While phones have become increasingly advanced, their design has also become more homogenized. Instead of various shapes and sizes, modern smartphones tend to be rectangles with a full-screen display and consistently placed buttons.
However, there are some devices out there trying to break the mold. One standout design is the dual-screen system, which different phones have tried out in different ways. Dual-screen phones are becoming more popular daily, so here are some of the best ones on the market.
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What Is a Dual Screen Phone?
A dual-screen phone is what it sounds like: a phone with two screens instead of one large one. This manifests itself in various mobile phone designs, including folding phones.
Some phones have the typical screen in the front and a screen on the back, doubling the display of real estate. These phones build on the existing design of standard smartphones while significantly increasing the features available for multitasking.
Another type of dual-screen phone is the hinged dual-screen phone. These phones unfold on a hinge to create a larger-than-average or non-typically-sized phone. Some of these phones fold down on a horizontal axis to shrink down, while others fold along a vertical axis and can get significantly more significant than other phones.
Dual-screen phones require specific and unique things from their operating systems and provide novel experiences for users. Some pick them up as gimmick phones, while others will find that they massively increase their productivity.
Of course, dual-screen phones can come with incredible specs, like an OLED or AMOLED cover display, high refresh rates, fash charging, rear cameras with competitive captures (10-15 mega-pixels), fast charging, and speedy Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LTE connectivity.
What Are the Best Dual Screen Phones?
Dual-screen phones show less variation in price and quality than other phones. Due to the hardware and software complexity, these phones tend to have a high-quality standard with a high price point.
However, they are still not created equal. Here are some of the different dual-screen phones on the market right now:
1. The Galaxy Z Fold 4
The
is an absolute monster of a phone, with a size of 7.6 inches on display. The phone can be unfolded along the vertical axis, making it approximately the size of two full phones attached.
Along with this comes a monster of a price point: $1,799. Samsung phones are expensive on their own, but none of the other premium phones within the Galaxy’s lineup come close to the price point that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has.
This large size does come with a lot of exciting features. Being a Samsung Galaxy phone, the Z Fold 4 is top of the line. Coming in as the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the device runs on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, one of the most advanced Android phone chipsets.
The phone has 12GB of RAM, up to a terabyte of storage, and is 5G compatible. There is a triple camera system on the back with a 50MP wide lens, 12 MP Ultra Wide lens, and a 10MP Tele 3x Optical Zoom lens. The camera system has up to 30x Space Zoom. The front camera is a 10MP selfie camera.
The large 4,400mAh battery means that you can get some solid charging time while the phone uses up a lot of power. The overall design of the phone is built around efficiency, and it uses its screen size to the fullest.
The size does open up one of the phone’s issues; it is very large and bulky, making it unwieldy at times. It is tough to find a case for it. The biggest issue is the price, which is double that of some other very respectable phones. This is the most impressive foldable phone out there, but it won’t be within the average person’s price range.
2. The Galaxy Z Flip 4
Taking things down a notch, we have the
. This is the sibling phone to the Z Fold 4, folding on a horizontal axis instead of a vertical one. Instead of increasing the phone's surface area, the folding feature here allows the phone to halve its screen length.
The standard screen is similar to typical smartphones with a hinge in the center. When you fold the phone down, half of the screen on the back becomes the primary display with essential information like text notifications and the time.
The phone is significantly less expensive than the Z Fold 4 due to being ostensibly half the size. At $999, it is one of the best premium phones you can get for under a thousand dollars.
It shares the same Snapdragon S+ Gen 1 as the Z Fold 4, which is a compelling phone for its size. Unfortunately, the 3,700mAh battery is much smaller which is not as energy efficient.
The Z Flip 4 has a simple dual camera system on the back with a 12 MP wide lens and a 12 MP ultrawide lens with up to 10x digital zoom. The selfie camera has a 10MP lens.
While the phone is much smaller than the Fold, it is still a sizable 6.7 inches in screen length. The unorthodox shape does mean cases are also challenging to acquire for it. It is an excellent phone, but a lot of the price can be attributed to its ability to fold and half, which means the $999 price tag is a tough ask.
3. The Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Instead of just being a personal phone, the
is marketed as a phone for businesses. The idea is that the dual-screen system will increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
Unlike the Samsung models that fold on a hinge, the Surface Duo 2 is structured more like a notepad. It functions as two separate devices that are connected via particular hinges.
The screens are 5.8 inches with a 1,892-by-1,344 resolution. The cost of the device comes out to $1,499, which, like the other devices on this list, is very steep. The Duo 2 is also extensive and not meant to be kept in your pocket at all times.
There is much more emphasis on multitasking with this phone as the screens act independently instead of in tandem. Unfortunately, the processing power is a bit lower as it runs on the Snapdragon 888 and the utility is more limited than the Samsung phones.
The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is a niche phone that is great for businesses but does not quite hit the mark as a cell phone. It is between the highly-priced Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the simpler Z Flip 4. It lacks the exciting design of the Samsung phones, but its unique thing is a testament to the flexibility of dual-screen phones.
Conclusion
Dual-screen phones are fascinating and still finding their place in the overall mobile phone industry. They allow multitasking and give you a lot of screens for your money. However, the success of these phones relies on the balance between using the dual-screen system as a gimmick and using it to enhance the user experience.
Dual-screen phones are also costly due to the increased hardware and software strain of having two different screens. That said, they are innovating the industry and transforming how we use our phones at a time when smartphone design has gotten stagnant.
While this list covers the best dual-screen phones, others are on the market. While Apple currently doesn’t offer these phones, brands like Motorola, Sony, ZTE, OnePlus, and Huawei have some exciting options. Some of these include:
- 4. LG V60 ThinQ Dual
- 5. LG Wing 5G
- 6. LG G8x ThinQ
- 7. Motorola Razr
Choosing the right phone for you is challenging when the options are so different. Use Navi to help you sort through your preferences and determine which phone is the right one for you. Navi understands the mobile industry, and they can help you decide which features are worthwhile and which ones are fluff.
You can use Navi to sort through your mobile phone wants and needs. We help you find the best options on the market. Use Navi today to choose the best possible dual-screen phone.
