Foldable phone
Also known as: folding phone, foldable smartphone, foldables
A foldable phone uses a flexible display that bends, either opening like a book into a small tablet (such as Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold and Google's Pixel Fold) or folding like a classic flip phone into a compact square (such as the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr).
They offer more screen in a pocketable size. While foldables have become much tougher and thinner, they still cost more, and screen creases and durability remain trade-offs.
Foldable phone, explained at three levels
At home
A foldable phone is like a paperback book with a screen printed across both pages. The screen is made of thin, flexible material instead of rigid glass, and a hinge along the spine controls how it bends so it doesn't crack. Closed, it fits your pocket like a normal phone. Open it, and the two halves become one large display, about the size of a small tablet.
At work
A foldable phone has a flexible screen and a hinge, so it either opens like a book into a small tablet or folds like a classic flip phone into a compact square. Book-style models give staff room to read documents and run two apps side by side. Businesses care because foldables cost more to buy and repair, and some business apps don't handle the screen changing shape smoothly.
At home
A foldable phone uses a flexible OLED display built on thin plastic or ultra-thin glass instead of rigid glass. A hinge controls how sharply it bends, spreading the stress over a curve so the screen does not crack. Because the surface cannot be as hard as normal phone glass, it carries a factory-applied protective layer that you should not remove. That softness, plus the moving hinge, is why repairs cost more and the crease never fully disappears.
At work
Apps must handle the screen changing size and shape as the phone opens and closes, which Android calls app continuity. Well-built apps resize their layout smoothly, while others restart or show letterboxing. Book-style models support split-screen and multi-window work, which makes them useful for reviewing documents. Before deploying, check that business apps behave correctly across these states and that your mobile device management platform supports the model and its multi-window features.
At home
Flip-style foldables fold a normal phone in half to fit a pocket, while book-style models open into a small tablet. The hinge and second screen leave less room for battery, so flips often have shorter battery life. Hinges are also tested for hundreds of thousands of folds, but dust and sand remain a risk. In my view, book-style foldables make more sense for productivity, and flips for style and pocketability.
At work
Factor higher repair costs, longer repair turnaround and higher replacement rates into total cost of ownership, and consider extended warranty or device protection. Test critical apps for continuity and multi-window behaviour, and include foldables in accessibility testing, since screen sizes and layouts change mid-task. Check dust and water ratings for field roles. Samsung Knox and Android Enterprise support management of current Galaxy foldables, while support for other brands varies.
Real-world examples
At home
Aisha switched to a book-style foldable. She reads e-books and edits photos on the big inner screen, then folds it to answer quick messages.
At work
Marcus manages mobile devices for an Ottawa consulting firm. He offered foldables to senior staff who review long documents while travelling, with extended repair coverage.
How it compares
| feature | Book-style foldable | Flip-style foldable |
|---|---|---|
| Opens into | Small tablet | Regular phone |
| Folded size | Tall, narrow | Compact square |
| Price | Highest | Lower |
| Best for | Productivity, reading | Portability, style |
Book foldables add screen space. Flip foldables save pocket space.
For analysts
Before approving foldables for staff, I'd test critical mobile apps on them. Layout bugs on unusual screen shapes can quickly frustrate users.
History & origin
Flexible display prototypes were shown by companies such as Samsung and LG through the 2010s. Royole's FlexPai, announced in late 2018, was the first commercial foldable phone. Samsung's original Galaxy Fold was delayed in 2019 after reviewers' screens broke, then launched later that year with fixes. Motorola revived the Razr as a foldable in 2020, and Google released the Pixel Fold in 2023. Each generation has become thinner, lighter, and more durable, and tri-fold designs such as Huawei's Mate XT appeared in 2024. By 2026, Apple was widely reported to be bringing its own foldable iPhone to market. In my view, foldables have matured from novelties into a genuine choice for people who want a tablet in their pocket.