Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 can best be described as an reiterative upgrade . Sure , it fasten long - clock time issues with the Fold series by getting disembarrass of the gap and telling software support , but it ’s near - identical in most other country , making the £ 100/$150 monetary value hike a particularly hard contraceptive pill to withdraw .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Samsung ’s 2023 Word - mode foldable is finally here , and Samsung has opted for an iterative rising slope yet again , following the trend of theZ Fold 4and evenZ Fold 3 .
The snap is that the Z Fold 5 cost more than its predecessor at £ 1749/$1799 , despite the minimum changes on crack .
sure enough , the improvements like well performance and a gapless fold are welcome with open arms , but in a year where we ’ve seen significant improvements to foldable technical school from the like of Google , Honor , Huawei , Oppo and Motorola , has Samsung done enough to keep its foldable diadem ?
I ’ve spent over a week using Samsung ’s new crowing - screenland smartphone , and here ’s what I conceive .
Design
It ’s a big twelvemonth , not for the Samsung foldables in general , but for the hinge mechanics within . Since the launch of the firstGalaxy Foldin 2019 , there has been one consistent exit with Samsung ’s foldables – the opening .
Due to the design of the teardrop hinge chemical mechanism used by Samsung foldables , the telephone set were physically ineffective to close completely , leave an odd triangular - shaped disruption when folded . It was n’t idealistic for foldables with intricate system that could be destroyed by debris and debris .
Thankfully , Samsung has lastly solved the issue , with the Z Fold 5 and the clamshell - styleZ Flip 5closing without any hint of a gap . It ’s just a little surprising that it took so long , particularly moot Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to experiment with foldable tech .
disregardless of how long it select to materialise , the new flexible joint system shifts the foldable ’s flavor from ‘ nerveless future technical school with issues ’ to ‘ premium folding flagship ’ , especially when compound with imposingly slim bezels of the internal foldable video display and premium fabric used in the build , including Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for the outer deoxyephedrine panels .
Removing that awkward col also allows for a slightly smaller overall footprint , with the Z Fold 5 measuring in at 13.4 mm when folded , down by 2.4 mm compared to the 15.8 mm - thickZ Fold 4 .
That ’s still thicker thanCandybar flagship territoryand is a way off both thePixel Foldand Honor ’s impossibly thin 9.9mm - thickMagic V2 , but it does make the headphone feel a picayune less chunky in the hand and air hole .
It ’s also 10 g light at 253 g , and while this is still weightier than most Candybar phone , it did n’t feeltooheavy during purpose – maybe my time with the absolute chonk that is the 283 g Google Pixel Fold has leave me a fresh perspective .
However , despite the addition made , the lightweight 231 g Honor Magic V2 show that the lunar time period are commute rapidly , and Samsung is at endangerment of being sweep up in the deluge .
Expect a slightly dissimilar array of colour option this time around , run from the understated Phantom Black and Cream to a more colorful – but still middling muted – Ice Blue . The latter Ice Blue finish is most intriguing to me as it seems to dislodge in colour depending on the colour of the light in your surroundings .
In cool blasphemous lightsome environments , like bright sunshine , the Z Fold 5 does indeed look pallid blue air , but take it somewhere with affectionate spark and that color will pitch to pale lavender . It ’s so dissimilar that members of the Trusted Reviews squad ( myself included ) were win over that it was indeed lilac-colored when it first arrived at the situation .
It ’s like the raw black-market or gold frock fad , though I must say that this is unintentional – it ’s not a feature Samsung highlighted , at least .
Aside from all that , it ’s very much patronage as usual , with Samsung ’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 lark the same ecumenical cast divisor as its precursor . It ’s very much a twelvemonth for refinement in Samsung ’s books , though I bid there were more done to tell apart it from its predecessor , especially amidst increase competition .
Screen
With the same overall design as its herald , it should n’t come as much of a shock to learn that it let in Samsung ’s touch marvelous - and - narrow 6.1 - inch120HzAMOLED external display and the larger 7.6 - in 120Hz AMOLED foldaway display found within .
I ’ve always think the Samsung Z Fold ’s verboten display see queerly tall and thin , and that ’s an view I still carry with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 .
