New Foldable Phones 2024: Galaxy Z Fold 6, Pixel Fold 2, and More to Expect

Foldable phones were seemingly everywhere in 2023. Google and OnePlus released their first bendable devices. Motorola and Samsung elevated their clamshell phones by adding larger external screens that made them more usable. And with the $700 Razr 2023, Motorola tried to combat the notion that foldable phones had to break the bank.

While 2023 was an unexpected year of change for foldable smartphones, with sales actually falling below expectations, 2024 is likely to be a quieter year. Motorola has already announced a new Razr series for 2024, with bigger screens and better cameras. Samsung is widely expected to introduce new versions of the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip at its Unpacked event on July 10, and there are rumors of a second-generation Pixel Fold. However, these devices from Samsung and Google are expected to be iterative updates that improve key areas like design and performance, rather than sweeping updates that expand what foldable smartphones are truly capable of.

That’s not necessarily a negative. Flip phones have evolved in 2023, and 2024 will likely be about further refining what’s worked in the past. But I hope companies like Samsung and others work to address the two biggest shortcomings of today’s foldable phones: high prices and lack of compelling software.

Read more: I visited Samsung’s home office to see if foldable phones are really the future

What Foldable Phones Can We Expect in 2024?

Brands like Motorola, Honor, Vivo, and ZTE Nubia have already released foldable phones in 2024, but Samsung and Google typically release new devices later in the year. While nothing is set in stone until it’s announced, here’s what we’re expecting based on rumors, leaks, and previous launches.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Samsung’s next book-style foldable smartphone will likely get a new processor and some camera improvements to better fit in with the Galaxy S24 family. We also expect Galaxy AI to be a major focus, as Samsung hinted in a press release announcing its next Unpacked event. Samsung could also increase the size of the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s external screen, according to serial leaker Ice Universe. Samsung’s patent has also fueled speculation that Samsung could finally add an S Pen slot this time around, like it did with the Galaxy S Ultra series. But perhaps more interesting is the idea that Samsung could release a cheaper version of the Galaxy Z Fold, as reported by Korean news outlet The Elec. According to the blog Galaxy Club, an Ultra version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could also be in the works.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Much like the next Z Fold, Samsung’s next flip phone will likely also get a processor refresh and a dose of Galaxy AI. However, the Galaxy Club blog reports that the Z Flip 6 could get a big camera upgrade that would bump the resolution of the main camera from 12 to 50 megapixels. The website also predicts that the Z Flip 6 will have a slightly bigger battery than the Z Flip 5. Both the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will likely also feature Galaxy AI, a new set of AI-powered software features that Samsung debuted with the Galaxy S24 series earlier this year.
• Google Pixel Fold 2:Google could be working on a bigger screen for the next Pixel Fold. Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, reports that the internal foldable display will be 8.02 inches, a jump from the 7.6-inch internal screen of the current Pixel Fold. The external screen also sounds like it will be a bit bigger, with Young predicting the external display will be 6.29 inches. Otherwise, we can probably expect the Fold 2 to feature Google’s next-generation Tensor chip. Google is reportedly considering renaming the next version of the Pixel Fold the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which would bring some consistency between the foldable and Google’s flagship smartphone lines. Google is holding a Pixel-focused event on August 13, so there’s a chance we’ll hear about the new Pixel Fold as early as next month.
• OnePlus Open 2: So far, there haven’t been many leaks or rumors about a follow-up to the OnePlus Open. But if OnePlus does make its foldable phone a permanent fixture in its lineup, the second-generation model likely won’t arrive until October. The OnePlus Open impressed CNET’s Eli Blumenthal with its sleek design, but we’re hoping we’ll see better cameras and improved software in a future model.

Potential Foldable Phone Trends in 2024

There’s no way to know exactly what to expect from new foldable phones in 2024 until those new models hit the market. However, based on leaks and general trends in the smartphone industry, it seems like phone makers will be focusing more on lowering prices, improving designs, and updating their devices with more powerful hardware to keep up with today’s best non-foldable phones.

There’s already some evidence to suggest that companies could be working to make foldable phones more affordable. For example, ZTE launched the $600 Nubia Flip 5G at Mobile World Congress, which is cheaper than the Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15. Elec’s report that Samsung is working on a cheaper version of the Z Fold also falls in line with this trend, though SmartPrix reports that Samsung plans to raise the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 compared to last year’s phone.

It’s also possible we’ll see some interesting new software-based features on this year’s foldable smartphones. Samsung and Google have been focusing on incorporating AI into their smartphone software in more visible ways, as evidenced by Samsung’s Galaxy AI feature set and Google’s photo-editing tools like Best Take and Magic Editor.

Smartphone manufacturers have an opportunity to get more creative by developing new software tricks for foldable phones. The whole appeal of foldable phones is the idea of ​​having two pocket-sized screens that serve different purposes. Imagine if those screens were smarter and had interfaces that were better optimized for their size and intended use?

Samsung and Motorola are off to a good start with the Razr Plus and Galaxy Z Flip 5, which have widget-packed screens designed to give you information at a glance — much like a smartwatch. But I’m excited to see where the companies go next in the face of this renewed AI push.

Won-Joon Choi, executive vice president and head of R&D at Samsung’s Mobile Solutions business, has previously suggested that the company intends to tailor Galaxy AI software features to specific devices in the future.

“Rather than just extending it, we want to create very specific… optimized experiences for those form factors,” he said in an interview in January. “Not just (a) copy and paste, but improve the experience for those specific form factors.”

He reiterated that thesis in a blog post in June, saying the company will “further optimize” Galaxy AI for its upcoming foldable devices.

In the meantime, Samsung has started rolling out software updates for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 to bring current Galaxy AI features to these devices.

What we don’t expect in 2024

If you’re waiting for a foldable iPhone or a futuristic device with a rollable screen, don’t expect either of them to arrive anytime soon.

Apple is notorious for being a latecomer to new technology, as it has been with big-screen phones, smartwatches, and virtual reality headsets. If the company does plan to release a foldable iPhone, it likely won’t do so until there’s greater demand for foldable phones. Devices that fold in half accounted for only about 1.4% of the global smartphone market in 2023, according to TrendForce. But as Counterpoint Research’s Tom Kang notes in a blog post , foldable phones could be important for companies that typically target premium phone buyers — like Apple.

Given Apple’s focus on design, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company waited until the folding issue was resolved before releasing a foldable model. While designs have improved in recent years, folds are still visible in both flip phones and book-style devices.

Apple has developed a prototype of foldable displays, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, but they are mostly for testing. There is no sign that Apple plans to use such screens in an actual product, the 2021 report says.

Meanwhile, Motorola and Samsung are already thinking about what might be next in terms of foldable devices. Both companies have shown off some fascinating concept devices with screens that can be slid and rolled to change size. But for now, such concepts are just that. There’s no telling when such prototypes will become formal products, if ever.

But Jeff Snow, Motorola’s general manager of product innovation, believes new types of designs like this could one day make phones more useful.

“I think one day people are going to look back and say, ‘I can’t believe I carried that 7-inch piece of glass around in my pocket,’” he said in an interview last year. “It’s becoming a bit of an unbearable device for most people, given their mobile lives.”

All things considered, foldable devices will likely make small but significant strides forward this year. But we’ll learn more as phone makers announce new products in the coming weeks.