They say that measurement does not matter, however with the brand new Galaxy Z Flip 5, it appears Samsung would disagree, and truthfully, I’d too. With different clamshell foldables launching with ever-increasing cowl screens in 2023, it was time Samsung gave its Flip collection some like to sustain with the competitors.
The new Galaxy Z Flip 5 has in all probability seen probably the most change from Samsung’s newest lineup of gadgets, due to the massive exterior display that takes up a lot of the telephone’s cowl panel. The firm follows after the likes of Motorola and OPPO, giving customers extra methods to make use of their telephones with out truly opening their telephones.
Samsung has upgraded the Z Flip 5 in different methods, with a refined design and new chipset, however other than the improved cowl display expertise, the telephone appears kind of like a Galaxy Z Flip 4 Plus, if something. That’s not essentially a foul factor, because the upgrades it did make are pretty important, however I can not assist however really feel like Samsung may have accomplished extra with the Flip to make it extra aggressive in a market filling up with extra spectacular foldable telephones.
So, must you purchase the Galaxy Z Flip 5? Well, regardless of some reservations, I’m inclined to say it’s best to, and I’ll let you know why.
About this overview
I’ve been utilizing the Lavender colorway of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 since July 26, 2023, on the T-Mobile community in Seattle, Washington.
Since beginning the overview, there have been no updates to the software program. My overview Z Flip 5 was working Samsung One UI 5.1.1 (constructed on Android 13) with the July 2023 safety patch.
Samsung offered the Z Flip 5 overview unit to Android Central.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Price and availability
Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip 5 on July 26, 2023, after which it instantly turned accessible for preorder. Galaxy Z Flip 5 gross sales start on August 11.
The telephone begins at $999 unlocked for the bottom mannequin with 256GB of storage. It may be bought immediately from Samsung, by way of carriers, and at retailers akin to Amazon and Best Buy. There are additionally varied Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers that you could make the most of whereas preorders are nonetheless open.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is accessible in a number of totally different colorways, together with Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender. Availability might fluctuate between carriers, retailers, and areas. Additional colours may be bought solely by way of Samsung, together with Gray, Blue, Green, and Yellow.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Design
If you are accustomed to the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and even its predecessor, you then will not discover any drastic modifications to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 by way of its total design. Aside from the duvet panel that sports activities a relatively bigger show, the telephone retains its design modifications pretty minimal, which is not really a foul factor. I’m not an enormous fan of the boxy design and squared-off edges, however the Flip appears relatively stylish. I like the best way that mild bounces off the shiny aluminum body of my relatively pastel Lavender unit.
Despite the identical boxy design, the Z Flip 5 does have one profit over its predecessors; a brand new hinge. Thanks to Samsung lastly adopting a waterdrop-style hinge design that different OEMs have lengthy used, the corporate is lastly capable of make the Z Flip 5 shut kind of utterly flat and with out an ugly hole. This makes the telephone total thinner than its predecessor, and at 15.1mm, it is as skinny because the Motorola Razr Plus. This ought to make it simpler to keep away from getting mud and whatnot within the show, which might result in some costly repairs.
And regardless of the brand new hinge, Samsung was capable of retain Flex Mode, which helps you to maintain the telephone open at varied angles for video calls, selfies, watching movies, and extra. That stated, the downside is that the telephone takes a little bit of effort to get open with one hand, to the purpose that I generally discover myself dangerously flicking it open.
The Z Flip 5 is additionally fairly hefty at 189g. It’s protected by a relatively sturdy Armor Aluminum body and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so that you should not have to fret an excessive amount of about drops. I just lately had fairly the scare once I virtually actually flung the telephone off a desk and onto my residence’s exhausting ground. Thankfully, there are not any cracks or scratches, and I used to be solely left with the reminder that I ought to be utilizing a Galaxy Z Flip 5 case to guard this $1000 telephone.
Lastly, you will discover the same old bells and whistles across the body of the telephone. Volume rocker, energy button/fingerprint sensor, mics, USB-C port, speaker grille, and SIM tray. On the duvet panel, the one protrusion is the twin digicam sensors, which I’ll get to later.
Overall, the Z Flip 5 is a nice-looking telephone that can absolutely stand out. I can not let you know what number of occasions I’ve had folks come as much as me to ask about it.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Display and canopy display
Among the issues, Samsung stored the identical is the first show. Measuring at 6.7-inches, it is the identical measurement as its predecessor, with the identical 120Hz refresh fee and the identical Full HD+ decision. Nothing notably incorrect right here, as that is kind of par for the course in the case of lots of the finest Android telephones. It’s nearly as good of an OLED show as you’d count on from Samsung.
