Technologies
Best Flip Phone of 2024
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 is our top choice, but Motorola and Oppo also launched worthwhile flip phones in 2024.
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Flip phones were everywhere in the early 2000s, and they’re coming back in a big way thanks to companies like Samsung, Motorola and Oppo.
Modern flip phones have been around for a few years, but they took a leap forward in 2024. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus gained larger screens than their predecessors, making them more useful when closed. Oppo’s Find N3 Flip has an additional camera among other improvements.
While expensive and generally more fragile than standard phones, flip phones provide some benefits you can’t get with regular devices. They fit more easily in your pocket and are more manageable to use with one hand when closed. You can also prop them up by folding them halfway, which makes it possible to take a photo or view the screen without having to hold the device. They also have a distinct design that makes them stand out from other smartphones.
However, if you don’t care about those factors, you should consider one of the cheaper, nonfoldable devices listed in our best phones guide. If you’re considering buying a flip phone in 2024, here are your best options.
What is the best flip phone for most people?
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is CNET’s top flip phone pick for 2024. It was a close call between Samsung’s new flip phone and the similarly priced Motorola Razr Plus. But Samsung’s design feels more sturdy, the camera takes more colorful photos and the company provides Android version updates for a longer period of time compared to Motorola, making it our favorite choice. Samsung also has a history of rolling out new features to its phones over time through updates to its One UI software, giving it another advantage.
Best flip phones of 2024
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the biggest leap forward Samsung’s flip phone has seen in years. Samsung has significantly expanded the size of the cover screen located on the outside of the device, meaning you can look up directions, take photos and send messages without opening the phone. It’s this, combined with the Z Flip’s solid battery life and sturdy design, that makes it a top pick.
The Z Flip 5 may be our favorite flip phone, but there are still some drawbacks to be aware of. At $1,000, it’s still expensive for a phone without a telephoto camera. And not all apps work natively on the front screen as they do on the Motorola Razr Plus. Read our Galaxy Z Flip 5 review.
Pros:
- Big cover screen is fun to use
- New hinge eliminates the gap when closed
- Solid battery life
- More storage in base model
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not all apps work on the cover screen natively
- Apps don’t transition from main screen to cover screen
- Minimal camera updates
Best compact flip phone
Motorola Razr Plus
The Motorola Razr Plus raised the bar for what a flip phone should be in 2023. Its 3.6-inch cover screen allows you to use almost any app without opening the phone, plus battery life is long enough to get you through a busy day. It’s also thinner than the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which could make it the ideal choice for those who prioritize portability in a phone.
While I recommend the Galaxy Z Flip 5 as the best flip phone overall, the Razr Plus is worth considering if you prefer a thinner design and want to use more apps on the phone’s front screen without much extra fuss. The Razr Plus felt more fragile than the Z Flip 5 during my testing, but it’s certainly thinner, making it a great choice for those who care about compactness above all else. Read our Motorola Razr Plus review.
Pros:
- Large, useful cover screen
- Crease is barely visible
- Thin design
- Good battery life
- Fun photography features like photo previews
Cons:
- Not as many Android updates as Samsung
- Flex View feels limited
- Front screen gathers fingerprint smudges easily
- $1,000 is still expensive
Best flip phone with a telephoto camera
Oppo Find N3 Flip
Oppo’s Find N3 Flip phone is unique for two reasons: It has a telephoto camera and a vertical cover screen, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus. That could make the Find N3 Flip an ideal choice for those who want closer zoom shots, although this phone also shines for its fast performance, stylish design and speedy charging. The crease on the interior screen is also impressively subtle. That said, there are some downsides to be aware of. The Find N3 Flip lacks wireless charging, and you’ll only be able to buy it in certain markets, which doesn’t include the US. Read our review of the Find N3 Flip.
Pros:
- Cover screen supports Google Calendar, Gmail and other third-party apps
- Addition of a telephoto lens
- Improved durability IPX4 rating
Cons:
- Obvious branding
- Raised edges of cover screen
- No wireless charging
Here’s a sampling of apps you can use on the cover screen of the Find N3 Flip.
Best foldable for budget buyers
Motorola Razr 2023
The Motorola Razr 2023 is the most affordable, widely released foldable phone with a $700 price tag, notably below the $1,000 prices of clamshell foldables like the Razr Plus and Samsung Galaxy Flip 5. Motorola made some obvious compromises for affordability, like losing its competitors’ full-front screen for a small 1.5-inch thumbnail-size external display.
Less obvious are more painful shortfalls: three years of Android OS updates and 128GB of nonexpandable storage (you’ll have to rely on cloud storage if you go over). If you can stomach those compromises, the Razr 2023 is a great phone with a svelte design, large 6.9-inch internal display and sharp 64-megapixel main camera (the less said about its other ultrawide lens, the better). It’s a phone that suits a specific niche: Folks who want to try out foldables for a few years, but don’t want to shell out a lot of money if they’re still iffy on whether this «flexible display» thing will take off.
