Compare Flip Phones
Looking for a flip phone? Here you’ll find all the phones that fold shut after use, from simple models with physical keys to modern flip models with a foldable screen. For each phone, you’ll see the providers listed side by side, so you can compare them independently. Use the filters to narrow down your options.
Which flip phone is right for you?
Whether you can install apps on it depends on one thing: physical keys or a foldable screen. That also determines which price range you’ll end up in. A flip phone with physical keys, also known as a clamshell, is designed for making calls and sending text messages. A model with a foldable screen is a full-fledged smartphone that you can fold up.
How do flip phones really differ?
- Keypad or apps: You operate physical keys by feel and without looking; a touchscreen gives you apps and a full-fledged operating system
- Foldable screen or fixed screen: a foldable screen gives you a large workspace in a device that fits in your pocket when folded; a fixed screen keeps the device simpler
- Outer screen: this ranges from a narrow strip showing the time and caller ID to a screen where you can reply to messages without unfolding the phone
- Network: flip phones with physical buttons are often limited to 4G, while models with foldable screens generally support 5G
- Price range: models with physical keys are in the lowest price range of this overview, while models with foldable screens are in the highest
Scratches on the main screen aren’t a deciding factor here: every device in this overview folds over its own screen, so it’s less exposed than a phone whose screen is always out in the open. The difference lies in what you can do with the device when it’s open.
What closing the phone gives you
A flip phone must be opened before you can use it, and that’s exactly the point. Many models have a setting for this: a call starts or ends as soon as you open or close the phone, so you don’t have to search for a button. And because the phone is about half as long when folded, it fits in a small pocket or bag, although this does make it thicker.
What you sacrifice with a flip phone
Apps don’t run on a flip phone with physical keys, so you can’t use WhatsApp, a banking app, or DigiD on it. If you want those features but still prefer the flip design, you’ll want to look for a model with a foldable screen. When considering a phone with physical keys, also check whether it supports 4G calling—a feature called VoLTE: 3G has been shut down in the Netherlands and 2G is being phased out, meaning a phone that only makes calls on those networks loses its most important function. Furthermore, carriers determine on a per-device basis whether VoLTE works, so check the model on your own carrier’s list.
A foldable screen has its own drawbacks. The top layer is softer than the glass on a regular phone and retains a visible crease in the middle. A hinge is a moving part and therefore an additional component that can wear out.
Choose a flip phone with buttons if you mainly make calls and send messages, and want to go a long time without charging; also check out senior phones and dumb phones.
Choose a model with a foldable screen if you want a full-featured smartphone that takes up hardly any space when folded, and you’re willing to pay significantly more for it.
Choose a regular smartphone if the foldable design doesn’t offer any benefits for you; you’ll have more options for the same price among all smartphones.
