There are two main types of foldable phones, clamshell phones and book-style ones. Clamshell designs harken back to the early days of flip phones — compact, square devices that flip open from bottom to top to reveal a traditional bar-style phone. It's a popular throwback design with advantages like a glanceable front screen that old flip phones of yesteryear did not include (aside from small monochrome ones on models from the early 2000s). By contrast, book-style phones are just that, opening from right to left like a book to reveal a larger, tablet-sized screen inside for more immersive viewing, interaction and productivity. One is not better than the other. It simply comes down to your specific needs.

While you'll find models of both types among the best foldable phones, you can see in form factor alone that they are markedly different. They're also designed for very different everyday needs. Clamshell phones are ideal if you want a compact device with glanceable information on an outer screen. By contrast, book-style foldables are best suited for those who want to view content on a larger screen, more like a potential tablet replacement.

Back in the day, having a flip phone was "cool," and it sort of is again. Unlike old models that only had a single screen inside, the latest versions have an outer screen where you can see pertinent information like incoming messages and calls, time and date, weather, calendar details, and with some models, even more apps. The benefit is being able to access what you need without having to open the phone.

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