Pros:
- Solid and svelte build quality
- Great main camera
- Fun foldable functionality
- Good price
Cons:
- 128GB onboard storage is limited
- Outer screen is very small
- 3 years of OS updates is less than competitors
How to buy a new phone
Know what you care about most: Is it screen size? Camera quality? Battery life? This will help narrow down your choices. If you’re interested in a foldable phone, design and screen size should be more important to you than camera quality
Don’t discount the midrange: Features of last year’s flagships always trickle down to this year’s midrange handsets.You can get a great phone that does almost everything that a premium phone can do for a fraction of the price. Google’s Pixel 7 Pro packs a great zoom camera, but the base Pixel 7 has most of the same key specs and comes at a more reasonable price. But if you’re trying to save a few bucks, you shouldn’t be considering a flip phone. Devices like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus are priced like high-end premium phones, although Motorola plans to release a cheaper Razr this year.
Shop the sales: Look for deep discounts and promo deals around major holidays, especially Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday. And find out what your grace period is in case you need a quick return or exchange.
Last year’s phones: They can often be a great deal, too. Wait for this year’s launch to get last year’s phone for less, when stores and carriers may be trying to offload their existing stock. However, keep in mind you’ll miss out on the spacious cover screens found on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Razr Plus by going for last year’s models.
Hold the phone in hand at a store first: You may love or hate the way it looks and feels in person. This is especially important for flip phones and other foldable devices, particularly if it’s your first time using one.
Check if you’re already invested: Have you already bought a lot of iPhone apps and iTunes movies? Stick with an iPhone if you still want access to them. Likewise, if you’ve invested in loads of Android apps, you’ll want to stay on that side of the fence. Otherwise, it’s simple enough to switch platforms. However, those interested in flip phones only have Android devices to choose from for now.
Buy a case and screen protector: You’ll protect your phone from costly damage, and will increase the phone’s resale or trade-in value for when you’re ready to move on.
The right time to buy a new phone
Knowing when to upgrade your phone largely depends on the age and condition of your current device as well as your budget. But it’s also a good idea to plan your upgrades in accordance with when new models are launching, if possible. After all, you might not want to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a week before the Galaxy Z Flip 6 launches.
Samsung is also rumored to be working on a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip model that could cost around $400 to $500. That’s according to a leak posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, by an account with the handle @Tech_Reve. T.M. Roh, the president and head of Samsung’s mobile experience division, told CNET in July that offering a foldable phone for less than $1,000 is still a major challenge.
«And given the materials cost today … it is probably not going to be easy for us to offer a less than $1,000 foldable in the very near future,» Roh said. «But we will keep trying.»
However, if there is a cheaper foldable phone in the works at Samsung, it could debut alongside the company’s pricier models. Samsung also tends to launch cheaper A-series and FE-series phones separately from its flagship phones, though.
Most companies typically release new products around the same time every year, although launch cycles aren’t always annual. Here’s when Samsung, Motorola and Oppo launched their flip phones in 2023, which could provide a hint at when they may launch future models in 2024 and beyond.
Flip phone launches in 2023
| Phone | Release month |
|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 | August (general availability) |
| Motorola Razr Plus | June |
| Motorola Razr | October |
| Oppo Find N3 Flip | October (global launch) |
How we test phones
We test every phone in real-world scenarios, focusing on its features, design, performance, cameras, battery life and overall value. We document our findings in an initial review that is periodically updated when there are new software updates, or to compare it against new phones from competitors such as Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus. Below is our methodology for testing smartphones in general, which also applies to flip phones.
Photography
Photography is a major focus for most phones these days, so we take pictures and videos of various subjects in a variety of settings and lighting scenarios. We try out any new camera modes, such as Action mode that debuted with the iPhone 14 line, or the Unblur photo tool that launched with the Google Pixel 7 series.
Battery life
Battery testing is conducted in a variety of ways. We assess how long a phone lasts during a typical day of use and note how it performs during more focused sessions of video calls, media streaming and gaming. We also conduct a video playback test, as a simple, replicable measure of pure battery life, which isn’t always included in the initial review but sometimes added later in an update.
Performance measuring
We use benchmarking apps to measure each phone’s performance, alongside our own anecdotal experiences using the phone for our review. Of note are how graphics and animations look. Are they smooth? Or do they lag or stutter? We also look at how quickly the phone switches between horizontal and vertical orientations, and how fast the camera app opens and is ready to take a photo.
We perform processor-heavy tasks like editing photos, exporting videos and playing games. We evaluate whether a newer version of a particular phone includes enough features to make it worth upgrading from older models.
Read more: How we test phones
Flip phone FAQs
Technologies
This Massive AT&T Data Breach Settlement Could Pay $5K to Some: Find Out if You’re Eligible
Claims will open later in the summer for the settlement AT&T is paying to resolve two major data breaches.
