Flip phones are making a resurgence

Since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, smartphones with one big rectangular touchscreen have dominated the cell phone market.

But flip phones are making a comeback – especially among the youth. According to data reported by ZDNet, online searches for flip phones among Gen Z and younger Millennials increased 15,369% from November 2022–November 2023.

Driving the trend… Experts point to nostalgia, a desire to escape content overload, and that satisfying feeling you get from flipping the phone shut to hang up a call. But a big part of this trend is also being driven by novelty, aka companies leaning into producing retro-style flip-phones and foldable smartphones (which are lumped together data-wise).

• Samsung introduced its first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, in 2019. In August 2023, the company unveiled its most up-to-date model, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, alongside a new flip version, the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
• Motorola released an updated version of its Razr flip phone last year.
• Google also unveiled its new Pixel Fold smartphone last year.

Plus, more big-name smartphone companies are channeling the sixth man in basketball – currently sitting on the sideline, but about to enter the game. The biggest example? Apple, which is rumored to be working on its own foldable iPhone for 2026.

👀 Looking ahead: The latest data from IDC pegs worldwide shipments of flip and foldable phones in 2023 at 21.4 million units, a more than 50% increase from the year before. By 2027, that figure is expected to reach 48.1 million units.