Best folding phones (2026): Phablets and clamshells worth considering for your next buy
Global smartphone shipments will drop 12% YoY in 2026, marking the lowest annual volume since 2013—but that slump doesn’t slow the foldable phone market as it enters a new competitive phase. Foldable shipments should grow 20% in 2026, with Apple about to join the race.
I used to tell readers to skip foldables unless they felt ready to treat them with care. That stance shifts now, as Google pushes durability forward. No matter your priority—long-term value, multitasking, camera quality, or style—today’s best folding phones bring something worth a look.
Best phablet-style foldables in 2026
Phablet phones hit a sweet mini tablet size for your hands. People who own a book-style foldable often refuse to go back to slab phones, since the form just feels more natural. If you have larger hands, you’ll find phablets a great fit, since slab phones can feel awkward for two-thumb typing, while a phablet sits right in that comfort zone.
And the idea of a phablet turning into a laptop stand-in pulls me in. I saw that in action at Rome Fiumicino Airport, where a man turned his Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 into a mini desk with a keyboard and stand.
Most durable phablet-style foldable: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Unlocked Android smartphone with IP68 rating for dust and water resistance
Durability is the main concern with foldable phones. Foldable screens use ultrathin glass or plastic, which can feel fragile. The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold tackles that concern head on.
Google builds the Super Actua Flex Display with stronger materials. The screen uses ultrathin glass with two layers of anti-impact film for drop protection. The frame uses aerospace-grade aluminum, and the phone ships in Moonstone and Jade. A gearless hinge boosts durability to twice that of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
I like that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold brings an IP68 rating—a first for this category. That means the phone can handle fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes and keeps dust out, all without extra cases.
Inside, the Tensor G5 chip delivers smooth performance, useful AI tools, and better image processing. It matches the Pixel 10 Pro in speed and handles most tasks with ease.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold also packs a larger battery, so it lasts longer than thinner rivals. The price sits high, but you get a phone and tablet in one. You could even treat it as a light laptop stand-in. That said, the phone feels heavy at 258g and looks chunky next to Samsung’s slim Z Fold7.
Best phablet-style foldable for productivity: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Unlocked Android smartphone with a large screen
No offense to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but its bulk holds it back from the top spot. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 takes a different route, with one of the thinnest and lightest book-style designs. It measures 8.9 mm when closed, which fits close to a standard phone if you ignore the camera bump.
That camera bump houses a 200 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, and 10 MP 3x telephoto setup. The Fold7 also includes two 10 MP selfie cameras. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold uses a 48 MP main, 10.5 MP ultrawide, and 10.8 MP 5x telephoto with 5x optical zoom, plus two selfie cameras. The Pixel wins on zoom range, while the Fold7 delivers a sharper main shot.
You can use the Galaxy Z Fold7 as a laptop stand-in with Samsung DeX, as long as you add a keyboard and mouse. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 12 GB of RAM provide strong performance. Samsung’s UI lets you run up to four apps in resizable windows, which adds real flexibility.
Related: Are foldable phones good to be used as laptops? Let’s find out
The trade-offs remain clear: the folding design still feels fragile, dust resistance stays absent, and the inner screen feels soft. The price also runs high.
Best phablet-style foldable for photography: Motorola razr fold
Motorola razr fold
“The #1 foldable camera on DXOMARK”
Motorola made waves in the flip phone space, and now it steps into the phablet foldable market. The razr fold marks its first book-style model, and it has already drawn attention.
In DXOMARK tests, the razr fold shows strong camera performance for a foldable. The 50 MP main camera with optical stabilization and the 50 MP ultrawide deliver reliable exposure, rich color, and solid detail in daily use. It beats rivals like the Honor Magic V5 and Galaxy Z Fold7 in several cases. I like how the razr fold handles portraits, with accurate exposure and color.
I enjoy writing on my phone, so the Motorola Pen Ultra support on both screens stands out. Samsung dropped S Pen support on the Fold7, since it removed the digitizer layer from the inner screen.
The razr fold runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, rather than the Elite chip found in the Galaxy S26 line.
World’s first crease-free foldable phone: OPPO Find N6
OPPO Find N6
Breakthrough hinge and display technology
Book-style foldables often show a crease that can disrupt text. The OPPO Find N6 aims to fix that with its Zero-Feel Crease claim.
OPPO built a new hinge that smooths out the fold, so the crease fades from view. This marks a major step after years of promises from brands like Samsung.
I like that the Find N6 launches with an OPPO AI Pen that uses Gemini Pro to turn handwritten notes into clean tables.
There are a few trade-offs. The phone uses a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, but the 7-core version, not the full 8-core setup found in many flagship phones from 2026. The Find N6 also does not ship in the US, UK, or Europe, though you can find it in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Best clamshell-style foldables in 2026
If you like compact tech packed with features, flip phones will grab your attention. The category has made a strong return in recent years.
Clamshell models fit into small pockets with ease, which drives their appeal. Motorola even teamed up with Paris Hilton to tap into Y2K nostalgia and push the razr+ as a fashion piece.
You do not need to chase trends to enjoy a flip phone. The outer screen works as a viewfinder, which makes photo and video capture more natural.
Clamshell-style foldable with the best battery life: Motorola razr ultra (2025)
Motorola razr ultra (2025)
Unlocked Android smartphone with over 36 hours of battery life
Motorola often cuts prices after a new model arrives. With leaks pointing to a razr ultra 2026 launch in April, the razr ultra (2025) now sells at $799.99 after a 38% drop.
The razr ultra blends a pocket-friendly flip design with flagship performance. The older model struggled with a 4,000 mAh battery, but the 2025 version upgrades to 4,700 mAh, which brings a major gain. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Flip7 uses a 4,300 mAh battery.
Motorola includes the full Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. I expected a cut-down version, but it runs the full eight-core setup. Games run smooth, even at high settings, and gamer mode helps reduce interruptions. The phone can heat up during long gaming sessions or video calls, but it keeps apps running. That trade-off feels fair for the slim design and strong battery life.
Clamshell-style foldable with the best display: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7
Unlocked Android smartphone with an edge-to-edge cover screen
Like the models before it, the Flip7 stands out with a large display that folds in half, giving you a size that slips into your pocket with ease.
People use the Z Flip7’s tent mode often for work. The 4.1-inch cover screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and Samsung’s UI design make that mode shine.
Both the main and cover screens reach 2,600 nits of brightness, so you can see them under strong sunlight. Gemini Live support runs on both displays.
In DXOMARK tests, the Flip7 shows solid video performance, with HDR10 content standing out through strong brightness and color accuracy. Colors look natural across many conditions, which makes the display great for video and media use.
The Flip7 runs on the Exynos 2500 chip, which competes with the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the razr ultra. It may not top benchmark charts, but day-to-day use feels fast, with solid gaming performance, even if heat builds during long sessions, much like the razr ultra.
My closing notes
I used to look at foldables with caution, almost like fragile tech demos you show off more than you rely on. Now, I see why people reach for them first—the form just makes sense once you experience it. You might still worry about durability or price, and that hesitation feels fair, but the gap between promise and reality has started to close.
When I watch someone unfold a phone on a cramped airport table and turn it into a mini workstation, it stops feeling niche and starts feeling inevitable. You can ignore the trend for now, but it keeps moving toward you with better hardware and clearer purpose. I think we’ve reached the point where foldables no longer ask for compromise—they ask what you want to do with them.
