MWC 2024 showed more than anything else that the era of cheap foldables is here, with a few unexpected releases.
Foldable smartphones are still pretty expensive, but prices have been coming down. MWC 2024, though, was the place where it became abundantly clear that cheap foldables are coming, as several made an appearance.
Just a few years ago, flip phones of any type were pricey. Samsung’s original Galaxy Z Flip, for example, launched at a starting price of $1,380. And boy, how times have changed.
Motorola really ushered in the move for cheaper foldables, undercutting Samsung’s current $999 price tag with its $699, but often $499 Motorola Razr (2023). It’s a solid device at that price point, but it’s about to face a lot more competition.
One of the other affordable foldables that launched last year was the Tecno Phantom V Flip which I finally tried out here at MWC 2024. It’s rather good! I really like the circular outer display, love Tecno’s material and purple color choice, and the hinge felt solid too. The Phantom V Flip is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8050 chipset, one of the more powerful of what we’ll talk about here, and sadly isn’t sold in the US. But, internationally, it’s found for around ₹55,000.
Next up was the Nubia Flip 5G from ZTE. Similar to the Tecno, it has a circular outer display and really solid hardware. It feels like a slightly bigger Galaxy Z Flip 5, but a little sharper and clear-cut around the edges.
Nothing about this felt particularly flashy, but this is notably the same hardware as the ZTE Libero Flip, which is sold for under $500 in Japan. It’s one of the better-specced devices, too, with a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 under the hood, a 6.
