5G processor. The same is at the heart of most high-end smartphones of 2021. The SoC supports 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of internal storage. The only negative point of this foldable smartphone is its small 3300mAh battery, and its charging power is limited to 15W.
As for the price, the Z Flip 3 is available at a price of 1059 euros in its version with a storage capacity of 128 GB. The capacity of 256 GB is about 1100 euros. To learn more, we invite you to read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 .
Release Date : August 2021
Screens : 1.9 inch closed / 6.7 inch open
Resolution : 260×512p / 1080×2640p
Soc: Snapdragon 888
Storage / RAM: 8/128 GB or 8/256 GB
Battery : 3300 mAh
Rear image sensors: 12 MP + 12 MP
Front Camera : 10 MP
MOTOROLA RAZR 5G (2020)
Not to mention its specs, the Motorola Razr 5G has a big trump card in its favor: its name. To enter the foldable smartphone market, Motorola had a convenient idea to ride its iconic model from the middle of the first decade of the 21st century to 2010: the Razr V3. The arrival of flexible screens has allowed the brand to relaunch the range by adapting it to existing smartphones.
The Motorola Razr 2020, like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, is a foldable smartphone based on a clamshell model. The two smartphones also have the same form factor, with their own design. When the device is folded, the device displays a small 2.7-inch OLED screen on the front (600×800p). The latter is intended for displaying notifications and practical information. Once the panel is revealed – still OLED – it spans a diagonal Qatar of 6.2 inches with a definition of 876 × 2142 pixels.
Let's come to the technical sheet. Unlike Samsung, Motorola chose to integrate the mid-range SoC chip into its foldable smartphone. It includes the Snapdragon 765G chip which stands out for being 5G and offers decent performance to most users. But it is still much less efficient than the 2020 Snadragon 888 or S865. SoC supports 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
For the image part, Motorola chose to stay on a 48MP sensor and a 20MP Selfie sensor. The battery in its case is even smaller than the Z Flip 3 battery with a capacity of 2800mAh and is compatible with a regular 15W recharging. Finally, the price of the foldable smartphone has not changed since its release. It is still trading at 1,599 euros.
Release Date: September 2020
Screens : 2.7 inch closed / 6.2 inch open
Resolution : 800×600p / 2142×876
Soc: Snapdragon 765G
Storage / RAM : 8/256 GB
Battery : 2800 mAh
Rear Sensor : 48 MP
Front Sensor : 20 MP
What is the best foldable smartphone
As you will notice, not many models are available on the market. Or at least in France. It is no coincidence that Samsung is the leader in foldable smartphones because it is the only company that regularly serves the French market. Xiaomi debuted on the market in April 2021 with the Mi Mix Fold, a competitor model of the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Unfortunately, this foldable smartphone is not available in the French market. As for Huawei, its Mate X line is always renewed. The Huawei Mate X2 released in 2021 is the latest representative of this. Here again, it is very difficult to get the model in France. Huawei is paying the price for US sanctions and the hefty price tag for its foldable smartphones. Few people are willing to put more than 2000 euros into a foldable smartphone without the Google Play Store.
Therefore, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 have no serious competition in France in their categories. The Korean manufacturer benefits from this semi-monopolistic position. With rumors that Apple is preparing for a foldable smartphone or with the arrival of the foldable Oppo Find N, Samsung will soon face competition.
