The Galaxy Z Flip was the best foldable phone, at least until the Galaxy Z Fold 2 came along. As clever as the design of the Flip is, at a still-high $1,380, it’s hard to recommend this phone over more traditional flagships like the iPhone 11 Pro and Galaxy S20 Plus.

Snapdragon 855 Plus is plenty powerful, Ultra-thin glass aids durability, Compact design when folded, Less expensive than other foldables

Subpar battery life, Exterior smudges easily, Still pretty pricey at $1,380

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is the flip-phone-style foldable smartphone with a 6.7-inch display that collapses in half. Its novelty will turn heads, but so will its extraordinarily high price.

Neat folding concept, Cool splitscreen UI, Durable flip design

Incredibly expensive, Cover Display is tiny, First-gen limitations

The Galaxy Z Flip is a new kind of foldable phone from Samsung. But is a clamshell-style foldable worth your money?...

Fun; gadget-like feel Great build quality Good cameras Foldable

So-so battery life Slow charging

Coming to a conclusion about this phone is hard. Last year’s flexible offerings – whether from Huawei, Royole or Samsung – were most definitely early engineering prototypes. And the Samsung offering should never have been released, outside of a few thousand “work in progress” loan units to whet the...

Gorgeous design Pleasing flip mechanism Capable specification

Camera lags behind other models Expensive No Wi-Fi 6 support

If you aim to make a decisive fashion statement while seeking one of the most compact phones that money can buy, the Galaxy Z Flip is your best bet with its ultra-compact clamshell design that unfurls into a massive 6.7-inch phone with respectable hardware and cameras.

The Z Flip is certainly the most appealing foldable around, but until the price drops it will remain a niche product

Not the Galaxy Fold; Dual form factor; Performs like a Samsung flagship

Screen durability remains to be seen; 5G upgrade costs more

The Galaxy Z Flip is the best folding phone so far, but it still isn’t for everyone. It’s a regular phone size when unfolded and a little coaster of a thing when closed. The specs are high-end but not the best available, and it’s undoubtedly fragile. But if it appeals and you can afford it, there’s a lot of fun to be had with its completely new form factor, top performance and solid battery life.

Undeniable wow factor; Excellent battery life; Great performance;

Very expensive; Fragile display; Can’t use it closed;

The easiest foldable to recommend thanks to excellent design, despite its sky-high price and 2019 internals.

Great design; Nippy performance; Novelty factor

Front screen too small; Main screen is fragile; Mono speaker

Samsung has a really good alternative to the Motorola Razr in its range with the Galaxy Z Flip. On paper and in reality, the Galaxy Z Flip offers much more than Motorola's icon. But this is exactly where the difference lies: if you want to get more for your money and you want a foldable smartphone,...

Excellent hinge; Cover screen swiping; Good performance; It's the future - trust me!

Not much camera creativity; Just OK battery life; You can still see and feel the display crease

The Galaxy Z Flip is the first foldable phone that I really think you should buy - if you can afford it. It's not perfect - the camera, battery, and fingerprint sensor all have their flaws - but Samsung has nailed the form factor, making the Z Flip a joy to use.