Best Flip Phone for 2024
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 (left), Galaxy Z Flip 5 (center), and Motorola Razr Plus (right)
We test each phone under real-world scenarios, focusing on features, design, performance, cameras, battery life, and overall value. We document our findings in an initial review that’s periodically updated as software updates arrive, or to compare it to new phones from competitors like Apple, Samsung, Google, and OnePlus. Below, you’ll find our methodology for testing smartphones in general, which also applies to flip phones.
Photography
Photography is a major focus for most phones, so we shoot photos and videos of a variety of subjects in multiple settings and lighting scenarios. We try out all the new camera modes, like the revamped Action mode on the iPhone 15 line or the Magic Editor photo tool that launched with the Google Pixel 8 series.
Taking a photo with the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Battery life
Battery tests are conducted in a few different ways. We assess how long a phone lasts over the course of a typical day of use, and note how it performs during more focused sessions of video calling, media streaming, and gaming. We also include a video playback test, as an easy, repeatable measure of raw battery life, which isn’t always included in the initial review but is sometimes added later in an update.
Performance measurement
We use benchmarking apps to measure each phone’s performance, as well as our own anecdotal experiences using the phone for our review. One thing we notice is how graphics and animations look. Are they fluid? Or are they stuttering or choppy? We also look at how quickly the phone switches between horizontal and vertical orientations, and how quickly the camera app opens and is ready to take a photo.
We perform tasks that require a lot of processing power, such as editing photos, exporting videos, and playing games. We evaluate whether a newer version of a particular phone has enough features to make it worth upgrading from older models.
Read more: How we test phones
