We have come full circle, the folding clamshell phone was popular in the late nineties and early noughties, then fizzled out as smartphones with touchscreens became the thing and you couldn’t fold one of them…. until now!
There are a fair few to chose from, and here are the latest offerings available in the UK at the moment.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Motorola Razr 2022 (flip)
- Google Pixel Fold
- Oppo Find N2 Flip
- Honor Magic Vs (fold)
- Huawei P50 Pocket (flip)
- Microsoft Surface Duo 2 (fold)
Things to know.
The term “Flip” indicates a clamshell style fold in the phone, and the term “Fold” is a book style fold down the middle of the length of the phone.
They all bring very different features to the table, for example the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is two separate hinged screens that can work together or independently.
The Fold phones from Google, Honor and Samsung will have an almost standard size screen available on the outside of the device when in its folded state to resemble a standard smartphone, but a larger screen inside once unfolded allowing the user to interact with apps, eBooks, videos and more using this bigger display.
The Flip phones that are on offer are more for the person who wants a smartphone that folds and compacts itself away. They have small displays when the phone is in its closed state so you can see your notifications, then you open it up and use it the same as you would a standard smartphone.
All are running Android operating systems and have varying camera specs. Not all are 5G compatible even though they are very new to the market, so do watch out for that if that is something you require.
The Folds are more expensive than the Flips, as they have the two fully functioning screens, the inside one being almost a small tablet.
They’re quite the novelty still but we are sure we will see more emerge on the market, with rumours of Apple being almost ready to release their version of a Folding phone.
