Foldables aren’t cheap – and why should they be? They’re a gimmick that relies on harder than normal to produce screens with an added point of failure, so they’re often relegated to the higher-end of smartphone offerings from companies like Samsung, Oppo, and Motorola. However, in Japan, a cheap folding phone is hitting the market soon for about $650 (63,000 yen).
The ZTE Libero Flip is a fairly attractive-looking flip phone running on Android, with the same hinging style as vertical flip phones, such as the Oppo Find N2 Flip and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
If the name ‘ZTE’ is ringing any bells, it’s probably because it’s quite an ambitious smartphone maker. In 2021, it developed an incredible under-display selfie camera. The company was also banned from supplying 5G technology to Australia back in 2018.
The Libero Flip is complete with a screen on the back, similar to these other phones so that it can be used for basic features when it’s folded. However, it’s a much smaller display and it’s circular – kind of like a smartwatch screen. On that ring, you can find two cameras – a 50MP lens for standard photos, and a 2MP one for depth. There’s also a 16MP selfie camera in the usual spot.
Internally, the phone isn’t breaking any ground on performance. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 7 chip, it has a 2790 x 1188 OLED panel, and it runs on 6GB RAM with 128GB of storage and a 4310mAh battery. It also only has a IP42 rating, so it’s not as dust or water-resistant as many other phones.
Specs aside though, $650 for a foldable is a brilliant price. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is currently sold locally for $1,649 (albeit with much better specs), while the Oppo Find N2 Flip is $1,499 and Motorola’z Razr Flip 40 is $999 (the cheapest smart foldable in Australia).
The phone launches on February 29, and gosh I wish it was coming to Australia. Maybe one day we’ll get another cheap folding phone – Samsung may be cooking something up.
For now though, here are all the foldable smartphones available in Australia.
Image: ZTE
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