Samsung Galaxy Z Flip rival suddenly sounds like a flip phone that I could afford

 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on blue background.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on blue background.

I love my job don't get me wrong, but unless you refresh this article 1000 times each, then I won't be able to afford a foldable phone. Well, that at least used to be the case, they are in fact getting cheaper with each passing year, and this might be the most affordable one yet.

The Nubia Flip 5G is launching on April 23rd, and while we don't yet have a UK price, the price tag is expected to clock in at $599 or regional equivalent. In GBP that's £472.69 to be precise. That figure (or something similar) would put it well below the price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and its £1049 launch. It's one of the best folding phones, but it's not cheap.

It's not like the Nubia (pictured below) is a shoddy bit of kit either. Sporting a similar clamshell design, with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display plus a 120hz refresh rate, it's pretty easy on the eye. I'm a fan too of its vinyl record-inspired exterior screen (even if it reminds me more of a porthole).

Nubia Flip 5G
Nubia Flip 5G

The camera also sounds like a real winner. Often something that foldable handsets struggle with, on paper there is no such problem with the Nubia. A 50MP wide lens, a 50MP telephoto lens and a 16MP selfie camera make for impressive reading. Especially when you compare it to Samsung's dual 12MP effort and 10 MP selfie camera.

Of course, some sacrifices have had to be made to bring the wow factor of a foldable to this price point. Under the hood, it sports a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, which is a perfectly capable set-up, but lags behind the Flip's 8 Gen 2 chip. But in all honesty, this phone isn't set up to be a top performer, its aim is to bring the wow factor of a foldable on a budget, and if that price proves true then it looks set to do just that.

You can pre-order the Nubia Flip 5G now, with it set to launch on April 23rd.