This could be the biggest and busiest year for foldable phones yet, because we’ve already seen multiple foldable handsets launch this year, including the Oppo Find N2 Flip and the Google Pixel Fold, and there are quite a few more still to come.
These includes new models in established lines as well as brand-new entrants to the foldable phone arena. We’ve already seen one of the latter of those in the form of the Pixel Fold, and with its striking, slim design and promising cameras it’s arguably the most high-profile foldable phone of the year so far.
But before you run out and buy the Google Pixel Fold, it’s worth being aware of what it will soon be up against. So below, we’ve detailed five more foldable phones that we expect to see before the end of 2023.
1. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a foldable phone that probably needs no introduction, as it’s the next model in one of the most popular foldable phone lines.
This is expected to have a large 7.6-inch folding screen, alongside a similar design to the Google Pixel Fold, and indeed to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The cover screen will likely also be quite big, with rumors of a 6.2-inch panel, and Samsung is reportedly using a new waterdrop hinge design, which will allow the two halves to sit flat against each other when folded shut – something we’re yet to see from Samsung’s foldables.
That should make for a sleeker design than you’ll find on the current model, plus we’re also expecting an upgraded chipset (specifically a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, like the Samsung Galaxy S23 line has), and potentially some new camera sensors.
Leaks suggest this will be unveiled on July 26, so there might not be too much longer to wait for it.
2. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, we’re also expecting the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and if past form is anything to go by, this will probably be the best-selling foldable phone of the year.
This will be a small, clamshell style foldable, but reports suggest it will have a much larger (and therefore more useable) cover screen than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. Specifically, it will likely be 3.4 inches, up from 1.9 inches on the current model.
The main foldable screen meanwhile might be 6.7 inches – as with the Flip 4, but we could see other upgrades in the form of a more powerful chipset, a new hinge design, new camera sensors, and support for Samsung DeX; so you can plug it into an external display and use it like a desktop computer.
We expect to see this launch at the same time as the Z Fold 5, with leaks pointing to July 26.
3. The Motorola Razr (2023)
The Motorola Razr Plus/Razr 40 Ultra just made its debut, but its more modestly-specced sibling – the Motorola Razr 2023 – is still on track for release “in the coming weeks,” according to Motorola (at the time of writing).
While the Razr Plus’/Razr 40 Ultra’s most striking feature is undoubtedly its expansive 3.6-inch cover display, the standard 2023 Razr sports a far smaller and unobtrusive 1.5-inch external screen. This, paired with the ability to fold the phone closed, means it’s shaping up to be a great option for those who don’t like the constant bombardment of notifications you’re exposed to on the always-visible screen of a conventional phone (or a phone with a larger cover display).
US pricing is still up in the air but it’s expected to cost £799.99 in the UK and AU$999 in Australia (approximately $1,000), making it the most affordable clamshell foldable out there.
4. The OnePlus foldable phone
We don’t know much about the OnePlus foldable phone yet, in fact we don’t even know what it’s called (although ‘OnePlus V Fold’ has been bandied about), but we do know it exists and is coming in the second half of this year, because OnePlus has said as much.
The company has managed to keep it very quiet, as there have been hardly any leaks. What leaks there have been though have suggested it might be a large-screen foldable, rather than a clamshell offering.
It’s very possible then that this will be similar to the Oppo Find N2, because Oppo is OnePlus’s parent company. That’s just speculation for now though. What we do know – according to Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus – is that the OnePlus foldable phone will “be at the pinnacle experience of today’s foldable market.”
5. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 will probably land in or around August, which could put it in direct competition with Samsung’s foldable phones. But while that’s when it might land in China, it’s sadly unlikely to get a global release based on past form.
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 isn’t actually too hard to get hold of in much of the world, but you’ll have to buy an imported model, which isn’t ideal, and the same will likely be true here.
That’s a shame, because the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 is shaping up to be an excellent foldable phone. Leaks (from leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo) suggest it could have a top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, water resistance, 67W charging, and a periscope camera – which could allow it to optically zoom further than most foldables.
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