When was the last time you had a flip phone? For me, it was back in the early ’00s, when I was in college. Back then, you couldn’t tell me anything. I loved my blue screen Samsung flip phone because it was a sleek black phone, and it was one of the first grownup things I was paying for all on my own. It was everything — until smartphones became the hot thing. Soon enough, I was trading phones that flipped for a handheld laptop, watching prices for them rise from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
But there was something so simple about flip phones. Before the smartphone era, they were for talking and texting, and playing some basic games. You weren’t on them around the clock. They also provided just the right amount of drama. Fed up with the person on the other end of the phone? Snap it shut and go on about your day. The flip phone era was a good time, and that’s probably why 51 percent of people have said they’d love for them to make a permanent comeback. Luckily for them, flip phones have actually returned, and they’re better than ever.
A perk is that now you have options. If you want an affordable flip phone that keeps things simple, you’ve got it. If you want a high-tech smartphone and flip phone in one, you’ve got it. Added bonus? If you want a flip phone that opens horizontally instead of vertically, you can have that too.
With that in mind, scroll down for a few amazing options on the market, from the fancy to the straightforward. If you’re one of those people who would love to trade in your current brick of a phone to come back to the flip side, there’s no better time than the present.
While this one doesn’t exactly flip in the traditional way (hence the name “Fold”), it has the hinge of the old-school options while opening horizontally. Once open with a 7.6 OLED display, you can do more through things like the Split Screen feature (message someone back while taking a video call with someone else). You can also get work done, set up selfies with the rear-facing camera or take hands-free shots, fix blurry images (or remove people from photos they shouldn’t have been in), and simply use the phone as way to show cartoons in full-screen mode for restless kiddos at brunch.
Available at Google
While it’s a truly compact flip option, the Z Flip5 does plenty as it totes a large cover screen, customizable widgets to place on that screen for faster access to your go-to apps, text threads and info, and the option to take the simplest but clearest selfies with the phone open (for a timed shot) or closed in your hand. The gadget also comes in a myriad of bright colors to match its personality.
Available at Samsung
The Motorola Razr was the “It” phone of the early aughts, and it’s back, revamped as the Razr+. It too sports an impressive external screen that allows you to do a multitude of things quickly through app shortcuts, like responding to text messages through a full built-in keyboard without opening the gadget. The phone still comes in pink, but this time, in the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, as well as Glacier Blue and Infinite Black. It also is still compact, while opening to a great 6.9 OLED display screen. And it charges quickly, allowing you to gain hours of power from just minutes of plugging power.
Available at Motorola
As mentioned, every flip phone doesn’t have to equate to a rent payment. The 2780 flip gets it done for less. Nokia, also a cultural king of classic phones, provides an option compatible with most big phone carrier networks. It has the browsing capabilities, a strong rear camera, 18 days of standby time on a single charge, seven hours of talk time for those who like to chat sans text, and a cute FM radio and 3.5mm audio jack option to jam to tunes. It’s marketed towards older users but could be the perfect flip phone for anyone just wanting to keep things simple and affordable.
Available at Nokia
Another affordable flip phone, this one might be the most durable on the list. That’s the point of it actually. This particular gadget, available exclusively for T-Mobile users, has been raved about because it’s tough and built to last and simple to use. It’s waterproof, been drop tested and is especially marketed towards those with hands-on jobs, like farmers, folks in construction, first responders, and others who just can’t be worried about dropping a huge, expensive smartphone. They are instead looking for a dependable phone that can survive a drop and be thoroughly cleansed at the end of the day.
Available at Amazon