The oddly improbable 23.1:9 expression proportion bring home the bacon a narrower display experience than most thickset smartphones , and that take some getting used to . Typing on a narrower keyboard , for example , take a while to adjust to , and the narrower display means images on Instagram andX(or whatever Elon ’s predict it ) look even more compact than intend .
It does the job of allowing you access to all of your apps without have to enter the gimmick , but it ’s not a video display I really enjoy using for more than replying to messages or check centering on Google Maps – especially compared to homesteader cover displays like that of the Google Pixel Fold .
The 7.6 - inch internal show has seen a boost to overall luminousness with 1750nits peak brightness matching that of the top - endGalaxy S23 Ultra , which is a real boon for outside viewing and watching HDR - compatible content . Combined with the OLED control board ’s vivacious colours and rich , inky lightlessness , it ’s an idealistic show for look out video content .
You ’ll still get large disgraceful bars atop and below , but the television itself is still slimly larger than you ’ll get from most braggart - screen candybar phones .
The larger display also leave for alone new smartphone experiences . I ’ve been using the Z Fold 5 ’s internal showing to read eBooks on the Kindle app – something I ’d never do with a standard candybar smartphone .
The box-shaped aspect proportion also add itself well to split up - screen multitasking , able to well display two smartphone - sized apps side - by - side with room for a third floating windowpane . Multitasking is still very much a niche , but it ’s a ready to hand feature article for magnate exploiter .
The big problem with the privileged display remains to be the key crease . Despite the improved hinge mechanism , the simplification of the bend is better described as minimum . Sure , there are advance when put side - by - side with the Z Fold 4 , but it ’s still very much a part of the experience .
Admittedly , as my week went on , I noticed the crease less and less – likely due to the fact I would n’t swipe my finger across it too often , unlike the horizontal crease of grapple foldables – but it was immediately noticeable whenever I did .
We ’ll never eliminate the crease whole ( thanks , physics ) but manufacturers like Huawei and Motorola have made stride in making the crease as shallow as possible , make up Samsung ’s foldaway aspect a little behind the time .
To Samsung ’s mention , it has attempted to make the Z Fold 5 as environmentally favorable as possible with various bits and piece made from recycle ocean charge card . The corner is also wholly reclaimable with no single - enjoyment plastic .
Cameras
It seems Samsung is sure-footed of the Z Fold 4 ’s camera setup as , literally , nothing has changed when it follow to the Z Fold 5 . The Samsung Z Fold 5 summercater the same combination of a master 50MP snapper with Dual Pixel AF and OIS , a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP 3xtelephotolens with OIS , consummate with superposable sensors .
It ’s a interchangeable story with the selfie cameras ; the 10MP sensor of the external 6.1 - in display remains unaltered , much like the ( poor - performing ) 4MP under - display camera within the larger 7.6 - in panel .
That ’s an interesting approach in a year where we ’ve seen impressive foldable cameras in the shape of the Google Pixel Fold andHuawei Mate X3 . That ’s not to say that the cameras are bad – images are perfectly fine from the rearward Lens – but it ’s a shame not to see any introduction at all .
effigy film by the primary 50MP snapper in undimmed , well - lit surroundings are detailed and vivacious with slew of light . HDR performance is also generally impressive with balanced ignition , even with the midday sun instantly in shots , though HDR performance in dimmer indoor environments can sometimes leave images looking a lilliputian over - processed .
Colours across all three lenses are lifelike , if not a little too concentrated , especially when it number to reds , viridity and blue , with shots of prime and the sky sometimes bordering on the abnormal . The television camera are well - tuned at least , with the colour visibility reproducible across all three lenses .
Low - light carrying into action from the main lens is serviceable , bringing out the sparkle in lamp - lit streets and crepuscule Canis familiaris walk , but it ’s clear that software is doing much of the heavy lifting . It ’s far from what you ’ll find from flagship like the AI - infusedGoogle Pixel 7 Proor theXiaomi 13 Proand its 1 - inch sensing element , which deliver more precise semblance , light , and detail .
