Best Flip Phone

Clamshell flip phones aren't all the same, so which among them is the best? This is our chosen one.

By Liu Hongzuo - 25 Aug 2025

(This article is one of 16 parts in our Tech Awards 2025: Editor's Choice content series.)

The modern Android flip phone is the closest thing to maximising your personality on a personal device. They are functionally identical to conventional bar-type phones, but with added convenience because of their foldable main display, and secondary features that let users stand out in a crowd.

Such folding phones also allow you to use the rear camera for hands-free photos and videos of yourself and friends, which means their construction and form factor work together with their software to maximise their practicality.

Not all come with the same set of features, which is why we need to find the best among them.

The qualification for the best flip phone is a clamshell foldable handset, which has a flexible, foldable main display on the inside and an optional secondary outer screen for apps, widgets, shortcuts, or notifications. It must also have been released after the previous assessment (April 2024) but before the cut-off date (end-April 2025), just like our other Editor’s Choice contenders in our Tech Awards 2025 celebratory phase.

Note: Unfortunately, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7, Honor Magic V Flip2 (not yet sold locally), and Xiaomi Mix Flip 2 (not yet sold locally) were launched after the end-April 2025 cut-off date.

Additional Note: We understand that mobile devices are rapidly evolving products, and their refreshes can occur as frequently as every six months. Due to extraordinary circumstances surrounding HWZ (such as a website revamp, among other milestones) and the need to coordinate with other device categories for the Tech Awards celebratory phase, our device cutoff date consideration for this iteration was at the end of April 2025. Do look forward to our future story as more models are released later this year for an updated comparison.

And the winner is...

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 - Best flip phone

Despite Samsung Galaxy Z flip6 having a slightly smaller outer display than the cheaper Xiaomi Mix Flip, Samsung makes a smarter flip phone than most.

The standout feature is Auto Zoom, which tracks the user and focuses on them while in its half-upright FlexCam mode. Auto Zoom makes it clear why selfie-lovers should get a Samsung flip-style phone, and it’s very friendly for self-portrait shots and social media filming.

Samsung also managed to upgrade its build quality and design with IP48 dust-and-water resistance, an even longer battery life through optimisations, and even wireless charging for users who are particular about keeping their ports scratch-free. All this remains, while containing one of the most powerful mobile processors available at the time.

Samsung also edged out its competition because it managed to figure out how to better utilise its dual cameras, on top of wireless charging, and rated water and dust protection. It also has eSIM support (perfect for holidaygoers), making the extra few hundred bucks well worth it.

Check out our full review for more details, as well as its successor, the Galaxy Z Flip7.

Note: The Galaxy Z Flip6 is available for purchase on Samsung’s online store, as well as on Samsung’s official stores on Lazada and Shopee.

	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6	Xiaomi Mix Flip
Design	8.5	8.5
Features	9.0	8.0
User-friendliness	9.0	7.0
Performance	9.0	8.5
Value	8.0	7.5
Overall	9.0	8.0
Price (storage)	S$1,648 (256GB)	S$1,499 (512GB)

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate during individual product evaluation. Street prices might be lower at the time of awards recognition. Scores may have been adjusted to reflect relative ratings to other products launched later or sooner.

For more details on how we rated our nominees and to find out our experience with each device, check out the full reviews and articles listed in the References section below. In the meantime, here's how the other nominee fared in a snapshot.

Xiaomi Mix Flip - Trading some perks for a bigger screen

Xiaomi Mix Flip | Best Value Flip Phone — Xiaomi Mix Flip.
HWZ

Samsung might’ve clinched the win here, but the same-year Xiaomi Mix Flip is no slouch either.

To put it simply, you trade out Samsung’s rated water and dust protection, wireless charging capability, eSIM support, and the automatic zooming camera, in return for an even larger secondary display that can support apps (which the Galaxy Z Flip7 now offers too).

An extra touch here is that even Xiaomi’s foldables, like its Xiaomi 15 bar-type companion, also got the same Leica treatment for its cameras, which adds extra style to your resulting photos.

The rest of the phone still looks sleek, and a bigger outer panel also makes the personalisation tweaks stand out a little better.

More importantly, its battery uptime is longer while the mobile processor is of the same standing as Samsung’s offering. It speaks well to the phone’s quality, despite paying less than Samsung’s for the same form factor and getting better-tuned cameras at the end of it.

In a way, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 makes for a better holistic choice, the Xiaomi Mix Flip is the more prudent option that even excels in areas that matter more to flip phone users.

Check out our full review for more details.

Note: The Xiaomi Mix Flip retails for S$1,499 in the 12GB+512GB configuration. It is available in Black or Purple at Xiaomi Authorised Stores around Singapore or on Lazada or Shopee.

References: