Foldable phones are the newest and fastest-developing type of mobile computer right now. Growing out of the desire to put the largest possible amount of screen inside the user’s pocket, they represent the cutting edge of technological innovation, with Samsung and Huawei offering the most notable early examples. A good foldable is one that combines the greater usability and potential of a large-screen tablet with the effortless portability of an everyday smartphone. We can expect foldables and their hinge designs to keep evolving at a breakneck pace, as hardware companies work to figure out exactly how to fold and market this new breed of portable computer.
35 crystals have once again been “hand-positioned” in the flip phone’s body, with a larger 32-facet crystal on the hinge, all finished with a quilted, leather-inspired texture in Pantone’s “Meteorite” color. It launches September 10th for $899.99, a $100 premium over the regular Razr — but what says luxury like Swarovski-studded quilted pleather?
It’s short, it’s wide, and it’s red. It’s also powered by Xiaomi’s new in-house Xring 03 chip, so it’ll be interesting to see how performance stacks up. Oh, and it’s launching in China on September 7th, which I’m sure has nothing to do with upcoming events in California.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold has been officially unveiled alongside its September 7th launch date in China, meaning it’ll be available two days before the iPhone event that’s expected to launch Apple’s own wide-style foldable phone. Samsung beat both when it launched the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July, which was itself preceded by Huawei’s China-only Pura X Max launched in April.
Xiaomi, Apple, Huawei, and more are all launching flagship phones this month.
8
Verge Score
The cover screen feels more like a phone than ever, but the limitations are still what makes it.
Foldables tend to struggle with the bend test, but the smaller Galaxy Z Fold 8 survived it, and this year’s Pixel foldable didn’t go up in smoke. Will Apple’s rumored ‘iPhone Ultra’ foldable fare any better?
The Pura X View will launch next week in China, but Huawei has already revealed its design, including a broad 16:9.5 aspect ratio display. It looks a little like Huawei’s Pura X flip phone did when unfolded, but in a regular slab format. After last month’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, we’re truly in the wide phone era.
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8
Verge Score
A great foldable with IP68 and a reliable triple camera, trapped in a shape everyone else seems to be moving on from.
We live blogged almost 90 minutes of a show that was, honestly, better than expected. Our video team cut it down to eight.
Samsung’s online-exclusive “Pistachio” version of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks great, and has apparently been selling well. But I’m a much bigger fan of Google’s Pixel 11 finish by the same name. It looks a lot closer to the color of a good pistachio gelato, unlike whatever minty nonsense Samsung is up to.
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Verge Score
It doesn’t quite feel ‘Ultra,’ but it’s a comprehensive improvement on last year’s phone.
In a new video on Monday, you can catch brief and shadowy glimpses of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which is set to be fully revealed at an event on August 12th.
But the phone’s design has already leaked, if you want to see it ahead of time.
Folding screens are no longer novel, but they’re finally good enough for an iPhone.
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Verge Score
The Z Fold 8 looks unusual at first, but you get used to it fast.
If you missed Samsung’s event today, you can watch all the highlights here, including the redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8, the new Z Fold 8 Ultra, and an updated Z Flip 8. You can also check out today’s episode of The Vergecast to hear more about everything Samsung announced.
But $1,900 is a hell of a lot for a phone with no telephoto camera.
One small step for phones, one giant leap for foldables.
So far it’s mostly teasing novel ways of slicing pizza, but presumably it’ll all make sense soon.
We’re just hours away from Samsung Unpacked and the leaks keep coming. The Z Fold 8 Ultra retains the Z Fold 7’s slim and tall design, but is said to come with an upgraded 5,000mAh battery promising up to 27 hours of video playback.
Reports of a new wider foldable phone suggest Samsung is ready to take a risk.
The Magic V6 is available to order now in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. It’s officially priced at £1,999.99 / €2,299.99 (about $2,600), but Honor’s early offers slash hundreds off that price and throw in freebies like earbuds or tablets too.
All signs point to Samsung launching a wide version of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 this month, and now the company has released its first teaser. There are video versions too, all along similar lines teasing a “new shape” from the company.
Pixel foldables get the new feature first, which is being added to Android 17 alongside native controller remapping, but only rolls out “in the coming months.” We’ve seen control options like this in other foldables before, but it’s welcome to see Google bake it into the OS.