That stated, it will be good to see Samsung flirt with larger refresh charges just like the 165Hz panel on the Razr Plus and even the 144Hz panel on the cheaper Razr (2023), however I digress. It’s a pleasant show.
Part of what makes it good is the bump in peak brightness, which has been elevated to 1750 nits. While you will not really see this stage of brightness usually, the display is loads seen in varied environments, even open air. That stated, the PET display protector that comes pre-installed on the telephone is a bit reflective, which might make it troublesome to see in direct daylight, however more often than not, I’ve no downside viewing content material when out and about.
What I can not really communicate on is the PWM sensitivity that my colleague Nick Sutrich has been coping with. It’s not one thing that bothers me in any respect, however I perceive he is delicate to the sorts of show dimming Samsung makes use of, which he factors out in his Galaxy Z Fold 5 overview. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is probably utilizing the identical sort of dimming, so simply be cautious when you’re somebody who is delicate to that.
PWM sensitivity is not one thing I cope with, however it may possibly trigger issues for others.
With the brand new hinge design, I anticipated the show to characteristic a relatively minimal crease. Unfortunately, that is not really the case. The crease is very a lot current, each bodily and visually, and to a stage that surprises me fairly a bit. It’s needed to miss when wanting on the show, even when you’re viewing content material on it, as it may possibly barely warp what’s on the display. It does not damage the expertise however simply be ready.
As for the duvet display, which Samsung lovingly calls “Flex Window,” I discover myself at odds. On the one hand, it is nice that Samsung is lastly giving us a bigger and extra purposeful exterior show, and there is a lot to love about it. However, as I beforehand identified, the duvet display feels held again by Samsung’s software program, and for completely no purpose.
Samsung nonetheless focuses on the widget expertise, which is in all probability the very best a part of the duvet display. The widgets really feel contemporary, informative, they usually animate properly. There’s additionally a cool pinching gesture to see all of your accessible widgets directly. Customization choices are additionally fairly good, with varied cowl display house layouts to select from, in addition to totally different clock types for the always-on show.
The decision will not be as excessive as you will discover on different cowl screens, however it’s extremely brilliant, with a peak brightness of 1600 nits, so it is easy to see regardless of the relatively reflective glass panel over the show. You additionally get a full keyboard to answer messages, which is fairly helpful. And just like the Razr Plus, Samsung has a number of GameSnacks video games like Stack Bounce which might be enjoyable time-wasters.
However, the positives principally finish there, as Samsung’s software program limits or hides a lot of what you’ll be able to truly do on the show. For instance, Samsung limits the complete app expertise to only a few apps like YouTube, Google Messages, and Netflix, however you need to activate these in Samsung’s Labs (Settings > Advanced options).
However, if you’d like to have the ability to open almost some other app in your telephone, you need to undergo a separate course of with Good Lock, which requires extra steps than it ought to, solely to restrict the expertise nonetheless (cannot open Google Wallet) and place these apps in a separate widget from the opposite apps activated through Labs. It’s messy. And in all probability probably the most irritating factor about it is that you could’t activate the latest apps view to change between open apps. Swiping up from the duvet display notch solely closes/minimizes apps.
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Fortunately, when you lastly get issues up and working, the precise expertise of working apps on the bigger show is fairly good. Apps are pretty simple to navigate on the comparatively smaller display, which means you’ll be able to accomplish loads with out opening the telephone. It can be good if Samsung took that cool widget view and enabled that for precise apps, however I suppose that is asking for an excessive amount of.
I may go on, however the gist of it is that the duvet display expertise feels half-assed. The stuff that is good is nice, however the expertise is muddied by Samsung’s incapacity to commit. All the items are there; Samsung simply must put them collectively as a result of the duvet display has so a lot potential.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Specs and efficiency
Aside from the bigger cowl show, Samsung gave the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a brand new flagship processor. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a step up in comparison with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 present in different clamshell foldables launched this yr, though our testing did not reveal an enormous leap in efficiency. Still, that makes the Z Flip 5 presumably probably the most highly effective flip telephone in the marketplace proper now.
Samsung {couples} the chip with 8GB of RAM, which I’ve no issues with. The telephone handles duties and juggles apps with out difficulty or overheating. Even when enjoying graphically intensive video games like Honkai: Star Rail or Neverland on the highest settings, the telephone solely will get mildly heat, and it is normally confined to the highest half.
