Samsung‘s journey into foldable phones has been full of ups and downs. It started with the Galaxy Fold, which was a breakthrough despite some issues. Then came the Z Fold 2, which improved the design and fixed the problems. The Fold 3 added S-Pen support and water resistance. The Z Fold 4 upgraded the camera. Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 focuses on seamless folding.
However, other companies like OPPO, Vivo, Honor, and OnePlus are catching up in the foldable phone race. Can the Galaxy Z Fold 5 help Samsung maintain its top position? Is it the best foldable phone? Let’s explore in this review.
Table of Contents
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Price
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Key Specifications
- Display: 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1812 x 2176 resolution.
- Cover Display: 6.2-inch cover display with 120Hz refresh rate and 904 x 2316 resolution.
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2* RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto
- Front cameras: 10MP under-display, 4MP cover camera
- Battery: 4400mAh
- Operating system: Android 13
- Other features: Wi-Fi 6E, dual-SIM (one eSIM), USB Type-C 3.2, NFC
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: Design
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 shares similarities with the Z Fold 4 in appearance. At first glance, they look almost the same with minor differences. Changes include rearranging the back’s LED flash, slightly taller camera lenses, and fewer speaker cover holes. Keen observers might notice a slightly narrower left edge on the older model’s front screen.
When you open the Galaxy Z Fold 5, you’ll notice a major difference. It has a new hinge that lets the two parts of the phone fold flat without any gap, unlike the Z Fold 4. This change is significant because it makes the phone feel smooth and complete, not like a work in progress. The new hinge makes the phone slimmer and more pocket-friendly. Plus, since there’s no gap in the middle anymore, dust doesn’t get stuck like it did in the older model.
This new hinge also means that when you fold the Galaxy Z Fold 5, it’s thinner than before. It’s now 13.4mm thick at the folding part, which is slimmer than the 15.8mm of the older model. This sleeker design makes the phone look better and feel nicer in your hand.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 keeps its quality materials, like the strong Armor Aluminum frame and the tough Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection on the front and back. It can handle some water, thanks to its IPX8 rating. The fingerprint scanner is still on the side’s power button, making unlocking easy. The speakers on the phone are cool too. They give a surround sound feeling, making games and videos sound really good.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: Display
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has the same screen sizes and shapes as the Z Fold 4. The smaller outside screen is 6.2 inches and looks longer, while the bigger folding screen is 7.6 inches and feels wider. Both screens have Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech, which makes colors and brightness look really good. The main folding screen is even brighter now, making it easier to see outside.
When the screen is off, you can see a line down the middle where it folds. But when it’s on, you won’t really notice it. The line doesn’t get in the way when you’re using the screen. Folding phones have this line because of how they work, and that’s just something we accept for the cool design.
The inside screen is almost square, which is great for different tasks. Samsung made sure apps work well on it, unlike some other phones like the Google Pixel Fold. Apps fit the whole screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, making them more fun to use. Apps like Instagram look especially cool on the big screen.
In short, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has better screens than the Z Fold 4. The screens are the same shape, brighter, and apps work better on them. There are still some things like the crease in the middle and the outside screen design that could be better, but the big screen and the way apps work on it make the Z Fold 5 a cool choice for a folding phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: Cameras
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera isn’t trying to beat the Galaxy S23 Ultra camera, which is the best Samsung camera phone. But the Z Fold 5’s camera is really good on its own. It’s similar to the older version’s camera, but changes in software and a better chip inside (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy) make it take better pictures.
The main camera has lots of megapixels (50 MP), so it captures detailed and colorful pictures. For zooming, the Z Fold 5 has a special lens that makes things look three times closer (3X optical zoom). You can digitally zoom even closer, up to 30 times, but it might not be very clear after 10 times. This is useful for portraits or distant objects. The Z Fold 5 can also make backgrounds blurry in pictures, like in portraits, using the main and zoom cameras.
The ultra-wide camera is good for wide scenes, like landscapes. The wide camera shows more in the picture, but colors might not be as strong and some parts might not be sharp, especially around the edges. Software fixes this to make the picture look normal.
For selfies, there are two cameras. The outside one takes decent pictures with good skin tones, but it might make things look too sharp, especially facial hair. The one on the main screen is okay for video calls, but the pictures might not look as nice because it has fewer megapixels. The Z Fold 5 also makes videos sharp, colorful, and steady, even if you’re moving a bit.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: Software
Samsung has consistently provided reliable software on folding phones, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is no exception. It comes with Android 13 and One UI 5.1.1, which is one of the best custom UIs out there. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers two screen modes: a regular smartphone screen when closed, and a tablet-like screen with a taskbar when open. It’s improved from the older version by showing four recent apps on the taskbar instead of two.
Popular apps work well on the big screen, like Instagram and Microsoft apps. There’s even a feature to easily drag stuff between apps. These features add to the phone’s multitasking abilities, helping you get more done.
