The Best Foldable Phones of 2024: Samsung, OnePlus, and Google Compared
If you are ready to upgrade your smartphone, foldables have finally hit their stride in 2024. You no longer have to compromise on camera quality, durability, or battery life just to get a folding screen. We are looking closely at the top contenders from Samsung, OnePlus, and Google to help you decide which device deserves your hard-earned money.
The Standard Bearer: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung created the modern foldable market, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 shows years of careful refinement. Released in July 2024, the Z Fold 6 starts at a premium price of $1,899.
Samsung focused heavily on design improvements this year. The phone now weighs just 239 grams, making it nearly as light as a standard flagship phone. The outer cover screen is 6.3 inches with a slightly wider aspect ratio than previous models. This makes typing on the front screen feel much more natural.
Under the hood, Samsung packed the Z Fold 6 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. This chip is incredibly fast and handles intensive gaming or multitasking with ease. Samsung also integrated a massive suite of Galaxy AI tools. You get features like Live Translate for phone calls, Note Assist for summarizing your documents, and Sketch to Image, which turns your rough doodles into AI-generated art.
If you are looking for ecosystem integration, Samsung is hard to beat. The phone supports the S Pen stylus (sold separately), allowing you to take notes directly on the massive 7.6-inch inner display. However, the $1,899 price tag makes it the most expensive option on this list.
The Multitasking Master: OnePlus Open
The OnePlus Open hit the market in late 2023 but remains one of the absolute best foldable phones you can buy in 2024. Priced at $1,699, OnePlus consistently offers aggressive trade-in deals that often drop the price by $200 or more, making it the best value for a book-style foldable.
Hardware is where the OnePlus Open truly shines. It features a nearly invisible crease on its 7.82-inch inner display. When you run your finger over the middle of the screen, you barely feel the fold. The cameras are also exceptional. Tuned by Hasselblad, the camera array includes a 48-megapixel main sensor and a fantastic 64-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
Where OnePlus beats both Samsung and Google is in its software approach to multitasking. They call their system “Open Canvas.” Instead of squishing three apps onto the screen at once, Open Canvas lets you run up to three full-sized apps and slide them in and out of view. It feels like having multiple monitors attached to your phone.
Additionally, the OnePlus Open supports 67W fast charging. You can charge the 4,805 mAh battery from zero to 100 percent in about 42 minutes. The only downside is that it lacks wireless charging, a feature both Samsung and Google include.
The AI Powerhouse: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google recently launched the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, completely overhauling its first-generation design. Starting at $1,799, Google built an incredibly thin device. When folded, it measures just 10.5mm thick.
The outer screen is a 6.3-inch Actua display that looks and feels exactly like the standard Pixel 9 phone. When you open it up, you are greeted by a massive 8-inch Super Actua inner display. This is currently the largest inner screen on a foldable phone in the US market.
Google powers this phone with the new Tensor G4 chip, which is paired with 16GB of RAM. The focus here is entirely on artificial intelligence. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features deep integration with Google Gemini. You can use Gemini to pull information from your Gmail, organize your Google Docs, or generate text and images on the fly.
Camera quality is a massive selling point for the Pixel line. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes a 48-megapixel main camera, a 10.5-megapixel ultrawide, and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. Google also added a fun feature called “Made You Look,” which displays fun animations on the outer screen to get kids to smile while you take their picture from the inner screen.
Head-to-Head: Which Should You Buy?
Choosing the best buy depends on exactly what you value in a smartphone.
- Best Value and Hardware: The OnePlus Open is the winner here. The nearly invisible crease, incredibly fast charging, and the brilliant Open Canvas multitasking system make it a joy to use. At $1,699 with frequent discounts, your dollar goes furthest with OnePlus.
- Best for AI and Cameras: The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes the crown for photography. Google’s image processing is legendary, and the massive 8-inch screen is beautiful. If you want the smartest phone with the best point-and-shoot camera, buy the Pixel.
- Best for Durability and Productivity: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the safest bet. It has an IP48 rating for dust and water resistance, S Pen support, and a highly polished operating system. Samsung also offers the best long-term software support, promising seven years of updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are foldable screens durable? Yes, modern foldable screens are much more durable than early models. Brands use ultra-thin glass reinforced with plastic layers. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 also feature improved hinge mechanisms to keep dust and debris out of the phone.
What is the difference between a flip phone and a fold phone? A fold phone (book-style) looks like a standard smartphone that opens outward into a small tablet. Examples include the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. A flip phone (clamshell) is the size of a standard smartphone but folds in half to become a tiny square that easily fits in small pockets. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a prime example of a clamshell phone.
Do foldable phones have bad battery life? Battery life on foldables has improved dramatically in 2024. The OnePlus Open, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Galaxy Z Fold 6 all feature batteries that can easily last a full day of moderate use. Processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Tensor G4 are highly efficient, which helps preserve battery life even when you use the large inner screens.