Could 2026 finally be the year of the foldable? All eyes are on Apple, with speculation ramping up that this autumn’s ‘September Event’ will finally see the reveal of the long-awaited iPhone Fold. Various names have been suggested, including iPhone Ultra, but regardless of the appellation, Apple’s involvement will add a welcome boost to a niche sector.
The triple-fold Huawei Mate XT
But even Apple can’t guarantee the viability of the folding sector. If its product flops – and although missteps from Cupertino are rare, they do happen – then it’ll put pressure on other manufacturers to move away from these expensive, low-volume devices.
Probably best not to do this to your Motorola Razr 70 Ultra
If you really need a bigger screen, accept that you’ll be paying a premium for a delicate technology with a potentially shorter shelf life. Ahead of Apple’s expected September unveil, here are five current ways to get a folding screen in your pocket.
Honor Magic V6
Bucking the colour trend: Honor Magic V6
The recently launched Honor Magic V6 foldable is a formidable performer, with a colossal battery (6600mAh) packed into a slender 8.75mm deep frame. When opened up, the inner OLED screen is 7.95 inches across, with a large 6.43-inch outer screen for day-to-day use.
Pictured is a detail of the Honor Magic V6 camera unit
The camera package includes a 64MP Telephoto lens, among others, and Honor has pushed hard to make the Magic V6 a trusted companion to the Apple eco-system (even though it runs Honor’s version of Android, Magic OS). The phone’s most distinctive feature is its decidedly non-standard aesthetic; with its red back and gold trim, it is a world apart from the mainstream.
Again, not ideal folding smartphone treatment
Honor Magic V6, £1,999 (although major discounts and bundles are available), Honor.com
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8
Samsung is a pioneer in the folding phone sphere, taking technical missteps and reputational hits along the way for being first to market with the original 2018 Samsung Galaxy Fold. That’s all ancient history thanks to rapid product cycles. The latest generation of foldable Galaxy phones are the thinnest and most sophisticated yet.
Our pick of the current crop of foldables is the Galaxy Z Fold8, which stands out by virtue of its size and proportions. With a 4:3 ratio screen, the Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch internal screen and a compact 5.5-inch external screen. Wider but shorter than a regular phone, it manages to combine compact and lightweight pocketability (it weighs 201g) with a big-screen experience.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 measures 7.6 inches when open in 4:3 ratio
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, from £1,699, Samsung.com
Motorola Razr 70 Ultra
Motorola Razr 70 Ultra
Folding screen flip phones are pretty much Motorola’s domain, although Honor and Xiaomi also manufacture this niche-within-a-niche. The company was the progenitor of the original old-school V Series flip phones, way back in the 1990s, then the cult Razr models from the noughties.
The name was revived for the current era of compact foldables, which combine a compact, multifunction outer screen that cuts down on incessant checking, with a large 7-inch inner display when you want as much screen real estate as possible. Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip8 and the Oppo Find N2 Flip are your key alternatives.
Motorola claims the Razr 70 Ultra does everything a conventionally sized smartphone can do
Motorola Razr 70 Ultra, from £1,199.99, Motorola.com
Huawei Mate XT
Huawei Mate XT
One of the only triple-screen foldable phones to make it to market (alongside the now discontinued Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold), the Huawei Mate XT is becoming extremely hard to come by.
The Huawei Mate XT screen measures 10.2 inches
The massive 10.2-inch screen unfurls like a paper pocket map (remember those), with one segment forming the external 6.4-inch screen when it’s all folded up. Delicate, hugely complex, understandably expensive and still probably a step too far for even the most eager of early adopters, it probably won’t be the last time this form factor is explored.
Huawei Mate XT camera unit
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Now is a good time to get a discount on the outgoing Pixel 10 Pro Fold, ahead of Google’s new product launch in mid-August and the arrival of what’s expected to be called the Pixel 11 Pro Fold (unsurprisingly). Google’s folding devices are still very niche and make up a small percentage of all Pixel sales.
The 6.4-inch external display opens up to reveal an 8-inch internal display with similar proportions to the Honor Magic 6. Durability was said to have been improved over the 9 Pro Fold but the screen crease is now quite prominent in comparison to rivals, as is the relatively chunky feel of the folded device.
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, from £1,299, Store.Google.com