Best Flip Phones 2023

Feature phones are great and all, but there’s been a trade-off for generations now – the camera. The thing is, to make the flip phone thin and light, you have to sacrifice some things, and the camera is often the first to go. Well, not anymore, as Oppo has launched the successor to its popular and well-received Find N2 Flip model.

The Oppo Find N3 Flip builds on the idea of ​​a do-it-all flip phone with a stunning clamshell display and a Hasselblad-branded main camera. The Find N3 Flip might just be the first flip phone with a triple camera system, we’re talking real camera, not depth sensors or other excuses to increase the camera count.

There’s a 50MP main camera, a 48MP sensor under the ultra-wide lens and a dedicated 32MP telephoto shooter with optical zoom! The phone also comes with a Dimensity 9200 chipset, 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, both upgrades from the memory specs of its predecessor. The double battery of 4,300 mAh and fast 44W charging is transferred.

Let’s not forget that flip phones were designed to look like a makeup compact (aka flapjack). Of course, we can’t say that a certain smartphone model is girly anymore, but we can say that the Huawei P50 Pocket is a very nice looking device that our writer Iskra (who happens to be a girl) really liked. It’s an exercise in vanity to some extent, but in a world where smartphones are so similar and sometimes downright boring, we’re all a bit panage. The Huawei P50 Pocked has a great screen, a very capable camera system and fast wired charging.

On the downside, this phone comes with an older Snapdragon 888 chipset and no 5G capability, and of course it doesn’t have Google services on board. This thing looks nice though.

When Samsung dropped the price of the Galaxy Z Flip line below $1,000, all of this was hailed as the first break for the foldable phones into the affordable category. Now we can argue if $999 is affordable but the fact is it drove the market forward. Now, several years later, we have the first truly affordable flip phone – the Motorola Razr 40 (known just as the Motorola Razr (2023) in the US).

The Motorola Razr costs just $699, which is cheaper than many non-folding flagships out there. Admittedly, the phone is all over the mid-range, but you can get a taste of that flip experience without breaking the bank. It’s a great gateway to the world of flexible-screen smartphones, and if you really like it, you can upgrade to a more capable and more expensive one after a year or two.

Are flip phones worth the extra cost?

It’s a hard question. It really depends on what you are looking for in a phone. If you like to be on the cutting edge of smartphone technology and you don’t mind paying extra, then yes. Plus, there are now really affordable flip phones like the Motorola Razr (2023), so you can try the experience without breaking the bank.

Are flip phones durable enough?

Folding technology has been around for many years now, and most of the problems have been fixed. The hinges that companies use are designed to withstand about 200,000 folds, which is 5 years of heavy use. However, you should be careful not to abuse these hinges. They can be tested in lab conditions but a little attention goes a long way. Be careful not to let dust and dirt slip between the hinge and the screen, as this can break the screen and render it unusable. Overall, flip phones are durable, but not as durable as their more rigid non-folding cousins.

Is the size and shape of flip phones a factor in battery life?

Several generations ago, the battery life of flip phones used to be slightly lower than that of regular flagship phones. These days, however, most flip phones come with 4,000 mAh or larger batteries inside, and battery life is comparable to that of a similarly compact flagship phone. At the end of the day, it all depends on the usage scenarios. The nature of flip phones allows them to be used without opening them, which can save battery life.

Are there any differences in camera quality between flip phones and traditional phones?

Normally, yes. Flip phones need to be thinner and lighter to integrate the hinge and to be able to fold without being too thick. This requires some compromises, mainly in the camera department. Most flip phones come with a dual camera setup consisting of a main and ultrawide cameras. However, we are starting to see models with three rear cameras and flagship sensors and lenses. So the answer to this question is “it really depends on the model.”