Samsung’s latest foldable smartphones have arrived in the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, and they’re very iterative. Here’s what’s actually new and what you should care about in any capacity on Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 are basically identical in a lot of ways
Compared to their direct predecessors, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and especially the Galaxy Z Fold 5 haven’t changed all that much. They have the same design, the same cameras, and only minor upgrades to the specs, mainly in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but even that’s only a moderate jump from Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
New Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 specs
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 256 GB of storage at minimum (UFS 4.0)
- One UI 5.1.1 (Android 13) out of the box
That’s it…
It’s hard to get particularly excited about these devices when directly comparing to their predecessors. They just feel like another inch forward for Samsung, especially in a market that’s becoming all the more competitive. Still, if you’re on an older Samsung foldable looking to upgrade, or if you’re looking to buy one for the first time, there are many good things here.
The hinge makes for thinner foldables
The biggest physical upgrade Samsung has made on Fold 5 and Flip 5 is a new hinge that allows the two devices to close flat. That makes for a major improvement in their overall size, as there’s a noticeable cut to the thickness.
Notably, the Flip 5 is now roughly as thin as the Motorola Razr+. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 isn’t quite as thin as Google’s Pixel Fold, but it’s not a huge difference.
…but there’s still a gap
Unfortunately, this new hinge doesn’t completely solve all of Samsung’s problems. Both the Fold 5 and Flip 5 have a tiny gap when folded up. This is by no means a big deal – the separation might even be good for lessening damage from objects caught inside the folded screen. If you look closely, there’s undoubtedly still light coming through, and that’s not the case for much of Samsung’s competition.
The crease isn’t really any better either
Similarly, the new hinge doesn’t make any real difference. The display still has a visible canyon that you’ll also feel. The Fold 5 felt slightly better than Fold 4 in my brief hands-on, but we’re talking about tiny, tiny improvements at best.
This feels especially lazy as Samsung’s competitors have only broadened the gap in this particular area. Foldables from Oppo, Honor, and other Chinese brands have almost no crease, the Motorola Razr+ keeps it to a minimum, and even the noticeable valley on Google’s Pixel Fold is less intrusive. Samsung’s new hinge feels like a waste if it can’t address this very real issue.
Flip 5’s cover display is the major upgrade
This year’s one real, positive upgrade is to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 by way of a new outer display. It’s a drastic upgrade from the tiny, not-very-useful one outside of Galaxy Z Flip 3 and 4. The new outer screen can show much more content, has a full keyboard for replies, and can run full apps, albeit in a limited capacity. More to come on what that display can do…
Galaxy Z Flip 5 is glossy this time
On a fairly minor point, Samsung opted to make the Galaxy Z Flip 5 glossy across all colorways this year. The Fold 5 is still fully matte, but it’s interesting to see Samsung flip-flop yet again here. The original Flip was glossy, then the Flip 5G was matte, then the Flip 3 was glossy or matte depending on the variant, and finally, last year’s Flip 4 went matte across the board.
As a side note, I adore the new mint green color.
Samsung is launching Galaxy Z Flip 5 for $999 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 for $1,799, the same prices as the past two generations. Pre-orders are open now at Samsung.com and other retailers.
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