Samsung is now on its fifth generation of foldable smartphones, with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 being the culmination of the Fold series. But, on paper and in person, the Fold 5 feels basically unchanged despite its still-high price tag.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5, like its predecessor, has a 7.6-inch display on the inside with a narrow 6.2-inch outer display. It has a Snapdragon chip and 12GB of RAM with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage and Android 13 with One UI 5.1.1 out of the box.
There’s also a 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, and 10MP telephoto camera, with a 10MP selfie camera on the front display and a 4MP under-display camera on the inside. It’s all powered by a 4,400 mAh battery with 25W wired charging and support for Qi wireless charging too.
So what’s new?
Firstly, there’s the chip. Galaxy Z Fold 5 is now powered by the same overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that first showed up in Galaxy S23. That also brings UFS 4.0 storage along with it. The inner display is also now much brighter at 1,750 nits.
The big difference is in the hinge, which is now using a design that allows the phone to fold flat with (almost) no gap. It results in a drastically thinner device (just over 13mm), but it doesn’t eliminate the display crease. The weight is also down to 253 grams.
Samsung is also bringing a new lineup of accessories, including a new, very slim S Pen case.
There are new colors too:
- Icy Blue
- Cream
- Phantom Black
Those replace the beige, black, and “green” colors from last year, and Samsung.com will also offer exclusive gray and blue options.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5, both on paper and in person, is effectively the same phone as the Fold 4 before it, which in itself was an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 3. That doesn’t make the Fold 5 a bad device, but as the competition heats up, Samsung’s decision to coast yet again doesn’t really sit very nicely, especially considering the price is unchanged – weren’t foldables supposed to be getting cheaper over time?
Samsung has pre-orders open now for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 with some pretty solid offers.
You’ll get a free storage upgrade with your pre-order, giving you the 512GB model for the same price as the 256GB option, and Samsung.com is also offering up to $1,000 in trade-in credit. You’ll also get up to $540 in further discounts when building with Galaxy Tab S9 and Watch 6, and there’s a 30% discount on Samsung Care+.
Fold 5 ships on August 11.
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