The products on this list are based on extensive research and our own reviews. For each category, we carefully selected parameters based on our research and identified the best products.
The foldable phone space has become increasingly crowded in recent months with the Huawei Mate X3, Google Pixel Fold, Motorola RAZR and Oppo Find N2 Flip all competing for your wallet's attention.
For our money, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold remains the model to beat. While currently in its fifth iteration, we're nominating the Fold4 as our pick for best overall flip phone - it's extremely similar to its successor and is now considerably cheaper.
Like the rest of the Fold range, it delivers a premium experience as either a phone or a tablet. Expanding out into a tablet that's also S-Pen compatible is a genius move, although it is disappointing that it'll only work with newer S-Pen models. That's especially true given you don't get an S-Pen in the box of what is a pricey phone.
On the plus side, it irons out some of the more egregious issues that the Galaxy Z Fold3 had, upping both performance and battery life. If you want the best foldable phone available right now at a price that isn't too crazy, look no further.
In the 2023 Finder Retail Awards, we surveyed over 34,000 Australians about their retail purchases to discover which were their favourite brands across 170 product categories and over 1,200 total brands.
For mobile phones, Samsung was ranked 8th for value for money, 2nd for performance, 2nd for ease of use, 2nd for features and design and 8th for battery life.
16 brands were rated across these decision criteria.
The other side of the flip phone equation are "classic" flip phones that take their design cues from the 1990s. (i.e. - Where the screen only takes up the top half of the device.)
If you want a traditional flip phone there aren't a huge number of choices in Australia, especially when you disregard el cheapo brands you've never heard of. This leaves the Nokia 2660 Flip as arguably the best option on the market.
OK, it's not actually Nokia, because all the Nokia phones these days are made by a company called HMD Global who hold the licence for Nokia branded phones, but the Nokia 2660 Flip is a total throwback device to the time when Nokia was top dog in phones. (It even comes with Snake and a removable battery.)
It's a nicely simple phone with large dialling buttons and a smattering of apps on its S30+ platform. On the downside, it's a little pricey for what it offers, and it has a very ordinary camera, something we didn't really need a throwback to. It's also lacking in WiFi.
How do Australians rate Nokia's mobile phones?
63% of surveyed Australians recommend Nokia
3.8
Value for money
3.8
Overall
3.8
Performance
4
Ease of use
3.7
Features and design
3.9
Battery life
How Nokia compares
In the 2023 Finder Retail Awards, we surveyed over 34,000 Australians about their retail purchases to discover which were their favourite brands across 170 product categories and over 1,200 total brands.
For mobile phones, Nokia was ranked 16th for value for money, 14th for performance, 14th for ease of use, 13th for features and design and 11th for battery life.
16 brands were rated across these decision criteria.
Aspera sells itself as an "Australian" phone brand, and its speciality is low-cost mobiles with a strong focus on simple Android devices. It still has a sideline in feature phones, and particularly flip phones at affordable price points. With a street price under $100, the Aspera F42 isn't very fancy, but if you're primarily after a simple phone for actual calls and SMS messaging on a budget, it'll do the trick.
That low cost does bring with it compromises, including a surprisingly mediocre battery in our tests; classic flip phones could last weeks but the battery life of the Aspera F42 is just a couple of days. It at least won't take you too long to charge up. It's also one of only a handful of phones you can buy these days with a truly removable battery.
They say you should walk before you can run. After 5 iterations of its foldable Flip smartphone, Samsung has finally mastered the sprint. While previous Flip models suffered from durability issues, poor battery life and a lack of bespoke software, all of these issues have been ironed out with the Flip5.
It also boasts a decent camera, good durability and 5 eye-catching colour choices, although the 49 "bespoke" finishes you used to be able to get from the Samsung store have sadly been omitted from this version.
The compact size and style of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is absolutely the point of this particular handset, making it particularly well suited to small purses and pockets. Battery life remains low for a flagship phone, but it should still get you through a full day of average usage.
In the 2023 Finder Retail Awards, we surveyed over 34,000 Australians about their retail purchases to discover which were their favourite brands across 170 product categories and over 1,200 total brands.
For mobile phones, Samsung was ranked 8th for value for money, 2nd for performance, 2nd for ease of use, 2nd for features and design and 8th for battery life.
16 brands were rated across these decision criteria.
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Amazon prices last updated on 27 April, 2024 at 08:41 ameBay prices last updated on 26 April, 2024 at 09:25 pm
Methodology
12 Brands considered
20 Products compared
4 Best products chosen
Our editorial team compared flip phones from brands found in major supermarkets across Australia as well as online retailers.
We examined hundreds of customer reviews and ratings as well as expert reviews.
The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.
Why you can trust our picks
The author has been a tech journalist since the first emergence of flip phones in Australia back when feature phones were simply "mobile phones". Since that time we've seen the explosion of growth of true smartphones, and then more recently the re-emergence of the category by way of foldable smartphones. Through that time, I've reviewed almost all of them, and have decades of experience in testing, evaluating and recommending phones to consumers.
The reality of the flip phone market in this day and age is that while it is split between those premium foldable smartphones and the simpler old school flip phones, you're not going to find too many real choices in either category. For foldables, Samsung's done more than any other maker to push folding technology forward. Many other makers have shown off prototypes, and it's an interesting area to watch evolve, but it's still early, and somewhat expensive days in this field.
The reverse is true is for classic feature phones, but that's as much a factor of what most of the market buys right now. One area to be extra careful with when buying a flip feature phone online is to ensure that it'll work on Australian networks properly. You should ideally get a phone with full 4G compatibility, as Australia's 2G networks are long dead, and the clock is ticking on the lifespan of 3G networks as well.
For this guide we've considered the limited range of available models and matched them to specific consumer criteria, while keeping in mind that the buyer of a premium foldable most likely wants very different features to somebody who just wants a simple calling device that will fold up into a pocket or purse.
Aspera
Big
Nokia
Banggood
Samsung
Kisa
Opel
Telstra
Motorola
Huawei
Kyocera
Uniwa
Why you can trust Finder Shopping best guides
We're knowledgeable
Our editorial team has decades of experience testing and comparing products. We only use experienced journalists with proven track records.
We're comprehensive
We assess hundreds of products for each guide to ensure you're getting a full overview of the market. All guides are regularly reviewed and fact-checked.
We don't cut corners
Selections are based on our own research, comparisons and testing. We do not use automation software or AI. Every best guide follows a stringent methodology.
A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.
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