Review of Samsung Foldable Phones Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5

This year, the Korean giant introduced a new generation of foldable phones to the market, including the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5. In the following lines, we’ll go through the features and drawbacks of these releases.

Design and Display of Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 phone has been developed with the design characteristics of the company’s previous phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. However, Samsung supports the new version with some upgrades in design. The most prominent among these improvements is the disappearance of the gap between the screen when folding the phone, where the phone is folded completely straight.

Samsung also provides in this version a feature of Gorilla Victus 2 glass protection layer, making the phone characterized by a strong design. With the gap disappearing, the design appears slimmer than the previous Samsung version.

The phone weighs 253 grams, slightly less than the Z Fold 4 phone, and the Z Fold 5 features dimensions of 154.9 by 129.9 by 6.1mm when the screen is open.

The dimensions of the phone when folded are 154.9 by 67.1 by 13.4mm. The Gorilla Victus 2 glass layer comes in the cover screen, back panel, and also the inner screen. It also comes with IPX8 standards, so the phone supports water resistance, although it does not support dust resistance.

The internal screen in this version features “Dynamic AMOLED” technology with a size of 7.6 inches, a display resolution of 2176 by 1812 pixels, and an aspect ratio of 4:3. The screen also supports a 120Hz refresh rate similar to Fold 4.

The screen in the Z Fold 5 phone also supports a higher brightness ratio of 1750 nit compared to 1000 nit brightness in the previous version. Also, there appears to be slight wrinkling in the screen in the new version, especially on the black screen.

The selfie camera embedded under the screen in the Z Fold 5 comes with a resolution of 4 megapixels, which is significantly concealed at the bottom of the screen.

On the other hand, the phone features a “Dynamic AMOLED” screen with a size of 6.2 inches in the outer cover, featuring a display resolution of 2316 by 904 pixels and an aspect ratio of 23.1:9. The screen also supports a 120Hz refresh rate.

In terms of audio, Samsung provides speakers on the top and bottom left side of the phone, while the bottom part also comes with a USB-C 3.2 port of the first generation, and the phone supports fast charging technology with a capacity of 25W.

Moreover, the phone comes with a SIM card slot on the left side of the phone frame, while the right side features the volume control button and the main power button, which also supports fingerprint sensing.

Software

Samsung is renowned for its strong and distinctive design with top-quality in the company’s releases of the Z Fold series, and the case is no different with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which comes with the Android 13 operating system and One UI 5.1.1 interface, offering the highest performance in software.

The phone supports various modes in screen deployment to support users in various tasks, such as using the phone as a tablet device or a drawing board, and with the Dex mode, the phone can function as an integrated computer with an external screen.

Samsung also supports users in executing actions smoothly in applications on either of the two screens. You can choose to mirror the content of the external screen on the internal one or vice versa. However, Samsung does not offer the option to run different applications between the external and internal screens, a feature also unavailable in Google’s Pixel Fold version.

Although applications automatically transition and switch between the external and internal screens, Samsung provides an option to pin certain apps in advance without disappearing from the external cover screen.

Additionally, the phone’s interface supports running up to 3 applications, with a fourth application in a pop-up window that can support video playback, an experience that may not be preferred by many users. On the other hand, apps can be pinned to the taskbar for quicker access.

The external cover screen supports running two applications in both horizontal and vertical modes, with support for playing videos in a pop-up window. The taskbar can assist the user in switching between applications smoothly.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 phone also comes with a feature to support the “S Pen Fold” stylus, which features a slim design resembling the stylus of the Galaxy S23 Ultra phone.

Performance

Samsung supports the Galaxy Z Fold 5 phone with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage capacity, and the Korean giant offers more choices in storage capacity between 512 GB and 1 terabyte.

The Fold 5 also comes with an upgrade in the processor to the Galaxy model of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which was introduced for the first time in the Galaxy S23 series.

Practical experience confirms the ultra-fast performance of the Z Fold 5 phone, as it supports launching applications quickly, with good multitasking support and smooth app switching.

In Geekbench 6 performance tests, the phone managed to score 2058 points in single-core tests and 5477 points in multi-core tests.

The phone also offers excellent performance in multimedia playback and gaming, delivering great performance with medium settings in gaming at 60 frames per second.

Battery and Charging

Samsung supports this version with a 4400 mAh battery capacity, and the phone supports fast charging technology with a capacity of 25W, and wireless charging with a capacity of 15W, which is the same charging capacity provided in Fold 4.

In practical battery capacity testing, while streaming HD video content at the highest brightness level via Wi-Fi on the distinctive 7.6-inch internal screen, the phone was able to last up to 11 hours and 20 minutes, providing an excellent battery life.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 features a distinctive rear camera setup, including a 12-megapixel sensor with ultra-wide viewing angles of 123 degrees and an f/2.2 lens aperture.