Aside from one second when the telephone randomly restarted itself, the telephone performs relatively admirably. No notes.
| Category | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x, LTPO (1-120Hz), 2640 x 1080 decision, 22:9 facet ratio, 1,750 nits peak brightness |
| Cover show | 3.4-inch AMOLED, 60Hz, 720 x 748, 306 ppi, 1600 nits peak brightness |
| Operating System | Android 13 (One UI 5.1.1) |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB or 512GB |
| Battery | 3,700mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired charging, 10-15W quick wi-fi charging 2.0, 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging |
| Weight | 187g |
| Dimensions (folded) | 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 in. |
| Dimensions (unfolded) | 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 in. |
| Protection | Armor Aluminum body, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (cowl show), PET display protector (interior show), IPX8 water and mud resistance |
| Colors | Mint, Graphite, Cream, Lavender |
| Samsung.com unique colours | Gray, Blue, Green, Yellow |
While there aren’t many inside modifications moreover the brand new chipset, I do admire that Samsung is bumping the bottom mannequin to 256GB as a substitute of holding it at 128GB. This means you get double the storage of final yr’s base mannequin for a similar worth. Since microSD card help is not really a factor on most flagship Android telephones, having extra storage is at all times a superb factor, particularly when you do not have to pay extra for it.
I’ll say that this is the primary Samsung telephone the place I truly really benefit from the audio expertise. The Z Flip 5 has twin stereo audio system with Dolby Atmos help, and usually I like to go away this characteristic off, however it’s a relatively good deal with for my ears when listening through the audio system or my earbuds. Even with the setting off, the Z Flip 5 nonetheless manages to sound fuller than what I’ve skilled on different Galaxy telephones.
In phrases of battery life and charging, the specs stay unchanged, which is unlucky. Depending in your use, the 3700mAh battery can perhaps get you thru many of the day on a single cost, however I discover that I can perhaps get to the top of a piece day earlier than the Z Flip 5 is on its final legs. I common about 5 hours of screen-on time at most, which is not nice.
Unfortunately, sub-par battery life is widespread for clamshell foldables since OEMs should squeeze two batteries between each halves of the telephone. Still, after seeing a 4200mAh battery get squeezed into the OPPO Find N2 Flip, I can not assist however really feel like Samsung may have given us a bit of extra juice to make up for the bigger cowl display that the telephone now has to account for.
Charging sits at 25W, which is not horrible by foldable requirements. I’m additionally happy with the 15W wi-fi charging and reverse wi-fi charging help, though I by no means use the latter.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Software
Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with One UI 5.1.1. To be sincere, when you’re accustomed to One UI 5 (and, by extension, One UI 5.1), you then will not be blown away by the brand new software program bump. In reality, I’ve been hard-pressed to really discover something value mentioning with the brand new software program, which appears to principally profit Samsung’s different gadgets just like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Tab S9.
Still, regardless of the hate I obtain from my colleagues (you already know who you’re), I truly really like One UI. I really feel that, for probably the most half, Samsung makes superb use of house and does a superb job of minimizing or condensing UI components, so they don’t seem to be taking over more room than they need to. It’s not good, and Samsung nonetheless bogs issues down by pushing its personal apps on you, however I really feel that Google can study loads from One UI, notably concerning foldables.
With the Z Flip 5, Samsung has a variety of prospers that make the most of the smaller foldable type issue. No, you will not discover a taskbar like on the Fold 5, however whenever you’re in an app and fold the machine midway, the app will shift as much as the highest half whereas the underside half opens to numerous choices for interacting with stated app. With the Flex Panel, you need to use the underside half as a touchpad to work together with the highest half, regulate quantity, change brightness, open split-screen mode, and extra. It can come in useful for issues like media and video calls, that are aided by the power to prop the telephone up by itself
With media apps like YouTube and YouTube Music, the underside half will open to a scrubber and varied media toggles like quick forwarding and rewinding. Dismissing the Flex Panel when watching a YouTube video will depart the video on the highest half when you can scroll by way of feedback and proposals on the underside. It’s little prospers like this that set clamshell foldables aside from the extra conventional telephone, and it is clear that Samsung has polished the expertise by way of its years of constructing foldables.
But past the little software program touches added with the newest model of One UI, Samsung retains its spectacular software program help. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 will obtain 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of safety updates, which is very good, even when Android 14 is already on the best way to take up a type of upgrades.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Cameras
The unlucky facet about clamshell foldables is that house is restricted, so digicam {hardware} tends to take a backseat. Thus, you will not discover probably the most spectacular set of cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, however then once more, that is not really the purpose.