It’s a tough time for AT&T — especially with the recent conference call troubles for Donald Trump — but their struggles could be your gain thanks to the $177 million settlement it’s agreed to pay to customers that fell victim to data breaches in 2019 and 2024.
On Friday, June 20, US District Judge Ada Brown granted preliminary approval to the terms of a proposed settlement from AT&T that would resolve two lawsuits related to the data breaches. The current settlement would see AT&T pay $177 million to customers adversely affected by at least one of the two data breaches.
The settlement will prioritize larger payments to customers who suffered damages that are «fairly traceable» to the data leaks. It will also provide bigger payments to those affected by the larger of the two leaks, which began in 2019. While the company is working toward a settlement, it has continued to deny that it was «responsible for these criminal acts.»
For all the details we have about the settlement right now, keep reading, and for more info about other recent settlements, find out how to claim Apple’s Siri privacy settlement and see if you’re eligible for 23andMe’s privacy breach settlement.
What happened with these AT&T data breaches?
AT&T confirmed the two data breaches last year, announcing an investigation into the first in March before confirming it in May and confirming the second in July.
The first of the confirmed breaches began in 2019. The company revealed that about 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former account holders had their data exposed to hackers, including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The company began investigating the situation last year after it reported that customer data had appeared on the dark web.
The second breach began in April of 2024, when a hacker broke into AT&T cloud storage provider Snowflake and accessed 2022 call and text records for almost all of the company’s US customers, about 109 million in all. The company stressed that no names were attached to the stolen data. Two individuals were arrested in connection with the breach.
Both of these incidents sparked a wave of class action lawsuits alleging corporate neglect on the part of AT&T in failing to sufficiently protect its customers.
Who is eligible to file a claim for the AT&T data breach settlement?
As of now, we know that the settlement will pay out to any current or former AT&T customer whose data was accessed in one of these data breaches, with higher payments reserved for those who can provide documented proof that they suffered damages directly resulting from their data being stolen.
If you’re eligible, you should receive a notice about it, either by email or a physical letter in the mail, sometime in the coming months. The company expects that the claims process will begin on Aug. 4, 2025.
How much will the AT&T data breach payments be?
You’ll have to «reasonably» prove damages caused by these data breaches to be eligible for the highest and most prioritized payouts. For the 2019 breach, those claimants can receive up to $5,000. For the Snowflake breach in 2024, the max payout will be $2,500. It’s not clear at this time how the company might be handling customers who’ve been affected by both breaches.
AT&T will focus on making those payments first, and whatever’s left of the $177 million settlement total will be disbursed to anyone whose data was accessed, even without proof of damages. Because these payouts depend on how many people get the higher amounts first, we can’t say definitively how much they will be.
When could I get paid from the AT&T data breach settlement?
AT&T expects that payments will start to go out sometime in early 2026. Exact dates aren’t available but the recent court order approving the settlement lists a notification schedule of Aug. 4, to Oct. 17, 2025.
The deadline for submitting a claim is currently set at Nov. 18, 2025. The final approval of the settlement needs to be given at a Dec. 3, 2025, court hearing for payments to begin.
Stay tuned to this piece in the coming months to get all the new details as they emerge.
For more money help, check out CNET’s daily tariff price impact tracker.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, July 12
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 12.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s one of those long Saturday puzzles, and a few clues are tricky. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Havana’s home
Answer: CUBA
5A clue: Last word in many bowling alley names
Answer: LANES
6A clue: Lots and lots
Answer: SOMUCH
7A clue: Left-leaning social media site
Answer: BLUESKY
8A clue: Hepburn of «Breakfast at Tiffany’s»
Answer: AUDREY
9A clue: Word after «break» or «banana»
Answer: BREAD
10A clue: Car loan figs.
Answer: APRS
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: They always shoot their shot
Answer: CAMERAS
2D clue: Brand-new
Answer: UNUSED
3D clue: Woman with «the good hair,» in a famous Beyoncé lyric
Answer: BECKY
4D clue: In need of moisturizer
Answer: ASHY
5D clue: «We can’t hear you back here!»
Answer: LOUDER
6D clue: Drink noisily
Answer: SLURP
7D clue: ___ ghanouj
Answer: BABA
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 12, #292
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 12, No. 292
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those classic purple categories, where you probably won’t figure it out before you’ve answered all the others. Need help? Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Show Me State.
Green group hint: Old Line State.
Blue group hint: Gridiron greats.
Purple group hint: Names begins with a certain creature.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Missouri teams.
Green group: Maryland teams.
Blue group: Hall of Fame football coaches.
Purple group: Sports people or terms starting with an animal.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is Missouri teams. The four answers are Blues, Cardinals, Chiefs and Royals.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Maryland teams. The four answers are Maryland, Navy, Orioles and Ravens.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Hall of Fame football coaches. The four answers are Levy, Madden, Noll, and Shula.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is sports people or terms starting with an animal. The four answers are batter, Catchings, Cowherd and dogleg.
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