It looks like 2019 is going to be the year of the foldable phone, and we've already seen some stunning handsets appear –like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X. After years of rumours and leaks, the tech is finally with us.
Here we've collected together the very best foldable phones of 2019, both those that have already broken cover and those that we're still expecting. Read on for the hottest new devices with screens that can bend.
Samsung Galaxy Fold
At long last, after endless leaks and rumours, the folding Samsung phone is official: the Samsung Galaxy Fold has a 7.3-inch screen that folds over itself when you're ready to put it in your pocket.
Out in April 2019, the phone is going to set you back a whopping $1,980 (that's about £1,515), but at least you get plenty of tech inside: a high-end processor, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. There's going to be a triple-lens 16MP+12MP+12MP rear camera, and a 4,380mAh battery split up into two sections (because of that fold).
On the software side, Samsung says you can run three apps alongside each other on the Fold, should you want to. What's more, any app that you're running on the front of the device will seamlessly switch to the middle once you open it out.
Huawei Mate X
The Huawei Mate X got unveiled at MWC 2019, and it folds the other way to Samsung's device – so the screen wraps around the outside, rather than being hidden away on the inside, when it's snapped shut.
When opened out, you've got a full screen 8-inch tablet; when snapped shut, you've got screens front and rear, as well as a grip holding the camera technology. It's also thinner than you might think, and as well as packing some premium specs (including the Kirin 980 processor) it also offers 5G connectivity. Not a bad package.
This is even pricier than the Samsung Galaxy Fold though: Huawei says the price will be €2,299 (about £2,000) when the Mate X goes on sale in summer 2019. If you like the look of it, you'd better start saving.
Oppo foldable phone
Oppo doesn't officially have a folding phone yet, but what it does have is a folding phone prototype that we caught a glimpse of at MWC 2019 – and it's one that looks a lot like the Huawei Mate X.
Alas we don't know too much else about this phone, with the picture you see above most of what we have to go on. It looks like the hinge goes the same way as the Huawei device, and there's another bump grip you can see on the side.
As for all of the specs, plus tech like 5G, we'll have to wait and see – but with foldable phones now going on sale to the public, Oppo won't want to be too far behind.
It looks like Motorola's rumoured folding phone could be a reborn Motorola Razr (Image credit: Sarang Sheth, Yanko Design)
(Image: Yanko Design)
From the noises that Motorola has been making, it's not going to be far behind Samsung with a foldable phone, and apparently it's also going to carry the iconic Motorola Razr branding. It's going to be a flip phone then, but with a full foldable screen inside when you open it up.
These rumours have been around for a while. It was back in February 2017 that Yang Yuanqing, the CEO of Lenovo (which owns Motorola) told TechRadar: "With the new technology, particularly foldable screens, I think you will see more and more innovation on our smartphone design. So hopefully what you just described [the Motorola Razr brand] will be developed or realised very soon."
One potential concept for the Motorola foldable phone.
(Image: WIPO)
Since then we've seen Motorola file a patent for a two-screen folding phone that flips out to be used as a tablet. The patent describes two cameras, as well as hinges at the top, bottom and middle, and the ability to be propped up into a tent-like display mode. An unfolded screen size of 7 inches has been mooted for the Razr Motorola foldable phone.
