It seems that 2023 really is the year of the foldable smartphone with segment seeing new entrants such as Google with its Pixel Fold and the return of Motorola with its ultra sleek Razr+. Now it's the turn of the incumbent king of foldables, Samsung, with its Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 being unveiled at its Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea. Both models launch with the latest flagship Snapdragon processor under the hood and there are improvements in virtually every department in what could be called an evolutionary rather than revolutionary release.
Galaxy Z Flip 5
First up is Samsung's clamshell design Galaxy X Flip 5 which, you'll be glad to hear if the issue was something that irked you, is now able to close shut without leaving a gap. That's good right? Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Flip 5's newly enlarged external display is a huge step up over its predecessor and worthy of upgrading. And, unlike some of its competitors, the phone benefits from IPX8 water resistance.
Besides being powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, the Flip 5 features 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a choice of 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. As you might expect nowadays, MicroSD support is not present.
The 3,700mAh battery supports 25W wired charging which is on the slow side and there's also support for 15W wireless charging. In short, nothing much has changed in the battery or charging department which, across most of Samsung's smartphones and tablets, remains in the comparative stone age.
Possibly the biggest change about the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the much more useful 3.78-inch Super AMOLED cover display which has a 720 x 748 resolution although Samsung skimped on the refresh rate which is just 60Hz. The internal display is a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X variety with 2640 x 1080 resolution, a 22:9 aspect ratio, and 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
The new Flex Hinge design means that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is 2mm thinner when closed than its predecessor, and thanks to the Flexcam function, images can be taken at any angle. The new hinge features a dual rail structure which diffuses external impacts.
The addition of Flex Mode to the now 3.78-inch cover display brings playback controls, content info, brightness controls as well as sports widgets for the phone, Quick Settings, timer, voice recording, Spotify, and other apps. You can even pinch to zoom in order to view multiple widgets in a grid formation. While we aren't sure how it compares to Motorola's implementation on the Razr+, it's a much-needed improvement over the Flip 4. Samsung is also making the Flex Mode API freely available to third-party app developers. One thing to note is that the ability to run any installed app on the cover screen is a feature that will roll out via Samsung's Good Lock app in an upcoming update.
The rear camera setup consists of a 12MP main lens with OIS and a F/1.8 aperture and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The cameras benefit from a new lens which Samsung says will reduce lens flare. Double pressing the power button launches the quick selfie function, and there are the usual options of portrait, video, and Pro mode available. The selfie camera is a 10MP sensor which is housed in a central cutout in the internal display although with the cover display actually being more useful you will get better results using the main cameras via the Flexcam feature.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 launches with Android 13 out of the box and is available in Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender from the usual retailers with Blue, Green, Grey, and Yellow exclusively on sale on Samsung.com.
Pricing goes as follows:
- 256GB: $999 /£1,049
- 512GB: $1,119 /£1,149
Galaxy Z Fold 5
Rather than being disappointed at the new foldables being evolutionary, one should look at the Galaxy Z Fold 5 as Samsung making the most of its experience in the segment. The Fold 5 is 2.44mm thinner and weighs 10g less than the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and thanks to the new Flex hinge there is no gap to be seen when the display is folded. Still, unless you desperately want to move on from last year's model and have cash to burn, it's difficult to recommend as a must-buy.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor which benefits from a 38% larger cooling vapor chamber. Accompanying the chip is 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a choice of 256/512GB/1TB of built-in UFS 4.0 storage.
The internal 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display packs a 2176 x 1812 resolution with a 21.6:18 aspect ratio, 1750 nits peak brightness, and a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate. You'll find a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display with a 23.1:19 aspect ratio which means it's still rather tall and narrow as opposed to what you'll find on the Pixel Fold or Find N2. While the external display also offers a 120Hz refresh rate it's minimum is 48Hz.
A 4MP Under Display Camera sits on the internal display, with a 10MP sensor on the cover screen and the rear panel sporting a 50MP main camera with OIS and Dual Pixel AF, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens with OIS and 3x optical zoom. Considering the cost of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, it's a shame that the cameras aren't on par with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. As with the Flip 5, the Flexcam feature is present which lets you take images while the display is extended, using the more capable rear cameras to shoot video or take selfies. The external panel can also be used as a viewfinder for the person you are taking a shot of.
Flex Mode is also present on the Fold 5 with an adjustable toolbar while the external panel gains an advanced taskbar which shows up to 4 recent apps to allow easier multitasking. Apps can be opened up as pop-ups which can then be converted into a multi-window. Up to 4 multi-window apps are allowed along with more popups.
The new S Pen Fold Edition has received a makeover and is now slimmer and more compact however you'll need to buy a case with a storage slot seeing as Samsung hasn't been able to find space to house it internally.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is already up for pre-order and you can get it from third-party retailers in Gray, Blue, Phantom Black, and Cream with the Icy Blue colorway exclusive to Samsung's online store.
Pricing goes as follows:
- 256GB: $1,799/£1,749
- 512GB: $1,919/£1,849
- 1TB: $2,009/£2,049
