A radiating antenna element intended to be used in small-sized radio devices, and a radio device having an antenna element according to the invention. The antenna element is part of the covers of a radio device. The antenna element may be conductive throughout, or it may comprise a dielectric portion and a conductive portion, which constitute a single integral component. The radiating portion of the antenna element is relatively large, e.g. in a foldable phone (20) the antenna element (200) may comprise the whole cover of a foldable part (21) except for the front side. The radiating element is advantageously fed electromagnetically through a feed element. As the radiating element is relatively large and is located on the outer surface of the device, the radiation characteristics of the antenna are good, and the space required by the antenna inside the device is relatively small.