Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a big advance on the Z Flip 4 with a big cover display , ameliorate execution and a gapless fold , but with increase competition in 2023 , it ’s not quite as tempt an option as it once was .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
As a 5th - genesis foldable from Samsung , the Galaxy Z Flip 5 should deliver the utter grapple experience – but while it ’s a significant improvement on the Flip 4 , it does n’t quite do enough to compete with the increased challenger in 2023 .
Do n’t get me improper ; there ’s a caboodle to like about theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 . It ’s a much more tasteful folding , finally ditch that annoying disruption when close down , and it ’s easily the most powerful foldable with the custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset .
The job is that it has not blend in quite far enough to compete with othertop - goal foldablesin 2023 , like theMotorola Razr 40 UltraandOppo line up N2 Flip . Take the cover song presentation for example ; it ’s gone from a diddy 1.9 column inch to 3.4 inches , but it ’s limited compare to the competition .
It also has the same treble 12MP tv camera frame-up , the same 3,700mAh battery and the same 25W charging as its predecessor , which would ’ve been acceptable in early years , but not in 2023 – and at an increased £ 1049 in the UK . It ’s slightly rosier in the US , however , with the same $ 999 price tag as its predecessor .
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 closely resemble theZ Flip 4 , which in act resembled the Z Flip 3 , which … Okay , you get the point . The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is n’t a complete redesign of the flip phone ’s design , but there are a few famed differences on whirl this clock time around .
lease ’s start with the most obvious : no more nettlesome triangular gap when folded . That ’s possible thanks to an improved teardrop hinge system that provides a near crack - less sheepfold and aid boil down the kris on the inner display – but more about that in a bit . It make an immediate difference to the overall feel and palpate of the gimmick , truly elevating it to premium position .
It has just the right amount of resistance too , allow me to launch the headphone one - handed while still being rigid enough to remain half - folded without snapping into an opened or closed position .
The phone is more compact , appraise 15.1 millimeter when folded and 6.9 mm unfolded , though that ’s still a little low-set than even thethickest Candybar flagship . no matter , it ’s a preposterously compact size for a earphone that packs a large flagship - quality 6.7 - column inch display .
There ’s also a much tumid cover song panel at 3.4 in , but I ’ll get into that in more detail later .
The satin conclusion of the rearward panel has also been ditch , with the glossy rear of theZ Flip 3making a comeback on the new model . It sure feel nice and better complements the milled rim of the sound , but it does mean it ’s susceptible to slide off smooth surface .
The vividness selection , though still deviate with selection including Mint , Pink , and Cream , are much more mute this clock time . The mint candy model , which I was sent for review , is incredibly elusive , and the tint apply to the skeletal system is even more so . However , I believe it looks more agiotage and rectify than the Razr 40 Ultra ’s Viva Magenta destination .
rumor were swirling around in the lead of reveal that the Z Flip 5 could boast piss and debris electric resistance . Since debris is the number 1 enemy of foldables and their intricate hinge systems , it ’d undoubtedly be a game - changer . However , that ’s sadly not the font , with the Z Flip 5 sporting the same ( nonetheless impressive)IPX8water resistance as its predecessor .
The Z Flip 5 is also a reasonably environmentally friendly product – as far as phone go . It ’s partly made from credit card from recycled fishing nets , and the composition board boxwood that the Z Flip 5 comes in is 100 % reclaimable with 0 exclusive - use plastic , countenance you to toss away of the promotional material responsibly .
Screen
Design tweaks by , the main raw feature of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is its large external presentation . Measuring in at 3.4 inches and resembling an upside - down folder , it ’s just shy of the 3.6 - column inch choice from the Razr 40 Ultra . It ’s a massive improvement from the 1.9 in of the Z Flip 4 , deepen from a small display for notifications to something entirely more useful .
Of course , it ’s all about functionality , and the Z Flip 5 come prepared . Samsung has designed a bunch of cover filmdom widget ranging from weather to recent contacts , calendar , stocks , now playing and more , all accessible by swiping leave and powerful from the primary panel .
