Flip phones were once the rage, and if you happen to have been shopping for a new phone sometime around 2005, there is a good chance you either had or dreamed of having a Motorola RAZR. It is impossible to argue against the popularity of the RAZR around 2005, but you may be surprised to learn that some people are still buying and using flip phones in 2021.
We aren’t going to say that basic flip phones are common in 2021, it is just that they never completely went away. In fact, they can be a great way to stay connected with minimal distraction and minimal cost. For example, you can get a flip phone for $69 and service with unlimited talk and text for $19 per month from Community Phone.
We’ll cover a few basic flip phones here in this post, but we’ll also be looking at a newer category — foldables. For those not familiar with the term, a foldable is what you get when you merge a smartphone and a flip phone. Or depending on the model, what you get when you merge a smartphone and a tablet.
How much do foldable smartphones cost?
Foldable phones are still on the pricey side, with retail prices ranging from $999 to $1999. But despite the high retail prices, they provide a nice throwback to the original Mototora RAZR. To that point, Motorola has reintroduced the RAZR brand. The new Motorola RAZR (2020) was released in February 2020, and the follow-up model, the Motorola RAZR (5G) was released in September 2020.
The Motorola RAZR (2020) launched with a retail price of $1499.99, though that price has dropped a little and the foldable can now be found for around $999.99. The RAZR (5G) launched with a retail price of $1399.99, and can now be found for around $1199.99.
Of course, prices for newish models are much lower. Current prices for the RAZR (2020) and RAZR (5G) can be found below.
Motorola RAZR (2020) (released in February 2020)
Motorola RAZR (5G) (released in September 2020)
The RAZR flip phone was the phone to have around 2005. The original RAZR folded in half, so it was small and easily pocketable when closed. And when open, it had a solid display (for the time) and a solid numeric keypad (again, for the time). The Motorola RAZR also just looked really cool. Then, in 2007, the iPhone came along, and the masses began dreaming of smartphones.
Smartphones have grown in size over the years, and we’ve reached the point where your smartphone may not easily fit in your pocket. This is where the one style of foldable comes in. Similar to how the original RAZR was easily pocketable when folded — a modern foldable smartphone is easily pocketable when folded. It then unfolds to reveal a larger (smartphone-sized) display.
There may be a bit of nostalgia surrounding the RAZR brand, but you will also find several foldable smartphones from Samsung. And, Samsung not only has the style that folds in half making a small pocketable phone that opens to a regular smartphone-sized phone, but they have the style that turns your smartphone-sized phone into a tablet when unfolded.
The Samsung Fold line is the model that is smartphone-sized that opens to tablet size, and the Samsung Flip line is the model that is easily pocketable that opens to regular smartphone size.
The original Galaxy Fold, which was released in September 2019, arrived with a retail price that was just shy of $2000. The follow-up model, the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G has a current (as of February 2021) retail price of $1999.99.
Samsung Galaxy Fold (released in September 2019)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (released in September 2020)
Samsung also has the Galaxy Z Flip lineup, which currently consists of two models, a 4G LTE model and a 5G compatible model. The Z Flip lineup is cheaper as compared to the Fold lineup, but you are still looking at retail prices well above the $1000 mark. The Galaxy Z Flip retail pricing starts at $1299.99 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G retail pricing starts at $1199.99.
Prices will come down in time, but due to the current prices, foldable smartphones are likely still considered a luxury item by many. And, as we noted with the Motorola RAZR foldables, you can save quite a bit of money if you buy a newish Samsung foldable.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (released in February 2020)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G (released in August 2020)
There is also a third, somewhat less common style of foldable, which is what Microsoft introduced with the Surface Duo. The Surface Duo is a clamshell-style device that folds in half.
Microsoft Surface Duo (released in September 2020)
Which flip phone should I buy in 2021?
Many of the non-smart flip phones share similar features and specs, which you’ll see with the CoolPad Snap and Alcatel Go Flip models outlined below. When choosing which flip phone to buy in 2021, the decision will come down to the carrier you plan to use the phone with, and your budget. That said, prices for these flip phones vary from carrier to carrier, with some carriers offering monthly payment options, and some carriers offering one-time payments. Community Phone, for example, has the CoolPad Snap and the Alcatel Go Flip priced at $69.
CoolPad Snap
The CoolPad Snap goes back to the basics and will keep you connected through voice calls and text messaging. The Snap runs on a simplified version of Android based on Android O AOSP, so you can expect some other features such as being able to set calendar appointments and reminders. Otherwise, the hardware features include a 2.8-inch touchscreen display on the inside, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot for expansion, a 1390 mAh battery that promises up to 6 hours of talk time, and a 2MP camera.
Alcatel Go Flip
Similar to the CoolPad Snap, the Alcatel Go Flip is a basic style flip phone that shines at handling voice calls and sending and receiving text messages. The CoolPad Snap runs an operating system called KaiOS, and features include a 2.8-inch QVGA display with 1GB of available internal storage, a microSD card slot for expansion, WiFi, Bluetooth, microUSB for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 2MP camera, and a 1350 mAh battery that will allow for up to 8 hours of talk time.
We can appreciate the appeal for basic flip phones here on Swappa, however, we do not currently allow non-smartphones to be listed for sale in the marketplace. If you are in the market for a non-smart flip phone and low-priced monthly service, we recommend checking out our friends at Community Phone.
If you are looking for a modern flip phone, also known as a foldable, you can use any of the widgets in this post, or tap the green button below to begin your search in the Swappa marketplace.
Smartphones improve from generation to generation, with each newer model adding more features and arriving with better build quality. For this reason, we currently recommend looking towards Samsung for your foldable needs wishes. The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is the model to choose if you want a pocketable phone that opens to a full-sized smartphone, and the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G is the model to choose if you want a smartphone-sized foldable that opens to a tablet.