It also includes a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with an f/2.4 lens aperture, supporting optical zoom up to 3 times, while the main sensor comes with a 50-megapixel resolution and an f/1.8 lens aperture. The main sensor supports a pixel binning feature to output 12-megapixel photos with more detailed details along with optical stabilization.

Additionally, the rear camera can support 8K video recording at 30 frames per second, which is a slight upgrade from the company’s previous version.

The first selfie camera on the external cover screen features a 10-megapixel resolution with an f/2.2 lens aperture in a screen punch-hole, while the selfie camera on the internal screen features a 4-megapixel resolution with a design under the screen and an f/1.8 lens aperture.

The selfie camera on the external cover screen also supports 4K video recording at 60 frames per second, while the other selfie camera supports 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second. The camera under the screen is not the optimal choice for capturing photos or recording videos in general.

On the other hand, the main camera performs excellently in low-light conditions, while it is preferable to use the external cover screen camera for selfies, as the internal phone camera does not provide good performance.

Do You Need to Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5?

Samsung offers the Galaxy Z Fold 5 with excellent design and highest manufacturing quality. The phone also comes with clear improvements in software and performance with efficient multitasking. Additionally, the phone includes a better-quality display, with a design that supports seamless folding without a gap.

The phone also features higher standards in water resistance with a more durable design thanks to the Gorilla Victus 2 glass layer. Moreover, the phone comes with stronger performance due to the processor that supports multimedia and gaming.

On the other hand, the phone offers acceptable performance in photography and video recording, although the distinctive selfie camera with a design under the screen with a resolution of 4 megapixels does not provide good performance. Additionally, the fast charging technology does not come with improvements in this version.

Galaxy Z Flip 5

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with a stunning design and configurations among the competitive foldable phones in the market.

Design and Display

The Korean giant made a clear change in the design and configurations of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 compared to the previous version, as this version supports flat folding of the screen without showing a gap between the screens when folded.

The phone also supports IPX8 standards for water resistance and features dimensions of 165.1 by 71.9 by 6.9 mm when the screen is open, and when folded, the phone supports dimensions of 85.1 by 71.9 by 15.1 mm, while the phone weighs 187 grams.

This version comes with an aluminum frame, and Samsung supports the phone with a larger 3.4-inch external Super AMOLED screen with a display resolution of 720 by 748 pixels with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The external screen is one of the prominent improvements introduced by Samsung in this version, as the screen can be highly customized, allowing users to add themes, and widgets, and run various third-party apps. Moreover, the screen features excellent interactive performance.

You can also receive notifications on the external screen, with quick access to communication tools, weather status, stock market updates, activate the maps app, or play YouTube videos.

On the other hand, the phone comes with an internal Dynamic AMOLED screen with a size of 6.7 inches, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and a brightness of 1750 nits. The screen also features a display resolution of 1080 by 2640 pixels.

The screen supports stereo sound for a unique experience in multimedia playback, video streaming, and music listening. Additionally, the phone supports various screen modes for watching videos, taking selfies, or splitting the screen through Flex mode.

The phone also supports Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, and comes with a USB-C port for charging. The fingerprint sensor technology is integrated into the phone’s side frame, and the phone supports Samsung Pay.

Battery and Charging

Samsung has improved the battery capacity in this version to 3700 mAh. Additionally, this version also supports fast charging technology with a capacity of 25W, wireless charging with a capacity of 15W, and reverse charging of 4.5W. However, Samsung does not provide the charging unit in the box.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 supports two rear cameras, including a 12-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 lens aperture, featuring autofocus, dual-pixel autofocus, and optical stabilization.

The second sensor also comes with a 12-megapixel resolution with an ultra-wide angle and an f/2.2 lens aperture. The camera supports HDR and panoramic shooting for landscapes.

In video recording, the camera supports 4K video recording at 60 or 30 frames per second and 1080p video recording at 60 or 240 frames per second.

Additionally, the phone comes with a 10-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.2 lens aperture, which supports 4K video recording at 30 frames per second.

Performance

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which enhances the phone’s performance compared to the company’s previous version.

The phone also launches with the One UI 5.1.1 interface based on the Android 13 operating system. The software supports customizing the external screen on the phone for better performance. Additionally, the internal screen supports multitasking and split-screen mode with higher efficiency and a smooth and fast experience.

Do You Need to Buy the Galaxy Z Flip 5?

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 phone comes with many welcomed improvements in design and configurations, including an external screen that supports extensive customization with a larger size and support for running apps and receiving notifications.

This version also includes a larger battery capacity and comes with improvements in the main camera compared to the previous version. This, along with the unique design of a flat-screen closure without a dividing gap when folded, makes this version a good choice for upgrading and obtaining these improvements.

Samsung has once again excelled with the new company releases of foldable phones GALAXY Z FOLD 5 and GALAXY Z FLIP 5, which combine strong high-quality design with performance improvements, and software.