5 simple reasons I’ll always pick a clamshell over book-style folding phone

This wasn’t always the case, but I’ll now take a clamshell foldable smartphone over a bulky book-style foldable smartphone in almost all situations.

Sure, there’s not an obvious practical purpose for clamshell foldables like there is for book-style foldables (carrying a pint-sized tablet around with you at all times can be useful), but over the past few years, I’ve come to prefer top-down design for several reasons, including the fact that it makes the phone easier to slide into my pocket, that I can prop up its display in several more useful ways, its subtle but still useful cover screen, and finally, simply just how cool it feels to snap this type of foldable shut.

1

Clamshell foldables are always cheaper

The Razr Ultra (2025) and Galaxy Z Fold 7 definitely aren’t what I’d call affordable, but their price tags aren’t crazy

If we’re looking strictly at their cost, clamshell foldables are always cheaper when it comes to the latest smartphone releases. For example, this year, Motorola’s top-tier Razr Ultra (512GB) costs $1,300, while Samsung’s well-reviewed Galaxy Z Flip 7 (256GB) is priced at just $1,100. These prices obviously aren’t cheap, but they’re also not in the same space as the expensive as the $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 7 or $1,700 OnePlus Open, the two most notable book-style foldables that are easily available in the US market.

This alone makes clamshell foldable far easier to recommend, especially when you consider that high-end standard smartphones often already push into this price range. If you’re bored with your slab-style phone, why not try something totally different, like a clamshell foldable?

Brand

Motorola

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite

Display

7-inch foldable OLED (165Hz, 2992 x 1224 pixel resolution), 4-inch external (165Hz, 1272 x 1080 pixel resolution)

RAM

16GB

The Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) is a solid all-around clamshell foldable thanks to its durable design, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and expansive cover display. 

2

Sliding a clamshell foldable into my pocket is so much easier

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 fits perfectly compared to the bulky iPhone 16 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro

It might sound a bit silly, but I appreciate how small clamshell foldables become when folded. It makes it so much easier to slide the smartphone into my pants or shorts pocket. Book-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (which I’ve been using for the past few weeks) also get smaller when folded, but they’re still a little taller than the average smartphone. That said, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is impressively thin at 0.4-inches (8.9mm) when folded, so it does feel far smaller in my pocket than past book-style foldables I’ve used.

Even if I’m just sliding the Razr Ultra (2025) in my satchel when I’m going out, I appreciate that it takes up less space compared to a standard smartphone or a book-style foldable. Sometimes, especially when it comes to smartphones, it’s subtle things like this that really pull together the experience a handset offers.

Brand

Samsung

SoC

Samsung Exynos 2500

Display

4.1-inch 120Hz 948 x 1048 Super AMOLED cover display, 6.9-inch 120Hz 2520 x 1080 Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display

RAM

12GB

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a solid upgrade from last year’s Flip 6, offering a refined cover screen, a thinner design, and a larger battery.

3

Quickly checking notifications on the cover screen is super useful

I set the Razr Ultra (2025) in tent mode on my desk for at-a-glance access

I didn’t expect it, but I love turning the Razr Ultra (2025) into a clock.

When I got my hands on the original Galaxy Z Flip (can you believe that was five years ago?), the tiny cover screen was so small it felt absolutely useless, but over the years it’s slowly become larger and I’ve grown to really appreciate the extra display because it helps me stay unplugged. I can quickly slide the foldable out of my pocket to check for an important notification, and then easily drop it back in, all without opening the phone and getting pulled to the siren call of social media.

You can do this with a book-style foldable, but it’s far easier to get drawn into the phone since the cover screen is larger and able to display more information. When it comes to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the cover screen feels pretty much exactly like a standard smartphone, making it that much easier to dive back into doomscrolling mind-melting TikTok videos.

I’ve started placing the Razr Ultra (2025) open on my desk in tent mode and either leaving the phone stationary or picking it up while closed to briefly to swipe through important notifications. It’s a simple but very useful feature I’ve come to enjoy that helps me stay on task throughout the work day.

4

Snapping clamshell foldables shut feels cool

I’m old enough to remember the flip phone’s glory days

There was just something so satisfying about snapping a classic flip phone shut that was entirely lost when slab-style smartphones became a thing. Now that clamshell foldables are here, that all-important snap is back. Of course, you can make the same closing motion with a horizontal foldable, but it just isn’t as satisfying as closing a smartphone like the Razr Ultra (2025) with one hand.

I often find myself absentmindedly opening and closing the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Razr Ultra (2025) because it just feels so good. Seriously, it might sound like I’m making a joke, but when I switch to using the Pixel 9 Proor iPhone 16 Pro, I really miss the satisfying snap of closing a clamshell foldable. It’s the type of thing you need to try to truly appreciate, but then, it’s difficult to go back.