Phones just like the Z Flip 5 are principally focused extra at youthful generations preferring to spend their time studying the newest TikTookay dance, and the cameras on this telephone are completely suited to that. The 12MP major sensor is able to 4K video at 60 fps, so your social media posts ought to come out wanting crisp, particularly since you need to use the telephone’s Flex Mode to set the telephone down and seize your video whereas previewing it on the massive exterior show (one other good thing about the elevated measurement).
| Cameras | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Rear Camera 1 | 12MP extensive, ƒ/1.8, 1.8μm, 83° FoV, OIS, Dual Pixel AF |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.2, 1.12μm, 123° FoV |
| Selfie Camera | 10MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.22μm, 85° FOV |
You may also maintain the telephone like a camcorder whereas it is bent in half, which supplies you a reasonably good grip when capturing pictures or movies. And when you can take some fairly first rate selfies and movies with the first sensors due to the duvet display, you may also activate the duvet display preview when capturing a picture of another person to allow them to better orient themselves for the proper image.
The specs of the Z Flip 5 cameras are an identical to final yr’s mannequin, however Samsung says the brand new chipset ought to allow better processing for enhanced low-light seize. In my expertise, the telephone’s cameras take completely enough pictures with sufficient element, colour, and dynamic vary that they will require little or no modifying earlier than throwing them up on Instagram.
Even the telephone’s shutter lag appears to have improved, which is one thing we observed with the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s digicam. The Flip does a good job of capturing a really energetic canine having fun with herself in a lake, whereas this may usually be tough for different Samsung telephones I’ve used, just like the Galaxy S22.
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Low-light seize is fairly first rate on each sensors, though the ultrawide digicam does not fairly impress me as a lot total. I’m additionally not blown away by the telephone’s zoom, however it’s additionally not horrible when you do not push it too far. Still, a telephoto digicam would’ve been good.
The Flip additionally takes first rate portrait pictures and does a superb job of separating the topic from the background.
Compared to the Motorola Razr Plus, pictures from the Galaxy Z Flip 5 are far more balanced. I really feel just like the Razr does a better job in low-light due to the bigger aperture, however the Flip can maintain its personal due to bigger pixels. In the daytime, nevertheless, pictures from the Razr are usually too brilliant, and colours get washed out, in contrast to the Flip.
Overall, you will not discover the very best pair of cameras on the Flip, which is unlucky given how a lot you are paying for the telephone. That stated, picture and video high quality is completely fantastic for what you get, and Samsung does a superb job of constructing the very best out of a restricted {hardware} state of affairs.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Competition
The Motorola Razr Plus is maybe the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s greatest competitors, notably within the United States. The telephone has almost an identical {hardware} however sports activities a bigger cowl display that provides a better app expertise out of the field. It additionally comes with larger refresh fee shows and even has a vegan leather-based possibility to interrupt up the monotony of glass.
That stated, the Razr Plus has a barely older and never as highly effective chipset, and its battery life is inferior to the Z Flip 5. Motorola additionally has a shoddy fame in the case of software program help, and help for the Razr Plus already cannot examine to Samsung’s software program promise. Imaging additionally is not fairly nearly as good on the Razr Plus, though low-light is fairly excellent.
Outside the United States, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has to take care of foldables from the likes of Huawei, OPPO, and even Vivo with the X Flip, all of which have fairly spectacular choices in areas like Europe and Asia. Not to say, Motorola additionally has a less expensive Razr accessible in different markets on the best way to the United States.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Should you purchase it?
You can buy this if…
- You want smaller flip-style foldable telephones.
- You like Samsung’s One UI software program.
- You’re coming from an older Galaxy Z Flip mannequin.
- You ceaselessly submit on social media apps like TikTookay and Instagram.
You should not purchase this if…
- You need the very best cameras you will get on a smartphone.
- You need multi-day battery life.
- You’re not but positive about foldable telephones.
- You’re not a fan of Samsung’s Android pores and skin.
Clamshell foldable telephones are all the fashion in 2023, and whereas Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip lineup has sat on the prime for years, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 feels prefer it’s enjoying catch-up. It does not assist that it launched later within the yr behind some fairly spectacular foldables from Motorola, OPPO, Vivo, and others, however Samsung tried to distinguish it by giving the Z Flip 5 a top-notch Snapdragon processor and a extra refined design.
Are the modifications really sufficient? For the typical client, in all probability. Aside from the helpful but confusingly applied cowl display, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is an awesome telephone that does a variety of issues properly and appears good doing them. And frankly, there is not sufficient competitors, no less than within the United States, to really get in Samsung’s approach.
For probably the most half, the Z Flip 5 is a pleasure to make use of, and I can not think about anybody being dissatisfied that they purchased this telephone. After all, Samsung has years of expertise beneath its belt, and whereas that could be extra noticeable on its bigger gadgets, generally it is the small particulars that make all of the distinction on a smaller telephone like this.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a step up from its predecessors, due to the massive cowl display that allows you to do far more with out even opening the telephone. From responding to textual content to taking selfies and even opening your favourite apps, the Z Flip 5 is virtually like having two telephones in a single.