It ’s not just widgets though ; notification quick response support allow you to reply to incoming messages via the full QWERTY keyboard rapidly , you could resolve calls on speaker and even apply the display as a full - size camera viewfinder to allow your subjects to perfect their poses before you catch the instant .
The job is it does n’t go far enough in terms of package reinforcement . Take apps , for exercise ; you’re able to run a select few apps on the cover screen , include Messages , WhatsApp , Netflix and Google Maps , but even enabling that choice requires you to delve late into the phone ’s configurations carte .
It ’s severely fix compared to the Razr 40 Ultra and its ability to run any app you care on the cover display , put up access to medicine apps , smart dwelling house controls and anything else you ’d like without having to start the earpiece . That ’s not the casing here .
There are also minor issues with the natural covering showing software program , like the fact you ca n’t customise the quick setting toggle ( making the fact it does n’t let in DND even more galling ) , and you ca n’t get at Bluetooth or Wi - Fi configurations from the cover exhibit either .
It ’s an odd one , then ; while the computer hardware is strikingly similar to the Motorola Razr 40 , it ’s hamstring by frustrating software confinement that break it from providing the best experience possible .
start the impudent phone and you ’ll find a familiar 6.7 - inchDynamic AMOLED 2X displaywith an FHD+ ( 2640 x 1080 ) solution and a dynamical 120Hz refresh rate . It ’s just as bright , vivid and smooth as its predecessor , particularly obtrusive when look out HDR content from the like of Netflix . It ’s a gorgeous control board that ’ll answer you well whether you ’re scrolling through TikTok , playing games or engorge a series on Netflix .
Of of course , that was never the return with the Z Flip ; it was always the crease that permit the display experience down a bit . While the meliorate hinge mechanism has slim down the inner flexure of the Flip 5 , it ’s still noticeable when looking at the display off - angle , nor is it quite as shallow as options from Oppo and Motorola .
If there ’s one area where the Z Flip 5 excels , it ’s the smell of the plastic foldaway presentation . The foldable nature of elastic displays imply manufacturers ca n’t use standard glass , instead relying on a plastic finis to protect the internal display .
This can result in a comparatively soft , soppy flavor when knock and pilfer on the screen , but that ’s not the font with the Z Flip 5 . From the moment I started using it , I noticed how truehearted the display feel under my finger as I poked and swiped around . It ’s still not as upstanding as real crank , but it ’s a significant improvement over what I ’ve attend before .
Cameras
Unlike the cover display , the twinned camera frame-up has n’t had a real upgrade this class , sporting the same 12MP master and 12MP ultrawide lenses as the Z Flip 4 . Samsung claims that the primary lens is now less susceptible to lens flare , but aside from that , these are monovular detector and , as such , the image quality is very much in - line with that of the year - sometime foldable .
The primary 12MP snapper is capable of well - illuminate out-of-door scenarios , with batch of detail despite the lack of pixel - bin tech . The colours are vivid and vibrant , almost unnaturally so , though that ’s a stylemark of practically every Samsung phone – and they wait slap-up on the phone ’s AMOLED video display .
However , there is some body of work to be done with the phone ’s HDR processing , with an over - processed and shadow - hard tone on images with a particularly wide dynamic range .
Shots taken from the ultrawide sensor are just as tantalisingly vivid as those from the primary sensor , with a about indistinguishable coloring material pallette ensuring that color do n’t take issue wildly between the two Lens . The 123 - degree theater of operations of view is perfect for expansive jibe and lacks distortion sometimes present on ultrawide lenses .
It ’s a slenderly different story once light stage dangle , however . The basal sensor does an admirable job suckle in as much brightness as potential with its f/1.8 aperture . Still , without a gamey - resolution camera and bin available , images miss the level of particular found in daytime shots .
It ’s also behind what ’s acquire by the Razr 40 Ultra and it ’s 50MP f/1.5 primary lens in low light , with more detail and better lighting than Samsung ’s option .
The low-pitched - twinkle execution take a further downturn when it comes to the ultrawide detector and its f/2.2 aperture , with images calculate rather disconsolate and muddy , but that ’s relatively common among ultrawide sensor .
