Flip phones have come a long way — from the early days of a separate screen and keypad, to smartphones where the screen folds in half. With improving screen technology, flip phones have grown from more than just a gimmick into a serious contender for your money if you’re looking for a quality smartphone.
However, with more flip phones entering the Australian market in recent years, it might feel a little overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the flip phones currently available in Australia to help you find the best flip phone for you.
On this page:
- Best flip phone: Price
- Best flip phone: Cover screen and value for money
- Best flip phone: Hinge and processor
- Best flip phone: Size and battery
- Best flip phone cameras
- How do I choose the best flip phone?
- Compare SIM-only plans
- Flip phone FAQs
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The best flip phones in Australia
There might not be too many flip phones available in Australia, but the choice can still be overwhelming. We’ve broken down the best flip phones based on features such as processor, battery, price and more to help you find the best flip phone for your needs.
Best price: Motorola Razr 40
It’s no secret that flip phones and foldable screen technology comes with a rather big price tag, with the foldable screen technology being a major factor in the price.
Motorola’s Razr 40 is on the more affordable end of the spectrum when it comes to flip phones with its $999 AUD RRP price tag — the same release price as Google’s premium Pixel 7 (released in 2022). While the Motorola Razr 40 features a smaller cover screen with only a few functions available, it’s mostly focused on the benefits of a compact foldable phone without too many flashy extras. That doesn’t mean it’s not a fantastic phone regardless of its slightly more affordable price point. Motorola has packed in plenty of great features, offering a solid performance overall, great quality screens, an excellent camera setup and stunning design.
If you’re after the convenience of a flip phone but aren’t too fussed about having additional apps and features available on the cover screen (beyond basics like time and weather), then you can save some extra cash by picking up the Motorola Razr 40.
Read our hands-on review of the Motorola Razr 40.
| Phone | Features | Storage Size | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 256GB | $999 | Shop now |
| ^^View important information | |||
Best cover screen and value for money: Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
In addition to its standard Razr 40, Motorola also released the Razr 40 Ultra which, as the name suggests, has all sorts of ‘ultra’ features.
The biggest drawcard for the Razr 40 Ultra is its cover screen. It’s the largest cover screen available in a flip phone currently on the Australian market and also has an impressive 144Hz refresh rate.
Not only that but Motorola has taken its functionality up a notch with a wide range of apps and features available on the mini screen. These include pre-installed games, the ability to use other apps on the screen such as Spotify, and even watching Netflix. If you want a little bit more from your flip phone’s mini screen, it’s hard to go past the Razr 40 Ultra.
It’s for this reason that we’ve also crowned the Razr 40 Ultra as the best flip phone for value for money. While it costs significantly more than the standard Razr 40, for its $1,499 AUD price tag — the same RRP as OPPO’s Find N2 Flip and cheaper than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 — Motorola has packed in a lot of features.
While the Razr 40 Ultra’s mini screen size and functionality has a bit more to offer than OPPO and Samsung’s competitors, it also has some pretty impressive specs to back it up. With a fast processor, fast charging, quality camera setup and a gorgeous design and finish (the Viva Magenta with vegan leather finish is stunning), you do get an excellent quality phone overall for the price when compared to what OPPO and Samsung offers.
Read our hands-on review of the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra.
| Phone | Features | Storage Size | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 256GB | $1,499 | Shop now |
| ^^View important information | |||
Best hinge and processor: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Of course, one of the most important parts of the flip phone’s experience is its hinge — how well it works and how sturdy it feels. Samsung has had a lot of practice with developing and improving its hinge with each new Galaxy Z Flip release, so it’s not unexpected that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 features Samsung’s best hinge to date.
It features increased durability thanks to a new integrated module, and is built to withstand more bumps and knocks than previous Galaxy Z Flip phones. In hand, it’s a sturdy-feeling phone and the hinge feels strong and not at all flimsy. If you’ve been reluctant to buy a flip phone over concerns about breaking the hinge or screen, the sturdy Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 could alleviate these worries.
In addition to its solid and sturdy design and feel, Samsung has also packed in a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. While Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra also includes a fairly powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is that bigger step up in a processor that can help deliver a stronger performance.
Read our hands-on review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
| Phone | Features | Storage Size | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 256GB | $1,649 | Go to Site |
| ^^View important information | |||
- Optus plans
- Vodafone plans
- Telstra plans
Optus Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Plans
The following table shows selected published 24-month Optus plans for the 512GB Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our tool for mobile phone plan comparisonto see a wider range of plans from other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Vodafone Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Plans
The following table shows selected published 24-month Vodafone plans for the 512GB Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our tool for mobile phone plan comparisonto see a wider range of plans from other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Telstra Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Plans
The following table shows selected published 24-month Telstra plans for the 512GB Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our tool for mobile phone plan comparisonto see a wider range of plans from other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Best size and battery: OPPO Find N2 Flip
OPPO is known for packing a lot of value into its phones, and with reasonable price tags to match. With the Find N2 Flip, OPPO threw in a lot of its best features, with excellent cameras, big displays and a pretty solid battery, backed up with a quality performance.
