A few years ago, the first amazing folding phones appeared on the market, with screens that could be folded and other very peculiar features. Today we can find several models for sale. The question is: can you buy a cheap folding mobile quality?
At first there were serious doubts about the resistance of the screen in these types of phones. Fears were allayed thanks to the OLED technology, which already existed before, but had never been used in smartphones before. Unlike LCD screens, OLED screens do not need a rigid structure to emit light.
Although they are all included in the same category, when we talk about folding mobiles we must differentiate between two types:
- Folding, whose screen is folded in half.
- Roll-up, capable of folding in different ways.
Both of them offer a lot of and advantages to its users. For example, its size can be modified as it suits us at all times: make it smaller to keep it in your pocket, or larger to view it as if it were a tablet. On the other hand, having a double screen can be very practical when performing two tasks at the same time.
The versatility and usefulness of these devices is indisputable. However, the models that have been released to date They do not stand out precisely for having cheap prices. Getting a cheap, or at least reasonably priced, foldable mobile phone seems like a pipe dream. Even so, there are some interesting models that are worth looking at, all of them on sale for less than 1.000 euros. We present them below:
Motorola Razr (622 euros)
Motorola's first foldable smartphone, the Razr, was launched in 2020 to mark distances from competing models. The Italian brand opted for a compact folding design instead of aspiring to merge phone and tablet. That's how he saw the light Motorola Razr which, despite the presentation of the new version this year, is still a great option. Especially for those who want to "try" to have a folding mobile.
In terms of aesthetics, a mobile with which Motorola makes a nod to its mythical folding models from a few decades ago, those that existed before smartphones. In or technical, nothing to do with it.
The Razr has a 710 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 2,2 Octa-Core processor, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage capacity. That is, it offers more modest performance than the new Motorola Razr 5, a limitation that is perfectly compensated by its attractive price.
It has two cameras, an internal 6,2-inch pOLED screen and an external 2,7-inch gOLED screen. It weighs 205 grams. Its size in the folded position is 72 x 94 x 14 mm and when it is open it is 72 x 172 x 6,9 mm.
Galaxy Z Flip 3 (695 euros)
Although the Galaxy Z Flip 4 has already come out, we must not lose sight of the previous version and put everything on the scale: Is it worth paying about 400 euros more and having the latest model or is it smarter to keep the Galaxy Z Flip 3?
And it is that for only 695 euros we have within our reach a fantastic foldable mobile with 8 GB of memory and an 888-core Snapdragon 5 8G processor. The "cheap" version offers 128 GB of storage, although there is another available with 256 GB. It also has three cameras (one front and two rear) and a 3,300 mAH battery with a certain tendency to overheat, as reported by some users.
Other interesting features of this phone are its fingerprint reader, accelerometer, barometer, IPX8 water resistance and geomagnetic sensor, as well as proximity and light sensors.
La screen, which is what really interests a mobile of this type, is a 2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 6,7X Infinity Flex Display and Full HD +. A slight bulge is noticeable in the fold area, but this does not affect visualization in any way. The outer screen, the one that is displayed when the mobile is folded, has a size of 1,9 inches.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 weighs 183 grams. Folded, its dimensions are 72,2 x 86,4 x 17,1 mm, while open they are 72,2 x 166 x 6,9 mm. It is available in seven colours: green cream, lavender, black, grey, white and pink.
In summary, it is a good option for anyone looking for a cheap folding phone with more than adequate performance.
Huawei P50 Pocket (770 euros)
Still a third proposal: the Huawei P50 pocket, the first clamshell-type folding mobile from the Chinese brand, appeared in 2021 and reduces its size by half when folded.
Powered by a 888GHz Snapdragon 4 2,84G processor, the P50 Pocket is offered in two versions: 8GB + 256GB of storage and 12GB + 512GB. It has three cameras and a 4.000 mAh battery with 40W fast charging. Also noteworthy is its side fingerprint reader and stereo speakers.
The weight of this phone is really light, only 190 grams. As for its dimensions, 170 x 75,5 x 7,2 mm when unfolded and 87,3 x 75,5 x 15,2 mm when folded.
The interior screen, the one that folds, is a 6,9-inch Full HD folding OLED; the external screen measures 1,04 inches. In short, a beautiful folding mobile that we can now buy at a really convenient price.