We added a new category for the 20th annual Pocket-lint Awards, sponsored by a new EE: Best Folding Phone. It recognises the leap not only in the quality of foldable smartphones but also in the sheer volume of new devices we’ve seen from multiple manufacturers as the flexible phone market grows.
Like every other category, there were six nominations, all of which we have reviewed in full at some point during the last 12 months. The Folding Phone category rewards which device – we think – offers the most compelling experience with a flexible display. There can only be one winner in the end though:
Folding Phone of the Year: OnePlus Open
OnePlus Open
With the OnePlus Open we not only got exceptional hardware, displays, and performance, but a much-needed fresh take on multitasking. It delivers a smooth, expansive experience and has – arguably – the best displays every put in a folding smartphone.
The first foldable from the OnePlus brand is a brilliant all-round device with strong displays, battery life, great software, and a powerful and versatile camera system. Sure, Samsung has it beat when it comes to additional software features, S Pen compatibility, wireless charging and waterproofing, but as an experience, the OnePlus Open is an absolute joy to use.
The outer display is really useful and doesn’t feel compromised in any way. The internal display is probably the best large folding display on any phone at the time of writing, and the Open Canvas solution to multitasking is a game-changer. Plus, we finally have excellent cameras and great battery life in a foldable that also has (mostly) bloat-free software AND long-term update support. Oh, and it has fast charging.
It’s got everything in a slim, premium package. It’s expensive, sure, but if you’re going to go foldable, this should be very near the top of your list.
Highly commended: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
There is absolutely no denying how adorable the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is. The larger exterior display is a delight to use, there’s plenty of power under its hood, the battery life is brilliant, and the overall experience is a truly great one.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a bit of an iterative update – no real change to the main display, the cameras, or battery, a slight bump in the power on offer, while the design overall remains pretty much the same. But the exterior display changes the entire experience. It’s a lot more useful than the small screen on the Flip 4, and that has instant appeal. The fact that the Z Flip 5 also folds flat with no gap makes for a much more seamless and considered design, showing just how far this pocketable delight has come since it first launched.
The best of the rest
Google Pixel Fold
The Pixel Fold takes Google’s range of phones into a different format, embracing a folding display for the first time and offering stock Android on a larger display. There’s plenty of quality in this phone, and it looks and feels like the $1800 phone that it is.
There are clear highlights: the displays are glorious, and the camera is superb, offering a range of new opportunities for Pixel users. There’s plenty of power from the Google hardware onboard, and the performance of this phone is great. What impressed us the most about the Pixel Fold is how well the external display works because it’s just like having a compact smartphone in your pocket – and that’s not the case with the Galaxy Z Fold.
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
When it launched, the Razr 40 Ultra represented quite a big step forward for the foldable smartphone market. The big screen on the outside signalled changes coming to the market and kick-started the trend of using as much of that outer cover space as possible for display.
More importantly – for the here and now – it adds an added layer of convenience to using the phone, and when combined with the strong display, battery life, and cameras, it means a foldable phone that gets a heck of a lot more right than it gets wrong. Samsung’s phone might be more waterproof and feel more sturdy, but there’s a joy to using Moto’s Razr for 2023 thanks to a great combination of getting the basics just right.
Oppo Find N2 Flip
Oppo’s biggest differentiator with this foldable clamshell smartphone is the big vertical display on the front cover. It offers a lot of functionality, with easy view of notifications and data from other useful widgets.
The almost crease-less display is great; it’s rich and vibrant, and the gap-less design makes it seem neat when closed. We’d love to see a hinge that holds better at different angles and more features added to make use of the flexible display. A better ultrawide camera would be wonderful, too, but on the whole, the Find N2 Flip is a strong first album from Oppo. It’s compact, attractive, fast, quick to refill, and looks flippin’ cool. Yes, that pun was intended. It also doesn’t cost a hideous amount.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has appeal in a number of areas. We think it offers the most mature experience of all the folding phones. It offers all those options that Samsung brings to its phones while also handling apps better than Google’s Pixel Fold.
There aren’t huge upgrades here from the Z Fold 4. There’s still loads of power, great displays, and a capable camera system – which could make the Z Fold 5 feel a little more than iterative. But it’s clear that the hinge redesign to make this phone fold flat is how the Z Fold should have always been. That makes the Galaxy Z Fold 5 look better, feel better and deliver on that folding phone promise.
How the EE Pocket-lint Awards judging works
The winner for the Folding Phone category is decided by the Pocket-lint team, along with a panel of expert judges from publications across the industry. Following a vigorous scoring process, the Folding Phone of the Year winner 2023 will be announced at an in-person event on 9 November 2023, along with the winners from the other 20 categories.
A Product of the Year winner will also be announced, chosen from the winners of the 21 categories, and a winner of the EE Superfast Award will also be revealed at the event. On the night, we will announce the results on the Pocket-lint Twitter handle as they unfold, and there will also be a feature detailing the winners once the Awards are over.
Trending Products