At the time of its release, the OPPO Find N2 Flip had the largest cover screen in a flip phone — but this was soon outdone with the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. However, OPPO’s Find N2 Flip still has the widest main screen size compared to its competition.
While flip phones, especially Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip phones, tend to feel a little ‘skinnier’ than their non foldable counterparts, OPPO delivered a larger main display in which the width was well-balanced with length. This makes for a great viewing experience when watching shows and movies on your phone — it doesn’t feel too ‘wide screen’ or stretched out with the top and bottom cut off. The Find N2 flip is 75.2mm wide, compared to 73.95mm for both Motorola Razr phones and 71.9mm for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5.
OPPO has also packed in a 4,300mAh battery, which is bigger than the competition (although the Razr 40 is just behind with a 4,200mAh battery). It also has up to 44W fast charging, which is faster than what’s on offer from Motorola and Samsung. It’s also worth noting that OPPO (and Motorola) include fast chargers in the box, while Samsung doesn’t.
Read our hands-on review of the OPPO Find N2 Flip.
Best flip phone cameras
This category is a little trickier to pin down. While the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers a fantastic camera experience, OPPO and Motorola also deliver some pretty great camera performances too.
Samsung is typically known for offering some of the best camera performances for its premium phones, however, on paper, the OPPO Find N2 Flip and the Motorola Razr 40 offer larger megapixel main cameras. You can read more about the camera performance of each phone through our hands-on reviews linked higher up on this page.
Throughout our reviews, we found all four flip phones offered great camera performances, so you might find the choice of which is the best flip phone for your needs comes down to other features or the price.
How do I choose the best flip phone for my needs?
Flip phones aren’t the cheapest smartphones on the market, so for many, price may be the main deciding factor when choosing a flip phone.
You might also want to consider the cameras, processor, battery performance or the size and design of the phone and which of these features are most important to you. The functionality and size of the phone’s cover screen might also help you decide which phone is right for you.
Of course, brand may also be an important factor, especially if you’re used to one brand’s operating system. If you’re already a fan of Samsung’s phones, you might be inclined to go with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip range. However, if you’re looking to save a bit of money, you might find one of the devices from Motorola or OPPO could offer you a little bit more value.
If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll need to make the switch to Android as there is currently no iPhone flip on the market (and no announcements from Apple in regards to any future foldable/flip iPhones).
Compare SIM-only phone plans
If you choose to buy your flip phone outright, you’ll need to bundle it with a SIM-only plan. The below tables feature a range of prepaid and postpaid SIM-only plans.
- Postpaid Plans
- Prepaid Plans
Here is a selection of postpaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 10GB of data, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Try using our mobile phone plan comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Here is a selection of prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 10GB of data each month, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. If you want to compare a larger range of offers from other providers, use our phone plan comparison tool. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
FAQs about flip phones
What about flip phones that aren’t smartphones?
There are also plenty of flip phones on the market that aren’t smartphones (sometimes referred to as ‘dumbphones’). Nokia is one brand offering a range of simple phones like the old-school style Nokia 2660 Flip. Opel also produces basic mobile phones, including flip phones. While you won’t have a huge selection of basic flip mobile phones to choose from, there are still some available if you’re looking for a flip phone but without the bells and whistles of a smartphone.
Do I need a flip phone?
If you’re unsure about whether a flip phone is right for you, keep in mind that the biggest drawcard for a flip phone is that it’s more compact when folded. This can come in handy if you usually keep your phone in your pocket, or if you find a regular smartphone takes up too much space in your bag.
The technology used to create a foldable screen can be one of the main reasons for why flip phones are so expensive. You also might find that certain features like the cameras or battery, might not be as impressive as a standard premium device with a similar price.
If features such as top-quality cameras, bigger batteries and flashier extras are more important to you, then you might prefer to buy a premium non-foldable phone, rather than a flip phone.
What is the best fold phone?
Fold phones typically offer a bit more than a flip phone. Rather than a standard-sized smartphone that folds in half (like a flip phone), fold phones tend to be double the size of a standard smartphone, like a mini tablet. Fold phones are usually very expensive and may come with additional functionality tools, such as improved multitasking features, that make these phones great for working on the go.
There aren’t too many fold phones available currently in Australia. Samsung has a bit of a monopoly on the fold phone market with its Galaxy Z Fold series. However OPPO has released its Find N3 foldable phone to the Australian market, giving Samsung a run for its money.
Samsung’s latest foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, is priced from $2,599 (256GB), while the OPPO Find N3 is $2,699 (512GB). While Samsung’s base Galaxy Z Fold 5 is cheaper than OPPO’s device, if you wanted a Galaxy Z Fold 5 with 512GB of storage, it would cost you $2,799.
Google also offers a foldable phone — the Pixel Fold — however it isn’t currently available in Australia. However, if Google continues producing foldable phones, Google may start releasing its foldable phones in more markets.
With such a limited choice of foldable phones available in Australia, choosing the best fold phone for you might come down to price, brand and features you want in a phone.
