Both styles have their perks.
By Christine Persaud Oct. 27, 2026 9:45 am EST Robert Way/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Google DiscoverThere 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.
