Flip phones will soon be cheaper
Flip phones are practical, but expensive so far. At the MWC mobile phone trade fair, I find inexpensive alternatives beyond Samsung, Motorola and Oppo - with obvious weaknesses.
The delicate folding mechanism and sensitive displays make it difficult to produce good flip phones. Nevertheless, affordable folding smartphones are soon to be launched on the European market. Manufacturers such as ZTE and Tecno show how it's done. For the low price, you have to make do with mid-range hardware. The durability of the devices remains to be seen, as weaknesses can already be recognised in advance.
ZTE: Nubia Flip 5G with colourful cover
The most promising phone first: The ZTE Libero Flip is coming to Europe under the name Nubia Flip. Manufacturer ZTE exhibited two colour variants at the MWC, a colourful reflective purple and a shimmering white gold. The smartphone looks solid to me and the fold is only subtly noticeable.
ZTE has fitted a circular display on the outside. I can use some of the functions there. For example, the 50-megapixel camera for selfies, a recorder for recordings and a music player. The shape of the display reminds me of a smartwatch.
Source: Michelle Brändle
When folded, the smartphone is 1.6 centimetres thick. That's still easy to stow in a pocket. When I unfold the Nubia Flip, I see a 6.9-inch AMOLED display.
Source: Michelle Brändle
ZTE saves on the inside. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is a little older and Android 13 is not the latest version. Nevertheless, both are sufficient for a smartphone suitable for everyday use. And the Nubia Flip is at least protected against splash water in accordance with IPX4.
The Nubia Flip 5G should find its way to Europe at the end of May and cost around 600 francs or euros.
Tecno Phantom 5: staying away for the time being
I also find a flip phone at Tecno. The Phantom 5 has been on the market in China since October 2023. Unfortunately, it won't find its way to us. The manufacturer only supplies countries in Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, a look at the Phantom 5 shows what is possible in the future.
Source: Jan Johannsen
The Phantom 5 has roughly the same dimensions as the Nubia Flip: when folded, the Tecno smartphone is 1.5 centimetres thick and features a circular AMOLED display on the outside. On the 1.32-inch screen with a diameter of 466 pixels, you can, for example, display an analogue clock or take selfies.
When unfolded, you look at a 6.9-inch AMOLED display.
The foldable is powered by a mid-range chip, the Mediatek Dimensity 8050, and runs Android 13.
For photos, you have a 64 MP main camera plus a 32 megapixel selfie camera at your disposal. It is slightly more expensive than the Nubia Flip at just under 700 euros.
Energiser Ultimate U660S: cheap, but not flush
Avenir Telecom is exhibiting a smart flip version alongside regular Energizer phones in Barcelona. It looks and feels very robust in the hand. However, the foldable has a very obvious gap when closed.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The unfolded display of the Energizer Ultimate U660S is 6.7 inches in size and has a 2K resolution. In return, the manufacturer saves on the external display. This is only used to display the time and incoming messages.
It is also well equipped for the lower mid-range: a Helio G99 chip is concealed under the shimmering casing. And it will be delivered directly with Android 14.
Source: Michelle Brändle
For photos, you have a 64-megapixel main camera plus an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera and 25 megapixels for selfies. However, the Energizer Ultimate U660S will not be available until November and is expected to cost around 500 francs or euros.
Blackview Hero 10: chic cover in turquoise
The Hero 10 from Blackview catches my eye above all because of its colour. It is framed in turquoise faux leather. When closed, the foldable is adorned with a small external display with two cameras. It looks pretty robust to me, but the crease on the display is clearly noticeable.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The Blackview Hero 10 is equipped with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display. The lower mid-range Mediatek Helio G99 is installed, presumably to keep the price so low. It also runs on Android version 13 from 2022. It remains to be seen whether the Hero 10 will be upgraded to Android 14 upon release.
Source: Michelle Brändle
A total of 3930 mAh is installed in the form of two batteries. You can charge it with 45 watts. A 108 MP main camera and an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera are available for photos. You can make video calls and take selfies with 32 megapixels.
The Hero 10 will be launched on the market in the middle of the year for just under 400 francs or euros.
Doogee Flip X: already gone to pieces
The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Doogee is known for its robust outdoor mobiles, among other things. At the MWC, Doogee exhibited a flip-up phone. Ironically, it is precisely this manufacturer that is weakening with its foldable: it has already broken after the first two days of the trade fair. Even if it was a pre-production device for demo purposes and passed through many hands, it doesn't leave a good impression.
Source: Michelle Brändle
This proves that the folding mechanism is not yet fully developed by all manufacturers, and price savings can have an impact on the longevity of foldables.
The Doogee Flip X is equipped with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display. It also has the same chip as the Hero 10, the Helio G99. There is a 100-megapixel camera for photos and a 50-megapixel camera for selfies.
So far, I have not received any information about the price or a launch in Europe for the Flip X.
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.