The selfie camera within the foldable showing has had a downgrade from 12MP to 10MP this yr . It ’s o.k. for video calls , but it lacks the detail and vivacious colours you ’ll find from the snappers on the palpebra of the gadget . However , I ’d reason that it ’s notthatimportant with the primary lenses readily uncommitted for selfies .
Video caps out at 4K@60fps with image stabilisation that can easily smooth out shakiness from walk and hold a photographic camera one - handed . It ’s great for capture those special present moment , though I have noticed it ’s more focused on horizontal stabilisation , with a slight jitter if I tear apart up or down as the phone fights against my movements and adjudicate to keep the view steady .
Quality aside , it ’s the foldable nature of the phone that makes it such a kickshaw to shoot on ; you’re able to fold the sound one-half candid and put it down on a flat control surface for a makeshift tripod , now with a full preview of the camera on the cover screen to help hone your pose . You ’ve also got gesture support to remotely spark the shutter once you ’re ready , and you’re able to entertain it like an old - school video photographic camera for recording stable video too .
Performance
If there ’s one thing I can confidently say about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 , it ’s that it ’s the most powerful flip phone around at the moment . That ’s because , like the flagshipGalaxy S23 serial , the Z Flip 5 sports Qualcomm ’s customSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipsetexclusive to Samsung devices .
Compared to theregular 8 Gen 2found on flagship like theOnePlus 11 , the Samsung - exclusive random variable boasts high central processing unit clock speeds and an extra GPU kernel to squeeze the most out of the chipset , and it ’s good to say that ’s evident in substantial - humanity use .
That ’s pair with 8 GB of dissolute LPDDR5X RAM and either 256- or 512 GB ofUFS 4.0 storage , with the 128 GB ledger entry - layer manakin from last year seemingly going the way of the Dodo . There is no microSD posting one-armed bandit , however , so verify you ’re getting the right amount of storage for your needs .
This sound is rapid in world-wide use , instantly loading apps , swiping through screen and pass powerfulness - intense AAA games like Genshin Impact without even a hint of stave . It does get warm over longsighted periods of play , which may make it less suitable to dedicated mobile gamers , but for most multitude , it should more than answer .
It ’s also a true bench mark beater , with chart - pinch solution in the CPU and GPU departments compared to other foldables and flagship smartphones . This level of power is much of a muchness right now , but it should allow the phone to abide at the top of its biz for the next few years .
Audio performance is also unexpectedly hard with a stereophonic setup that delivers comely spatial audio when watching Netflix on the speakers , and it ’s also plenty brassy despite its pocketable dimensions .
It ’s not enough to ditch your Bluetooth speaker or mellow - last headphones , but it ’s a serviceable option to mind to music while reading or cooking . You ’ve also gotDolby Atmos supportfor headphones that further better the immersion when using a pair of cans .
Software
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 runsAndroid 13with Samsung ’s OneUI 5.1 skin applied on top . It ’s not exactly what I ’d describe as farm animal Android – in fact , it ’s passably far from it – but the UI is generally well-to-do to use if you ’re familiar with the Android operating system .
My braggy hang - up with OneUI is the sheer figure of pre - put in Samsung - branded apps , with some replacing the Google equivalents that most of us are used to .
Google Assistant becomes Bixby , Google Wallet becomes Samsung Wallet , Google Chrome becomes Samsung Internet , and even Google Autofill has been swapped out with Samsung Pass . Most of these can be reverted to Google variance – except for Bixby , much to my chagrin – but it take a chip of prison term and effort . That ’s not to mention an only separate app storage for Samsung - branded app update .
A bunch of Microsoft apps come pre - installed , go on Samsung ’s long - time partnership with the PC brand , and features like Windows Link to personal computer are broil flat into the oculus sinister . That ’s corking if you ’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem , but for most Google drug user , it ’s just more bloatware that needs to be delete .
It ’s not all bad though ; there are also features undivided to Samsung gimmick like Modes and Routines . This acts similarly to Focus Modes on iOS , allow you to adjust specific modes for sleep , workplace , relaxing and more with dissimilar wallpaper , home base screen layout , notification place setting and more calculate on what you ’re doing .
