The best foldable phones to buy in late October 2026

Apple’s first foldable went on sale on 23 October, and the first reports of failing inner screens followed within days. Apple told 9to5Mac it’s aware and that only a “small number” of units are affected, according to Ars Technica and GSMArena’s coverage. That’s a awkward start for a phone that costs more than most laptops, and it’s a good moment to look at what else you can buy.

This guide covers book-style foldables only: phones that open into a small tablet. Flip phones are a different purchase, and I’ll touch on them once near the end. Five models are worth your attention right now.

The specs that matter on a foldable

Start with the inner screen shape. Apple and Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 both use a 7.6-inch, 4:3 “passport” panel, which is wider and shorter than the 8-inch inner screens on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The 4:3 shape suits reading, spreadsheets and split-screen work. The taller shape suits video and feels closer to a normal phone when closed.

Weight is the second thing. These phones range from 201 g to 254 g, and a 50 g gap is easy to feel in a jacket pocket after an hour. For reference, the iPhone 18 Pro Max weighs 249 g, so the heaviest foldable here is heavier than the heaviest slab iPhone.

Battery capacity varies more than on regular phones, because the thin hinge and two panels leave less room for cells. Silicon-carbon batteries, now used by Samsung and Honor, pack more capacity into the same space, which is why the numbers have crept up this year.

Then come the things a spec sheet hides. Look for an IP68 rating (dust and water), a telephoto lens (several foldables skip one to save thickness), and the length of the software-update promise. Also check the base storage: 256 GB is the entry tier on almost all of them, including the iPhone Duo, which TechRadar called out as stingy at its price.

The five foldables worth considering

Apple iPhone Duo

The Duo is the newest and the most expensive. It has a 7.6-inch, 120 Hz inner OLED, a 5.4-inch outer screen, an A20 Pro chip with 12 GB of RAM, and two 48 MP rear cameras. There’s no telephoto lens; Apple offers a 2x optical-quality crop instead. It carries IP68, a titanium frame, Touch ID in the side button, and is eSIM only.

Charging is quicker than Apple usually manages, at 60 W wired and 25 W MagSafe. Today’s iOS 27.2 update adds Apple Pencil (USB-C) support on the Duo, per GSMArena’s report on the release. Siri AI, though, was not available in the EU at launch, because of Apple’s dispute with the European Commission over the Digital Markets App (a point reported by Trending Topics). Check the current status before paying for it.

Reviews are split. TechRadar called it the foldable Apple fans were waiting for, while Ars Technica’s reviewer respected it but wasn’t sure he liked it. Then there’s the hinge problem. Ars reports that some inner screens are already being damaged, and Apple’s public answer so far has been to acknowledge it without offering much beyond a basic tip.

On cost, Coolblue notes you’d pay about €850 more for a Duo than for an iPhone 18 Pro. TechRadar’s counter-argument is that a phone and a small tablet in your bag is a different experience from a phone plus an iPad mini, and that’s fair. It’s still a lot of money for a first-generation hinge.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

This is Samsung’s first passport-shaped Fold, and it’s the lightest Fold yet. The inner screen is 7.6 inches and the cover screen is a wider 5.5 inches. It runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with One UI 9 (Android 17) and a seven-year update promise.

The trade-offs are real. There’s no telephoto lens, the cameras are a 50 MP main and a 50 MP ultrawide, and there’s no S Pen support or Flex Mode. Charging is 45 W wired and 20 W wireless.

GSMArena’s lab data is encouraging for durability: its free-fall test rated the phone Class A (210 falls), and the EU energy label lists 49:10 hours of endurance and 1,200 charge cycles. Its own active-use battery test came in at 13:59 hours. Repairability is Class C, which is typical for the category.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The Ultra is the taller, narrower successor to the Fold 7. Its inner screen is 8 inches and it unfolds to 4.1 mm. It adds a 200 MP main camera and a 10 MP 3x telephoto, and it keeps Flex Mode. It runs the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy as the standard Fold 8, with up to 16 GB of RAM.

If you shoot a lot of photos and want a foldable that doesn’t make you give up zoom, this is the Samsung to look at. If you don’t, the standard Fold 8 costs $200 less at launch pricing.

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold

Google raised the price by $100 this year, to $1,899 for 256 GB, but every storage tier now comes with 16 GB of RAM. The phone has an 8-inch inner screen, a 6.5-inch outer screen, a Tensor G6 built on a 2 nm process and IP68 protection. Updates run for seven years.

The camera setup is a 48 MP main, a 10.8 MP 5x telephoto and a 10.5 MP ultrawide, so it’s the only phone here with a long optical zoom. Charging is slower than Samsung or Honor at 30 W wired and 25 W wireless (Qi 2.2 Pixelsnap). Battery capacity is listed as 4,806 mAh by GSMArena and 4,750 mAh by Android Central, so the sources disagree slightly; the chart below uses GSMArena’s figure.

