The foldable form factor has finally matured, with plenty of mainstream brands releasing their own versions in recent months. Companies like Samsung, OPPO, Vivo, Motorola, and even Huawei have released multiple foldables over the past couple of years, increasing the number of options consumers have in this niche segment. And as years pass by and the technology gets better, we can expect even mid-range and low-end brands to get into this particular segment.
If you are looking for a foldable smartphone in 2022, there are plenty of options to choose from, especially if you live in China. However, even international consumers have a variety of options, in a couple of form factors like a vertical or a horizontal folding design.
So let’s take a look at some of the Best Foldable Smartphones of 2022.
Galaxy Z Fold3
Samsung has been the pioneer of foldables ever since the form factor first made its entry into the market. The Z Fold3 is the third generation foldable device from the company, and we can finally say that there’s a near-perfect foldable in the market. It improves the built and hinge quality and even comes with water resistance, assuring the stability of its design. What’s more, you can even add in a stylus (which has to be bought separately), making full use of its 7-inch+ unfolded screen.
The cover display also gets bumped up with a high-resolution panel and a 120Hz refresh rate, while the main display inside gets a dynamic AMOLED panel and a class-leading under-display camera.
Clearly, the Galaxy Z Fold3 is the pinnacle of foldable technology in 2022, and starting at $200 less than its predecessor, it’s a phone worthy of recommendation, i.e. if it’s within your budget.
Galaxy Z Fold 2
Fret not if the Galaxy Z Fold3 is not within your budget. Last year’s Z Fold 2 is a competitive device for its current price, and 2021’s best foldable is still worth buying in 2022.
The phone features a similar form factor as the Z Fold3, a 7.6-inch internal display, and a 6.2-inch cover screen (albeit with lower resolution). While the phone is heavier and bulkier than its successor, it still features most of the features of the new device, especially after the recent software updates. So, if you want a foldable that’s slightly cheaper than the Z Fold3, this would be your best bet for multitasking and productivity tasks.
However, if you can extend your budget by a couple of hundred dollars, we would still recommend the Z Fold3, as it’s the best horizontal folding device in the market right now.
Galaxy Z Flip3
Flip phones have made a comeback, in the form of vertical folding smartphones. So there’s no surprise that a lot of consumers have a preference for this clamshell design over the regular horizontal folding devices.
The third generation Galaxy Z Flip3 is the best vertical folding device that you can get in the market right now. The upgrades from last year’s model like a larger 1.9-inch cover display and IPX8 certification (much like the Z Fold3) make it a significantly better device than its predecessors. On the inside, you get a 6.7-inch AMOLED 120Hz panel with a Snapdragon 888 chip and 8GB of RAM. And considering the discounted starting price of the device, we can easily recommend the Z Flip3 to those who are looking for a compact and relatively cheaper foldable in the market.
Note that, like all other clamshell foldables, battery life is still one of its weakest departments. The charging speed isn’t great either at 15W wired charging, but you do get 10W wireless charging support.
Huawei Mate XS
The Huawei Mate XS may have seen a limited international release, but the phone is an excellent foldable if you can live without Google apps.
The phone continues on its outward folding design, bringing a single large 8-inch screen that folds out to make for a 6.6-inch cover display. Yes, this design is pretty unique and a different approach from the Samsung foldable. With a Kirin 990 chip, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage and 40MP led quad-cameras taking care of the specs department, the Huawei Mate XS is a pretty powerful foldable, despite launching a couple of years ago.
If not for the lack of Google App support, the Mate XS would have received a much more widespread release. That said, the phone is still pretty hard to get. So, despite being a pretty good foldable, you’ll most likely have to opt for a device from another brand.
Moto Razr 2020 5G
Motorola brought back the Razr series to life with the Razr foldable lineup a couple of years back. And the company’s last Razr clamshell foldable, the Razr 2020 is still a decent device in 2022. The company builds on the clamshell form factor with a larger 2.7-inch external display that’s bigger than its Samsung rival with an internal 6.2-inch panel. It’s powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 765G processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There is one 48MP shooter with OIS on the back and a 20MP selfie shooter.
Like other clamshell foldables, the battery is again one of its drawbacks. However, with the occasional discounts, the phone can be purchased for under $1000, which would make it a decent alternative to the Galaxy Z Flip3.
Royole FlexPai 2
The Royole FlexPai stole the thunder from the big brands back in 2018 when it announced the first foldable smartphone. A lot of us were surprised to hear a small-time brand making the big headlines, but honestly, the first generation was far from perfect. Luckily, the company’s second generation model, the FlexPai 2, improves on all the aspects of the initial generation and is better suited for daily use. The company follows Huawei’s approach in using an outward folding design and comes with productivity features like split screen viewing on its large 7.8-inch display.
With a better build quality and design than the initial generation, the Royole FlexPai 2 can be an alternative to the big brands if you live in China.
Huawei P50 Pocket
Huawei’s Galaxy Z Flip3 rival, the Huawei P50 Pocket saw a wider international release than its predecessors. The device comes with a form factor similar to the Z Flip3, featuring a premium design, an excellent camera setup, and a no-crease 6.9-inch OLED display on the inside. The design especially is the stand-out feature of the device and is even considered by some, to be better than its Galaxy rival. Notably, it also comes with a relatively large 4000mAh battery with 40W charging, a rarity in its segment.
However, the lack of Google apps, limited availability, and 4G-only support will still hamper the phone’s chances of shining in this market. Also, even if you find it listed online, it’s likely to be way more expensive than its Galaxy rival.
If you live in China, you have a bunch of additional foldable options in the market. And we feel it’s worth checking out the recently announced OPPO Find N (review).
OPPO Find N
OPPO’s first foldable, the OPPO Find N is pretty impressive considering its robust built quality, a powerful triple camera setup that’s comparable to high-end devices, and excellent battery life. Most notably, the phone features a wider 5.5-inch cover screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio, unlike its rivals in the segment with a weird aspect ratio. On the inside, you have a pretty large 7.1-inch 120Hz tablet-like display with Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
Under the hood, the phone comes with last year’s Snapdragon 888 with up to 12GB of RAM, so it’s never going to be short of power. It also features a large 4500mAh battery with 33W wired and 15W wireless charging. Unfortunately, it lacks water resistance, unlike its Galaxy rival.
Another big drawback of the phone as I mentioned above is its limited China availability. But if you want to get one, you can resort to international retailers like Giztop to order one for yourself outside of China.
We have also seen more foldables from smartphone brands like Xiaomi and Honor. But the above list contains the foldables that we think are the best options in 2022.
If you think we missed any specific foldable from this list, let us know in the comments section down below.
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