Whether you are looking to save money, reduce distractions, or simply are indulging a bit of nostalgia, it seems that flip phones are catching back on in 2022.

And manufacturers have noticed as well…

This means that if you’re looking to sport a flip phone, you’re no longer left looking for used phones on eBay or dealing with cheap-feeling, budget-friendly prepaids.

In this roundup, we’re going to take a look at the best flip phones of 2022.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3

Best Compact Smart Flip Phone, Best Smart Flip Phone for Most Users

Samsung's latest phone release offers a modern take on the flip phone experience. It's addressed most of the shortcomings of previous releases, but the battery and camera life left reviewers wanting. Overall, the price is likely to be the biggest factor for many buyers.

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What's good  

  • A modern flip phone
  • Water-resistant
  • Same price as other high-end smartphones
  • Bigger cover display

What's bad  

  • Disappointing camera
  • Slow charging
  • Poor battery life

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3

Best Big Screen Modern Flip Phone, Best Smart Flip Phone for Productivity, Best Smart Flip Phone for Students

If you don't mind the price, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers a taste of what could be the future of mobile technology. It's one of the first foldable phones reviewers seem to actually trust and the large display and S-Pen support give it huge potential for productivity and serious work.

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What's good  

  • S-pen support
  • Water-resistant
  • Unsurpassed multi-tasking

What's bad  

  • Still expensive
  • Bulky
  • Lackluster camera
  • S-pen not included

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Motorola Razr (2020)

Runner-up Smart Flip Phone Pick

The Razr was one of the classic names in flip phones of yesteryear. While we're not sure their modern take on smart flip phones will have quite the same staying power, it's a solid enough flip phone for those who don't require top-tier performance or the absolute best display technology available. If you're looking to avoid Samsung's Flip or Fold phones, the Razr is a solid runner-up option.

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Sonim XP3plus

Best Rugged Flip Phone

With a three-year warranty, an ultra-rugged design, a pocket-friendly form factor, and plenty of positive reviews, the XP3plus should cover all of your communication essentials if you're looking for a flip phone for use on outdoor adventures or busy worksites.

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Sonim XP3

Runner-up Rugged Flip Phone

While only available through Telus, the Sonim XP3 is an excellent option for anyone looking for a phone that can handle exploring the great outdoors or the bumping and banging of a busy worksite. It's not as feature-packed as the pricier XP3plus, but it's still more than enough for the essentials of staying in touch with family, friends, or coworkers.

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Easyfone Prime A1

Best Unlocked Flip Phone for Seniors & Kids

The included accessories and big, easy-to-see buttons make this flip phone an ideal choice for kids or seniors looking for a way to stay in touch without the complexity or cost of a modern smartphone.

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Why Choose a Flip Phone?

Sure,  smartphones have changed the world forever.

But does that mean the classic designs and limited features of older phone technologies are completely useless?

We don't think so.

In fact, we'd argue that flip phones (and their less bendy basic phone siblings) have several unique benefits you won't find on a smartphone.

If you're on the fence about choosing a flip phone, consider these 7 perks:

1. Battery Life

While some flip phones might lack a few of the features of a smartphone, they also lack a big HD display, a high-speed data connection constantly streaming in notifications and updates, and an endless array of internal sensors gathering information about your phone and how you use it.

This means that whether your phone is on standby in your pocket or bag or you're talking all day with friends and family, there's a good chance that a simple flip phone will last days if not weeks on a single charge.

We'd like to see the latest high-end Apple or Samsung phones pull that one off!

2. Price

While the flip phone prices vary depending on the model you choose, nearly every option on the market today comes in well below the price of even the cheapest mid-tier smartphone.

Of course, as smart flip phones continue to evolve, that will change a bit. But if you're looking for a basic phone with a flip design, there's always an option out there for 1/10th of the price of the latest top-tier smartphones.

Better still, most won't require lengthy contracts or financing agreements since you can probably afford to pay for them upfront.

3. Tactile Convenience

While touchscreens are great for reading, watching video, or using your phone like a computer, we'd argue that they're not that great for using your phone as a phone.

Physical dial pads, the ability to flip your phone open to answer a call, and flip it closed again to end a call, and other tactile ways of interacting with your phone simplify the process of using the phone.

4. Durability

Ask anyone you know old enough to have used the classic Nokia candybar phones of the 90s and 00s about how much they abused their phones.

Now think about how many smartphones you've replaced due to a shattered screen or had to gingerly handle due to a cracked backplate with sharp edges.

By design, flip phones and basic phones are simply more durable than smartphones because there is less to break, fewer delicate materials, and less weight when they come crashing down to the concrete.

Of course, if you're looking for something to withstand the elements, a dunk in the pool, or more rigorous abuse, you'll still want to look at ruggedized options. But for the typical perils of life on the go, a flip phone will survive things a smartphone won't.

5. Fewer Distractions

Think about the number of people you see walking down the street mindless staring at their phones. There's even a good chance you've committed some embarrassing blunder in public because you were peeking at your phone.

I know I have...

Flip phones reduce the potential of this happening by getting rid of that endless stream of notifications, social media posts, and attention-grabbing content. You can still keep up with all those things on your tablet or laptop. But when you're out and about, your phone allows you to stay more in the moment and less in the digital world.

6. Portability

Even the smaller smartphones today tend to sport 5+ inch displays. Some of the larger phones could be described as small tablets without much argument.

This means that slipping your phone in your pocket, holding it in your hand, and otherwise interacting with it is often something you always have to be very mindful of unless you want a smashed paperweight you paid hundreds of dollars for.

Flip phones, on the other hand, will fit in the pocket of about any pair of jeans, hide easily in the palm of your hand, a weigh next to nothing while you're using it. Even better, they're designed for one-handed use.

7. Privacy & Security

This benefit has a few facets. At the most basic level, if you're hammering out a text you don't want others seeing, the smaller display on a flip phone makes it much harder for people to snoop over your shoulder.

But at a software level, flip phones are much simpler than their smartphone counterparts. This means that they're inherently less prone to security concerns. There are also fewer sensors, apps, and services reporting in on your every move and how you use your phone.

This means that your phone is a communications tool again instead of a spy feeding marketers a bunch of information about you. It also provides malicious people fewer opportunities to compromise your phone or steal your information.

How We Picked

The picks in this buyer's guide are what we think are the best flip phones for most people.

We selected these models based on analysis of expert reviews from around the web, user feedback on sites like Amazon, forum comments on our site, social media discussions, and more.

We compared the things most people consider when purchasing a basic phone.

In short,  we did the research — so you don’t have to.

When answering the question, “What’s the best flip phone for the average user?”, we considered the following primary criteria:

 

A Strong Battery
A phone is only useful if it has a charge. While standby battery life is often better on basic phones, we wanted to make sure that you could get through a day or two without hunting for a charge.

 

Basic Features
Calling, texting, and picture messages felt like a great baseline for standard phone use. This also means that unless noted in the description, these picks won’t sit and vibrate or chime all day and distract you.

 

Easy to Find
While you can buy a smartphone just about anywhere these days, basic phones are getting harder to come by. For that reason, we chose picks that you can easily pick up online or that you might find at a local carrier store.

 

Solid Reviews
Let’s face it, most basic phones sit at the bottom end of the price scale. And when prices get that low, quality can get sketchy. We scoured online reviews for each of our picks to be sure that you won’t find weak hinges, dim screens, tinny speakers, or other surprises.