2023 could well be the year the foldable smartphone goes more mainstream. Will this be the year you take the plunge? At a time when smartphone experiences have become mostly predictable, foldable smartphones offer a whole new user experience in two distinct form factors. There’s the more compact and relatively more affordable flip-style smartphone and the larger book-type foldable – like the Samsung Z Fold series, that offers a smartphone + mini tablet experience.
Foldable sales have seen a huge rise even as overall smartphone sales are witnessing a stagnation of sorts. According to global industry analysis firm Counterpoint, the global foldable Smartphone market increased 64 percent YOY in the first quarter of 2023 to hit 2.5 million units. This is a significant increase given that global smartphone sales declined 14.2 percent during the same period. We’ve seen a slew of launches from brands like Samsung, Motorola and OPPO with more launches in the pipeline from the likes of OnePlus.
We’ve rounded up some of the best foldables you can buy right now:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | Price: Rs 1,54,999 onwards
Samsung has been a pioneer in the foldable smartphone space (with 80 percent of global sales in 2022 according to global analyst firm Canalys). The Z Fold 5 is arguably the best foldable smartphone you can buy right now and benefits from design refinements over the last couple of years.
The big change is the new ‘Flex Hinge’ that allows the Z Fold 5 to fold to a completely flat position with no gap. Samsung has reduced the heft to 253 gm making it much lighter in your hand. The headline feature is the vivid 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that’s great for ‘mini-tablet’ things like gaming, videos and great to flip through eBooks. The Z Fold 5 is powered by the zippy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that impacts battery and camera performance.
Moto Razr 40 Ultra | Price: Rs 89,999
Motorola is betting big on flip-style smartphones. The foldable Moto Razr series that debuted in 2019 pays tribute to the Moto Razr (from the 2000s) that went on to become the best-selling clamshell phone of all time. The new Razr 40 Ultra is the brand’s showstopper for 2023 and stands out with the largest cover display on any flip smartphone.
This 3.6-inch display features a 144Hz refresh and is quite functional; you won’t need to keep flipping open the device for routine tasks. The 6.9-inch (FHD+ pOLED) primary display peaks at 1400 nits and gets a boost with a 165Hz refresh rate. The Razr 40 Ultra comes with a dual rear cam (including a 12MP primary lens) and 32MP selfie shooter.
OPPO Find N2 Flip | Price: Rs 89,999
The first foldable from OPPO to hit the Indian market, this became one of the first flip phones to stretch the cover display beyond 3 inches. The 3.26-inch cover display is not the only talking point, it’s also the invisible crease that makes the switch to the larger 6.8-inch primary display almost seamless. The Find N2 flip also ticks the durability box; the hinge and screen are certified for 400,000 folds. OPPO manages to pack a robust 4300 mAh battery under the hood that gives it an edge over other rivals on the battery front. It’s propelled by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor that’s complemented by 8GB of RAM and 256GB of Internal storage.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Price: Rs 99,999 onwards
It was debuted at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event at Seoul in July where it was the scene stealer. Samsung has reimagined it’s flip smartphone with a larger cover display that has been expanded from 1.9-inches in the 2022 iteration. The Z Flip 5 comes with a much larger 3.4-inch cover display (or Flex Window) and also offers one of the best user interface experiences on any flip device. One of the big selling points for flip smartphones is selfies. Samsung’s FlexCam adds to this pitch; your primary cam is now your selfie cam. The camera system (12MP primary lens + 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 10MP selfie cam) gets a boost from a new coating that reduces lens flare and a best of freed Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
Tecno Phantom V Fold | Price: Rs 88,888 onwards
This one builds a case for the book-type foldable smartphone with a sub Rs 90K price tag. The 6.42-inch LTPO AMOLED cover display (1080 x 2550 pixels) peaks at 1100 nits and comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s quite functional as a stand-alone screen. But the highlight is the immersive 7.85-inch, 2K primary display that allows your foldable to double up as a fully functional small tab and is geared for multi-tasking. The large display is backed by a massive 5000 mAh batter; Tecno has bundled a 45W fast charger. At its heart is a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset complemented by 12GB of RAM. The V Fold comes in two internal storage options – 256GB and 512GB.
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