The accompanying 12MP 123 - degree ultrawide lens is bully for taking expansive shots or wide group selfies with piffling distortion around the edge of images captured , but without pixel bin technical school to encounter with , images look a little less detailed when zoom in .
The 10MP 3x optical lens is handy for take closemouthed - up portrayal shots with a tighter angle than that of the main genus Lens , but there ’s a drop in overall quality as light levels spend liken to the other electron lens .
The 30x Space Zoom is also a flake of a gimmick , with much less elaborate results than what you ’ll get from the S23 Ultra at the same layer of zoom .
video recording cap out at 4K@60fps , capturing batch of twinkle and detail to make it adequate for filming Instagram Stories and TikTok dance , and regular stabilisation think of you wo n’t notice much wobble if immortalise and walk at the same time . It ’s not the very best video recording technical school available , miss the snazzy pro features like Dolby Vision HDR capture , but it ’ll be fine for most everyday users .
Performance
At the heart of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 , you ’ll find the same usance interlingual rendition of theSnapdragon 8 Gen 2found in the Galaxy S23 series .
Dubbed theSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy , the chipset sport a higher CPU clock and an additional GPU essence compared to the regular 8 Gen 2 found in most other flagships , which apply the Z Fold 5 an edge over most of the competition – foldable or not .
That ’s copulate with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and either 256 GB , 512 GB or 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage to play with – though it ’s deserving note that the top - end 1 TB manakin is exclusively available from Samsung directly .
Unsurprisingly , the Z Fold 5 feel rapid and antiphonal during my time with the twist , outright opening any app I tap on , running two apps on - screen without consequence and trope seizure was close - instantaneous too .
play is also an absolute delight on the enceinte internal exhibit once you adjust to the boxier aspect proportion on offer . It could run game like World of Tanks at a smooth 60fps , with every optional in writing choice enable . I noticed the rearward get a niggling spicy after around 45 minutes of sustained gameplay , but I did n’t see much of a knocking - on effect on the carrying into action .
It ’s certainly not miss in power , then , and my benchmark event back that up . The CPU , in particular , seems to be one of the most powerful around , even compared to standard flagship smartphones . GPU tests are n’t quite as up to on newspaper , but it ’s worth noting that the intragroup display runs at a gamy resolving 2176 x 1812 when compared to the candybar contest . More pixels entail more superpower , after all .
Realistically , you ’re going to get top - floor performance that ’ll in all probability keep the phone frosty over multiple years of use , even with increase carrying into action essential from apps and operating system map as tech advances .
Audio carrying out is also self-colored , delivered by two-channel speakers atop and below the display , with enough intensity to well learn TikTok or mind to a bit of euphony while you cook your dinner . Dolby Atmossupport is also present to further better audio immersion , though this is really only celebrated when bust headphones . The effect on actual loudspeaker system yield is minimal .
Software
When it comes to computer software , you should expect much of the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 . Though the phone runsAndroid 13with Samsung ’s OneUI 5.1 applied , it ’s not that different to its forerunner , with only pocket-size improvement to the overall software program experience .
One of the important feature was the ability to utilise Bixby to reply to incoming song via text , which should tell you all you need to have it off about how fiddling has changed here .
That state , it still proffer a comparatively dressed foldable experience with aniPad - esque toolbar on the intimate showing providing immediate accession to favourite and recently used apps . I also continue to enjoy Flex Mode , Samsung ’s tech that dynamically adjust the layout of apps like Camera and YouTube when used in its half - fold laptop computer - esque mode .
What has commute considerably since I flirt with the Z Fold 4 in 2022 is app financial support . While the 2022 experience was hit - and - escape , with most apps force to carry in fullscreen style rather than natively support the boxy aspect ratio , that ’s not the case in 2023 .
Popular apps like Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , WhatsApp , Spotify and more all put up consecrated layouts for the boxy internal display , allowing me to habituate the inner showing far more often without any kind of compromise .
It ’s a plot - changer as most foldables , including the Pixel Fold , still ca n’t course most third - party apps in fullscreen mode on the inner showing . It ’s not a complete aggregation , with some apps still feeling more like blown - up smartphone apps than apps designed for the display , but it ’s a step in the correct guidance .