There are also a clustering of Samsung - designed widgets , let in Smart Suggestions that utilise AI to provide cutoff to apps you ’re likely to use at that present moment in time . Of naturally , the phone also plays exceptionally well with any Samsung - brandmark add-on and product .
The good thing about the Z Flip 5 ’s software is that it ’ll keep improving , with Samsung committing to five years of bi - monthly security patch and four OS climb , the longest software support for any foldaway decent now .
Battery life
Battery life has never been a potent causa for Samsung ’s flip phones , with early generations struggling to last an total day without needing a cheeky top - up . I was hoping that would finally commute with the Z Flip 5 – the Oppo Find N2 Flip and Razr 40 Ultra can get to the end of the day with a mo of accusation to spare – but unluckily , I ’ve not found that to be the slip .
That ’s mainly because the Z Flip 5 sports the same relatively pocket-size 3700mAh stamp battery as its forerunner did , though with a much big external showing to power this clock time around .
With that enjoin , I ’ve made it to the end of the day with a little charge left in the armoured combat vehicle , but not that much – and I ’m not exactly what I ’d classify as a office user .
One day , I direct the phone off charge at 11 am , used it to snap a few photos , scroll on TikTok for a while , condition Instagram and send a few WhatsApps , and by 11 Prime Minister , I was down to 15 % . Overall , that equated to just 3 time of day of screen time .
It was n’t just a one - off either ; on another daytime , I hire the earpiece off care at 12 pm , used it through the sidereal day ( include an hour of Netflix and 30 minutes of gaming , again equalise to just over 3 hours of screen door time ) and by 11 pm , it was down to just 5 % .
That ’s backed up by benchmarks too , with an hr of Netflix playback run out 10 % assault and battery , while 30 minutes of light play saw an 8 % waste pipe . That said , the Z Flip 5 wo n’t be the foldaway to free you of your battery anxiety . If anything , it might make it unfit .
25W charging let for a ‘ tight ’ charging experience , though it ’s not on the nose flying by flagship smartphone standards , and you ’ll have to source it yourself with no brick in the box seat .
Granted , it achieved 50 % in 26 minutes and a full charge in 62 minutes in testing using a plain 30W charger I had handy , but that ’s still a little slow compare to even flagship smartphones .
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Should you buy it?
The custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is fabulously powerful , deliver some of the best benchmarks we ’ve look from any foldaway to date .
The dual 12MP lens are o.k. in well - get down term , but they do n’t quite halt up in down - luminosity scenarios – even compared to thebest foldablesin 2023 .
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a pregnant improvement on the Z Flip 4 , but unlike in previous year , Samsung now has to compete withfoldable optionsfrom other manufacturers – and that ’s where things are n’t quite as rosy .
For example , the new 3.4 - inch external panel , while much more useful than that of the Z Flip 4 , is somewhat restricted . While you may run specific apps like Messages and YouTube , theRazr 40 Ultraallows you to get at any app you wish for more in - deepness tasks , making Samsung ’s option take care less telling .
It also has the same dual 12MP television camera apparatus as its predecessor which , while performing just fine in well - lit condition , could be better when faint layer begin to drop . Again , this would n’t have been such an issue had the Razr 40 Ultra andOppo Find N2 Flipnot included much gamey - res camera with well carrying into action across the board .
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has some redeem qualities – the gapless nigh last completes the premium look , it boasts true flagship might from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset and one of the steadfast foldable display I ’ve used – but it finger like a minimum elbow grease in a year where Samsung had to put its best metrical foot forward .
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FAQs
Yes , with IPX8 water resistance , the Z Flip 5 should live a dip in up to 1 beat of H2O for up to 30 minutes , though water damage is n’t covered by Samsung ’s warranty .
It ’s reasonably tight at a uttermost of 25W , but you wo n’t get a charging brick in the box .
Samsung claims that the Z Flip 5 will get five years of bi - monthly security patches and 4 OS upgrades , establish it the most competitive in the foldable market .
Test Data
Full Specs
