Foldable smartphone highlights 2024: top picks and innovations

From the first tri-fold design to the slimmest foldables, this year saw the release of several exciting models.

After a few years of decline, the smartphone market finally bounced back in 2024 and is projected to grow 6.2%, according to market watcher IDC.

Foldables, which make up only 1.5% of all smartphone sales, experienced growth in the first two quarters. However, in the third quarter, the market declined for the first time despite new models being released.

2024 wasn’t successful for the first foldable maker Royole, which officially went bankrupt after a couple of years of financial struggles.

Other companies had better news to share. Many vendors focused their announcements on AI integrations, while Samsung found a way to leverage dual-screen design for AI-powered real-time translations.

Most importantly, vendors seem to finally have found ways to resolve some issues plaguing the early market. Recent foldable devices have much more durable hinge mechanisms and reduced screen creases, and most are now water-resistant. However, there is still room for further improvement.

This year, the foldable market also saw the first tri-fold smartphone, bringing a breath of fresh air into this niche sector. After five years of development, Huawei released its Mate XT, putting pressure on competitors.

Other Chinese vendors also increased their efforts, while Samsung released the sixth generation of its book-style and flip-style foldable.

As the end of the year approaches, let’s look at some of the best foldable devices companies announced in 2024.

Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6

Samsung's sixth generation of book-style foldables didn’t feature any major surprises. The Fold 6 came with relatively modest updates and a $100 price bump.

The refreshments include a cover screen that can now reach 2600 nits brightness, a new processor, and a new ultrawide camera sensor. And that’s pretty much it.

However, in spite of its lack of innovation, the Fold 6 is still among the best options for those who want a foldable with the longest lifespan, as the company has the most experience.

In my tests, I also found the smartphone well-equipped for multitasking and gaming with solid battery life.

Another Samsung foldable smartphone, the Flip 6, followed the same path regarding modest new features and a price hike, though it did add battery improvements and IP 48 rating.

This means that the device is not only water- and dust-resistant but also more durable.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold

The second-generation Google foldable smartphone features a new look, a redesigned camera, a slimmer design, and new hinges that allow the phone to open fully flat and snap shut.

In addition to an appealing design, the device is loaded with the latest Google AI features and photography tools, which make taking quality snaps on the go much easier.

To ensure AI and overall performance, Google equipped the device with 16GB of RAM and a Google Tensor Processor G4.

However, in terms of overall speed, it is inferior to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Gen3, which powers some of the other Android flagships.

Huawei Mate XT

While it’s too early to say anything about the durability of Huawei’s hit foldable, the company deserves credit for making the first trifold smartphone, which was reportedly in development for five years.

When unfolded, the Mate XT's screen measures 10.2 inches, larger than that of some tablets, and has a resolution of 2232 x 1008 pixels.

Despite being made of three parts, the folded smartphone is just 12.8 mm thick. In comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures 12.1 mm.

The device, which is not sold in the US due to the ban on Huawei products, comes at a quite high price. Huawei’s Mate XT base version, with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, starts at around 20,000 yuan ($2800).

Motorola Razr 50

For those looking for an affordable flip-style foldable, Motorola’s Razr 50 may be the one.

Lenovo-owned Motorola announced the Razr 50 and Razr 50 Ultra this June, bringing bigger external displays to their devices.

The Razr 50 features a 3.6-inch external display, a significant improvement over the 1.5-inch display in last year’s version.

The device is also more durable with IPX8 water resistance and Gorilla Glass Virtus protection and comes with a new camera.

While the 50MP main shooter is less than the previous year’s model (64 MP) on paper, the new camera has a nearly double pixel size (1.6 micrometers) and an f/1.8 aperture, resulting in better pictures.

Future improvements are possible, as the Razr 50 comes with a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 7300x processor. However, this is justifiable given the smartphone’s $800 base price.

Honor Magic V3

With the launch of V3, Honor has launched the slimmest foldable yet, measuring just 9.2 mm when folded. That’s 3mm less than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Aside from the slim design, the V3 appears to be a device for practical and convenient usage.

The smartphone comes with IPX8 water resistance and improved scratch resistance for both inner and outer screen, while the battery has 5150 mAh.

With 66W fast charging and 50W wired charging, the phone will fully recharge itself in under an hour.

Inside, there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 processor for smoother performance of its various AI features.

The smartphone also has a decent main camera – a 50MP main shooter (f 1.6) with a 1/1.56-inch pixel size.