Of of course , this is n’t undivided to the Z Fold 5 – supporting for the vista ratio means apps will run just as well on Old example of Z Fold – but Samsung has to be commend for its effort in encouraging developers to adopt support .
I ’ve also leaned more into split - covert multitasking more than I thought I would – project like sending photos to friends on WhatsApp is easy when I can drop behind and drop directly from the Gallery app , and being able to input my bench mark answer onto my Google Spreadsheet without constantly swop between apps was also very handy .
The self-aggrandising screen experience is well suitable to split - screen use , more so than any candybar phone I ’ve used , with enough space for a third pop - up window if necessary . That much might be overkill , but it go forward to be a ready to hand feature film for reliable top executive user .
The good word is that there is plenty of opportunity for Samsung to cover to improve the software program experience with a promise five years of security update and four OS upgrades have you through to Android 17 , the tenacious warrant of any book - style foldaway the right way now .
Battery life
With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 lark the same 4,400mAh battery as its harbinger , it should number as no surprise that barrage fire life is comparable . That is to say that it ’s pretty decent , even with increased usage on the interior showing with more app support this year , though it ’s still not quite up to the standards determine by candybar phones like theXiaomi 13 Prothat seemingly keep on endure .
In terminus of specifics , I ’d usually pull off to squeeze around five hours of screen - on time over a 16 - hour day with between 15 – 20 % bequeath in the tank . That includes textual matter and WhatsApps throughout the twenty-four hour period , scrolling through TikTok and Instagram , listening to music , crack the occasional photograph and read an eBook on the Kindle app during my commute .
It ’s commendable , especially given my increased use of the more business leader - thirsty internal display , but it ’s still a gimmick you ’ll need to charge every nighttime . Only the most lite user would see anything tight to two day out of this equipment .
I was hoping for a boost to charge speeds from the Z Fold 5 , but it or else sports the same 25W bill as its predecessor . It ’s not exactly slow – it reached 50 % in 32 moment with a full charge in just over an time of day and 20 minute – but when some candybar smartphones achieve a full flush in 20 second , it ’s decipherable that Samsung could do more .
Like most other Samsung phones in 2023 , it also does n’t derive with a charger in the boxful . Given the price tag , it would ’ve at least been nice for Samsung to give you the option for a charger if you do n’t have one handy , but at least 25W chargers are pretty flash on Amazon …
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Should you buy it?
Samsung ’s exceptional push to get developers to integrate accompaniment for the boxy intimate display shines through , with good deal of apps not uncommitted on the like of the Pixel Fold .
Boasting the same camera tech as the Z Fold 4 , the folding delivers ok ( but not particularly exceptional ) images , specially compare to theGoogle Pixel Fold .
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 issosimilar to its predecessor that you ’d struggle to tell the difference without the improved hinge move out the annoying opening .
And that ’s because most eyeglasses , from the general design to the displays to cameras and even the battery , are the same as its predecessor , take the fact it costs £ 100/$150 more at £ 1749/$1799 a hard pill to swallow .
Sure , a slightly lite , slimmer design and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power are excellent additions to an already premium foldaway , but I ’m not certain it ’s worththatmuch more , especially in a more crowded folding market with tatty options like theHonor Magic Vsavailable .
It ’s straight that Samsung has made serious waves with third - party app support , which means I ’ve take more vantage of that inside display than ever before , but that ’s not single to the late foldable – it ’ll profit all recent generations of Z Fold with the 7.6 - inch display .
Still , it ’s among the most well - down account book - style foldables you ’ll find in 2023 , maintain its position as a go - to option – though with very trivial effort from Samsung .
However , you could likely lay aside yourself quite a bit by opting for the yr - oldGalaxy Z Fold 4while still read advantage of improved app documentation and the same camera , bombardment life and displays as the new model as long as you’re able to put up with the break in the fold . To see how it compare to the contention , take a look at our selection of thebest foldable phones .
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FAQs
Yes , an IPX8 rating stand for it ’s resistant to water wrong .
Despite support for 25W fast charging , there is n’t a charging brick included in the box .
Test Data
Full Specs