One software caveat: Android Authority reports that some Pixel phones have been missing alarms, and Google says it’s investigating. It’s not specific to the Fold, but you’d want to know before it’s your only phone.

Honor Magic V6

The Magic V6 has the biggest battery of any book-style foldable on sale, at 6,660 mAh, with 80 W wired and 66 W wireless charging. Honor also claims it’s the first foldable with both IP68 and IP69 ratings. The inner screen is 7.95 inches, the outer is 6.52 inches, and it runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

In Europe it’s sold in one configuration only, 16 GB/512 GB, at an RRP of €2,299.90. Honor ran a €600 launch coupon through the end of July, which has ended. Honor doesn’t sell it officially in North America, so US buyers are looking at grey imports.

Comparison table

Phone	Starting price	Battery (mAh)	Weight (g)	Folded thickness (mm)
Apple iPhone Duo	€2,299 (Germany)	4,883	254	11.3
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8	$1,899	4,800	201	9.7
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra	$2,099	5,000	215	8.9
Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold	$1,899	4,806	239	10.1
Honor Magic V6	€2,299.90 (RRP)	6,660	219	8.8

I couldn’t confirm official euro prices for the Samsung and Google models from manufacturer pages, so those are US launch prices. Currencies are shown as listed and haven’t been converted. Pre-launch leaks pointed to €1,999 for the Fold 8 and €2,199 for the Ultra in the EU, but treat those as unconfirmed.

Battery capacity of five book-style foldables

The battery gap is the most decision-relevant number on the table. Honor’s cell is about 1,700 mAh larger than the next phone, and it also charges at 80 W.

Best for…

Best for most people: Galaxy Z Fold 8. It’s the lightest, it has the strongest durability data I found, and Samsung’s discounts are real; as of 15 October the 256 GB model was $1,699.99 at Samsung and Best Buy. The missing telephoto is the main thing you give up.

Best for photos: Pixel 11 Pro Fold or Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The Pixel gives you a 5x telephoto and 16 GB of RAM on every tier. The Ultra gives you a 200 MP main and a 3x telephoto, plus Flex Mode for tabletop shooting.

Best for battery life: Honor Magic V6. Nothing else here comes close on capacity or charging speed, and it’s only 219 g. The catch is availability and the €2,299.90 RRP outside promotions.

Best for iPhone owners: iPhone Duo, with caution. The software is the draw, with Split View on iPhone and Pencil support after iOS 27.2. The weight, the 11.3 mm folded thickness and the screen reports all argue for waiting.

Best on a tighter budget: there’s no cheap book-style foldable, but there are cheaper ones. The discounted Fold 8 is the easiest route. Honor’s older Magic V5 was listed by GSMArena at about €1,300 for the same 16/512 GB configuration, though that price was quoted in July, so check it. If you’d settle for a flip, Android Central picks the 2026 Motorola Razr as its budget choice, with a 4,800 mAh battery and an IP48 rating, and a retailer widget on its page showed $799.99.

Buy now or wait

I didn’t find a credible rumour of a replacement for any of these five, so there’s no confirmed successor to hold out for. The usual advice to wait for next year’s model applies loosely: Samsung and Google both launched this summer, Apple only this month.

Prices are unlikely to fall quickly either. PhoneArena points to rising memory costs that have already pushed up prices across several manufacturers’ lineups. Carrier and retailer promotions are the more realistic source of savings; Android Central’s page showed the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at $1,689 at Mint Mobile.

The Duo is the one phone where waiting has a concrete reason. If Apple’s “small number” of screen failures turns out to be a few dozen or a few thousand, that will be clear in a month or two. Buying a first-generation hinge in its first week is a gamble, whatever the logo.

What this means for you

If you want one recommendation: buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 while it’s discounted from $1,899 and take a trade-in offer if you have an old phone.
If you take lots of zoomed photos: choose the Pixel 11 Pro Fold for the 5x lens or the Fold 8 Ultra for the 3x. Skip the Duo and the standard Fold 8; neither has a telephoto.
If you travel or never want to hunt for a charger: look at the Honor Magic V6 if you live in Europe or the UK. Check the current price first, because the launch coupon is gone.
If you’re an iPhone user itching for a Duo: hold off for several weeks. Watch for Apple’s repair or replacement terms, and check whether Siri AI works in your country.
Before any purchase: pick 512 GB only if you actually need it. Storage upgrades on the Duo cost €250 for the first step, and the Duo’s 256 GB base is the same as Samsung’s.