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

This is an ongoing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review where I share thoughts and impressions as I use the phone as my daily driver. Here are my thoughts so far after using the Galaxy Z Flip for 5 days.

Outstanding; futuristic design and cool look; Compact when closed; fits in small pockets; Generous 256GB on-board storage

Super expensive for what it is; Screen can be easily scratched or permanently damaged by a fingernail; No water resistance; Having to flip it open for practically anything gets annoying quickly

Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy Z Flip is the third folding screen phone that I’ve reviewed. It happens to also be the best folding screen phone I’ve reviewed — but don’t let that fool you.

Great performance; Decent battery life; Solid-feeling; smooth hinge

Glass screen’s plastic covering picks up scratches easily; Cameras aren’t as good as S10 or iPhone 11; Expensive

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is the first folding phone to really work, but it's still a costly and potentially fragile fashion object rather than a mainstream hit.

Solid all-around performance; L-shaped mode is good for taking photos.

The utility of the folding screen doesn't justify the high price.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip ($1,380) is the first folding-screen smartphone that incontrovertibly works. It's still a bit clunky, a big square that says "niche luxury item" rather than "everyone's next smartphone." But that's OK. After all, expensive, uniquely designed clothing exists, and people pay for and enjoy it. Here at PCMag, we review flashy desktop PCs where you're definitely paying extra for the clear case and blue coolant fluid, but they rate highly. So given that the Galaxy Z Flip works, and it does, I'm happy to give it a salute while at the same time not recommending it for most people. We've now seen three generations of folding phones, and they're improving fast. The Galaxy Fold had some serious initial build issues. The Motorola Razr doesn't actually work very well as a smartphone. Yes, the Z Flip has a scratchable screen and costs $1,380, but at least it does everything you want it to. So if you love the design and can foot the bill, take it to Fashion Week. Every...

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is the first folding phone to really work, but it's still a costly and potentially fragile fashion object rather than a mainstream hit.

Solid all-around performance; L-shaped mode is good for taking photos

The utility of the folding screen doesn't justify the high price

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 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. It now comes in 4G LTE or 5G, each with durable thin glass that makes it feel more durable than the Moto Razr foldable.

Neat folding concept; Cool splitscreen UI; Durable flip design;

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

It’s been a little over a year since foldable display smartphones have become a real thing. Samsung hit a few snags with the launch of the Fold and Huawei took a few extra months to make sure the Mate X could withstand the rigors of day-to-day use.

Incredible performance, Great durability, Coolest phone money can buy

Software still needs improving, Definitely not affordable, Average cameras

Samsung’s second stab at making a foldable smartphone has a killer form-factor that sets it apart from almost everything else out there. Unfortunately, by most metrics, it also lags behind everything else you could possibly buy for the premium price-tag. It’s also missing a lot of the things you’d usually take for granted in a smartphone that costs this much.

When spending less money gets you a better display, longer battery life, sharper optics, 5G connectivity and less worries, being able to fold a 6.7-inch screen in on itself doesn’t seem nearly so tempting.

Ultraportable; Clean software;

Lacks flagship features & camera; Durability concerns; Too expensive;

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is particularly convincing with its folding concept, which is much easier to handle in everyday life than other smartphones with such a large display. Besides, it's simply a joy to fold the smartphone with one hand.

fancy and compact foldable mobile phone; bright and color-accurate OLED panel; fast Snapdragon SoC; good cameras; dual-SIM via eSIM; broad frequency range

no storage expansion possible; Wi-Fi should be faster; moderate call quality; sliding properties of the display surface could be better