Foldable smartphones got off to a disastrous start. Samsung’s first effort notoriously broke in the hands of reviewers as they tried its bending screen out for the first time. A £1,900 price tag put off all but the most ardent fans.

Two years on and Samsung is back with a much more polished effort. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 takes inspiration from the clamshell phones of the early 2000s, combined with modern features and a powerful camera to compete with rivals such as Apple’s latest iPhone.

There are a few trade-offs to running with a folding phone, but the new Flip is now a realistic rival to other offerings. And at £969, it also comes at a more sensible price.

One of the main selling points is that modern phones have become boring, everyday tech and all look the same. Phones are no longer the cutting-edge gadgets that make people queue up for hours to get their hands on.

Samsung wants to convince you that the Flip offers something exciting and innovative, as well as giving users everything they need from a device.

Foldable smartphones are designed to combine the large screen with a device that can be easily tucked in a pocket. Many devices now have displays of close to seven inches, but a folding screen could cut them down to size.

These devices have struggled to hit the mainstream thus far. Samsung hopes to sell up to 7m this year, although this is just a fraction of its overall total.