Samsung has been selling folding smartphones since 2019’s introduction of the original Galaxy Z Fold, a device that took the form of a traditional slab phone that opened like a small tablet. Each year since, the company has released new models, including the vertically folding Z Flip, making them a little better each time.
Although a pack of challengers is nipping at Samsung’s heels — including Google, Motorola and others — the South Korean electronics giant remains the market leader in the category. With last month’s launch of the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5, that iterative march continues. Neither of these products sport groundbreaking changes, but they improve upon their predecessors just a tad.
Both devices have an aluminum frame and the exterior, non-screen panels are Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Both have a customized version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Both support 5G and WiFi 6E, which can provide multi-gigabit internet speeds. The plastic inner screens on both use Dynamic OLED and both have visible creases when opened flat. Battery life is very good; each lasts more than a full day with moderate use on a single charge.
And, as you’d expect in a Samsung device, both have some bloatware, though much of it is corralled in folders and is deletable. The phones get four generations of Android OS updates and five years of security updates.
Both phones ship on Aug. 11, but you can pre-order from Samsung and wireless carriers now.
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Galaxy Z Flip5
$999 starting price
Last month I reviewed Motorola’s Razr+ flip-style smartphone, and I loved it. At that writing, I thought it was a better product than 2022’s Z Flip4. Now that the 5 is on my desk, my mind hasn’t changed, but these two pocketable contenders are pretty much neck and neck.
That’s because two of the biggest changes to the Z Flip5 play catchup to two of the best features on the Razr+. Samsung’s phone has a new hinge that eliminates the wedge-shaped gap seen when its folding devices are closed. The inner screen now folds perfectly flat, making the Flip5 more appealing and a bit thinner.
In addition, the exterior display (which Samsung dubs the Flex Window) gets more space, though not quite as much as the Razr+. The Flip 5’s 3.4-inch external screen is more useful, with widgets that let you quickly access favorite apps.
The physical dimensions of this year’s Flip are almost identical to last year’s, with a 6.7-inch unfolded display with a 1080-by-2640 resolution. It weighs the same, at 6.6 ounces. It’s a bit shorter when opened compared with the Razr+, which has a 6.9-inch display.
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The build quality on the Flip5 is excellent. Its aluminum chassis feels good in your hand, and the hinge — often a point of anxiety for folding-phone buyers — has a solid feel. It’s a little stiff; don’t expect to easily open it with one hand.
The Flip5’s main wide and ultrawide cameras are both 12-megapixels, and the front-facing camera is 10 megapixels. There’s no physical telephoto camera, and both front and back cameras digitally zoom to 10X. As with the Razr+, these cameras are good, but not great, particularly in low-light situations. For stellar phone photography, you’ll want to stick with the flagship Galaxy S lineup, particularly the S23 Ultra.
And let me add: Both the Razr+ and the Flip5 are marketed to internet content creators and others for whom digital photos and video are critical. Not including flagship cameras, particularly at four-figure prices, seems like a missed opportunity to me.
The Flip5 comes with 8 gigabytes of memory and a choice of 256 or 512 GB of storage, with no option to add more via a memory card. The starting price is for the 256 GB model but currently Samsung’s offering the greater memory at no extra charge. This pricing is a little better than last year’s, and carriers often feature discounts that will cut the cost further.
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Galaxy Z Fold5
$1,799 starting price
I’m not at the point where I’d want to own a folding phone, but if I did, it would be a flip-style model. For me, phone-to-tablet devices are chunky and unwieldy (though I have yet to try Google’s Pixel Fold). But the Fold5 makes strides to fix that.
This model also eliminates the gap when the phone is closed. While it’s slightly thinner and lighter than the Fold4, when folded it’s still about twice as thick as two stacked Galaxy S23 Ultras. You will never forget it’s in your pocket.
The exterior display is tall and very narrow, at 6.2 inches, making some apps look funky, but it has a pretty cool trick: When you open it up, the app on the exterior screen appears automatically on the inner display. Unfortunately, closing the phone doesn’t move an active app to the external display.
The interior display is the same size, 7.6 inches, as last year’s Fold4. Like the Flip5, the hinge is quite stiff and requires two hands to open it. Overall, it has a solid, premium feel.
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The three-camera array, like the Fold4, includes a 50-MP wide camera; a 10-MP, 3X zoom telephoto; and a 12-MP ultrawide. It’s a better setup than on the Flip5, but not a match for the flagship Galaxy S cameras. And as I mentioned, night photos could be better.
The Fold5 has 12 GB of memory and three storage options: 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 terabyte though as with the Flip5, you currently get the 512-GB option for the 256-GB $1,799 starting price from Samsung’s site. The 1-TB option is currently discounted at $2,099. Carrier pricing may vary.
Yeah, this is one expensive smartphone. But you are getting state-of-the-art folding-screen technology, a high-quality folding screen and premium construction. Samsung targets professionals with this, and it’s likely getting expensed by employers who want their road warriors to have the best gear.
With these two phones, Samsung remains in the lead in the folding-device category, which for now is a niche. Lower pricing and more innovation will be needed to take it fully mainstream.