The new “Flex Mode” is neat. When you fold the phone in a special way, the screen splits in two. The top part shows an app, while the bottom has buttons for videos or a tiny mouse cursor for some apps. It’s like a mini laptop. There’s also “Dex mode.” When you connect the phone to a big screen, keyboard, and mouse, it becomes a full computer. The Z Fold 5 could be all you need for computer tasks.
What’s really valuable is the help that the Z Fold 5 receives from Samsung’s software. The phone will continue to receive updates for a long time. Samsung has promised to provide updates until Android 17, along with security fixes for five years! This is actually longer than what many other phones get in terms of updates these days.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: Performance
The new Galaxy Z Fold 5 is much faster and stronger compared to its older version. This is because it has a special brain called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy inside it. Samsung chose a better version of this chip for its important phones. It works at a faster speed, which means it can do things quicker and better than other top Android phones. Samsung used the same chip in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and it worked really well. By putting this strong chip in the Z Fold 5, Samsung is making sure the phone works at its best.
The Z Fold 5 also has a lot of memory, about 12GB, and it can save a huge amount of stuff, up to 1TB. This means you can use lots of apps together and keep many pictures, videos, and other things on your phone. Because of this new chip, the Z Fold 5 works really well and uses less power, so the battery lasts longer. The Z Fold 5 is great for doing many things at once, using powerful apps, or playing big games.
A really important change in the phone’s hardware is the bigger vapor chamber they added. This new chamber is 38 percent larger than the one in the older model. This makes the phone better at getting rid of heat, which is important when the phone is working hard. Because of this bigger chamber, the phone can stay at the right temperature even when you’re doing things that need a lot of power, like playing games or using lots of apps.
The Z Fold 5 doesn’t slow down easily, even if you’re using three apps on the screen together or playing a demanding game. The phone doesn’t get too hot, no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re playing games or using Maps for a long time, the phone stays cool and doesn’t get too hot.
| Phone | Geekbench 6 single-core | Geekbench 6 multi-core | Geekbench 6 GPU | 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | 2,054 | 5,463 | 9,493 (OpenCL) 9,56± (Vulkan) | 3,707 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 | 1,998 | 5,064 | 6,189 (OpenCL) | 3,281 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ulra | 1595 | 5,018 | 9007 (OpenCL) 9,569 (Vulkan) | 3,804 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: Battery and Charging
The Z Fold 5’s battery is 4400mAh, not the biggest, but efficient power use helps it last a decent time. How long it lasts depends on screen brightness and usage. Using the larger inside screen for streaming can drain it in half a day, but the smaller outside screen lasts more than a day. It charges at 25W, which might feel slow for such a powerful phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review Videos
Verdict: Should you buy Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?
In conclusion, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the best foldable phone right now. It’s polished, powerful, and versatile. It excels in productivity tasks and offers an immersive display. The improved hinge design is a plus. It’s a great choice, especially if you’re into folding phones.
Reason to buy Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Revolutionary hinge engineering
- Unmatched performance prowess
- Immersive display quality
- Unparalleled multitasking prowess
- Immersive speaker arrangement
- Optimized app integration
- Top-tier rear camera performance
Reason not to buy Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Crease is still visible
- No dust resistance
- 25W slower charging
- Limited S-Pen support
FAQ
Q: What are the main features of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?
Ans: The main features of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 include:
• A 7.6-inch foldable AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate
• A 6.1-inch AMOLED cover display with a 120Hz refresh rate
• A Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 processor
• 12GB of RAM
• 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage
• A triple-lens rear camera system
• A 10MP front-facing camera
• A 4,400mAh battery
Q: What are the improvements over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4?
Ans: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a few improvements over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, including:
• A faster Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 processor
• UFS 4.0 storage
• A slightly larger battery
Q: How can I prevent common issues with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold?
Ans: To prevent common issues with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, you can:
• Avoid dropping or bending the phone
• Keep the phone clean and free of dust and debris
• Update the phone’s software regularly
• Use a case and screen protector to protect the phone from damage
Q: How do I use the S Pen with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?
Ans: The S Pen can be used with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in a few different ways:
• To take notes
• To draw
• To navigate the phone
• To control apps
Q: How do I extend the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?
Ans: Here are some tips on how to extend the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5:
• Turn off features that you are not using
• Reduce the screen brightness
• Use power-saving mode
• Keep the phone cool
Q: What is the price of Samsung Z Fold 5 in India?
• 12GB RAM + 256GB storage – ₹154,999
• 12GB RAM + 512GB storage – ₹164,999
• 12GB RAM + 1TB storage – ₹184,999
Q: What is the price of Samsung Z Fold 5 in USA?
• 12GB RAM + 256GB storage – $1,799
• 12GB RAM + 512GB storage – $1,999
• 12GB RAM + 1TB storage – $2,199
