Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 And Z Fold5 Review: The Folding Phones To Beat
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 And Z Fold5 - Still The Best Foldables On The Market
Samsung
Galaxy Z Flip5 - Starting at $999 Samsung’s
Galaxy Z Flip5 is an excellent foldable handset that improves
over its predecessor with larger 3.4-inch cover screen and a more powerful chipset.
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Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold5 - Starting at $1,799 Samsung’s
Galaxy Z Fold5 is still the best folding phone available in
the US, but its updates are more iterative than revolutionary.
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Both folding phones benefit from revamped, fold-flat hinges along with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, and the Z Flip5 also gains a much larger cover screen (3.4 inches), plus double the base storage (256GB). The overall design, displays, cameras, batteries, and charging speeds remain unchanged from last year's models, however. And, besides the new cover display experience and a few other tweaks, the software is mostly the same as well.
What is different this year is that both the Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 now have fresh competition in the US from the Moto Razr+ (2023) and Google Pixel Fold, respectively. So, are Samsung’s refined foldable handsets still the best option? We’ve been using these devices for a couple weeks now – alongside their competitors – and this is our full review. Let’s focus on what’s changed, and how these new handsets fare vs. the new entrants in the market.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 Hardware And Design
Before we continue, don't miss our hands-on video:
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Specs And Features
Processing and 5G Platform | Qualcomm
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + integrated Snapdragon X70 5G Modem |
Display | 6.7"
FHD+ LTPO AMOLED, 2640x1080 resolution, 1-120Hz, HDR10+ - 3.4"
AMOLED 720x748 resolution, 60Hz |
Memory | 8GB |
Storage | 256/512
UFS 4.0 |
Rear-Facing Cameras | 12MP f/1.8 Main OIS, dual-pixel PDAF - 12MP f/2.2 123º Ultra-Wide |
Front-Facing Cameras | 10MP
f/2.2 |
Video Recording | Up to 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p slow-mo |
Battery | 3700
mAh, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging |
OS | Android 13 With
One UI 5.1.1 |
Dimensions | Unfolded:
165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm - Folded: 85.1 x 71.9 x 15.1mm |
Weight | 187 grams |
Connectivity | 802.11ax
Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3+LE, NFC, UWB, USB-C, LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz and
mmWave) |
Colors | Mint, Graphite,
Cream, Lavender, Blue, Gray, Green, Yellow |
Pricing | Find
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip5 @ Amazon, Starting at $999 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 Specs And Features
Processing and 5G Platform | Qualcomm
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + integrated Snapdragon X70 5G Modem |
Display | 7.6"
LTPO AMOLED, 2176x1812 resolution, 1-120Hz, HDR10+ - 6.2' LTPO
AMOLED 2316x904 resolution, 48-120Hz |
Memory | 12GB |
Storage | 256/512/1024GB
UFS 4.0 |
Rear-Facing Cameras | 50MP f/1.8 Main OIS, dual-pixel PDAF - 12MP f/2.2 123º Ultra-Wide - 10MP f/2.4 3x Telephoto OIS, PDAF |
Front-Facing Cameras | 10MP
f/2.2 - 4MP f/1.8 under display |
Video Recording | Up to 8k @ 30fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 120fps, 1080p slow-mo |
Battery | 4400
mAh, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging |
OS | Android 13 With
One UI 5.1.1 |
Dimensions | Unfolded:
154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1mm - Folded: 154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4mm |
Weight | 253 grams |
Connectivity | 802.11ax
Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3+LE, NFC, UWB, USB-C, LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz and
mmWave) |
Colors | Icy Blue,
Phantom Black, Cream, Blue, Gray |
Pricing | Find
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold5 @ Amazon, Starting at $1,799 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 Display Quality
At 1600 nits peak, the Z Flip5’s cover screen is also brighter than the Razr+ (2023)’s, which tops out at 1100 nits. No matter what, It’s a huge improvement over the Z Flip4’s diminutive 1.9-inch (512 x 260 pixels, 302ppi) Super AMOLED panel. The Z Flip5’s main display is the same 6.7-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080 pixels, 425ppi,) folding LTPO AMOLED panel as last year, with the same 22:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and HDR10+ support.
![Galaxy Z Flip5 Fold5 15](https://images.hothardware.com/contentimages/article/3341/content/small_Galaxy-Z-Flip5-Fold5-15.jpg)
While the Z Flip5’s main screen and the Z Fold5’s outer display both have center punch holes for their respective 10MP selfie cameras, Samsung keeps insisting on using a first-generation 4MP UDC (under display camera) beneath the Z Fold5’s inner screen. Not only does this shooter deliver subpar image quality, but it’s often visible under the display. It seems that we’d be better off with just another standard 10MP selfie camera here.
![Galaxy Z Flip5 Fold5 38](https://images.hothardware.com/contentimages/article/3341/content/small_Galaxy-Z-Flip5-Fold5-38.jpg)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 Camera Performance And Image Quality
On the Z Flip5, you’ll find a 12MP f/1.8 1.8-micron main sensor with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 123-degree ultrawide lens, and a 10MP f/2.2 1.22-micron selfie camera. Meanwhile, the Z Fold5 boasts a 50MP f/1.8 1.0-micron main shooter with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 123-degree ultrawide, a 10MP f/2.4 1.0-micron 3x telephoto with PDAF and OIS, and a 10MP f/2.2 1.22-micron selfie camera.
There’s also that lackluster 4MP f/1.8 2.0-micron UDC (under display camera) inside the Z Fold5. Overall, these shooters deliver lovely photos and videos in a broad range of conditions, with accurate exposure and colors. Low-light performance is generally solid, and selfies look great. The Z Flip5 doesn’t quite match the Z Fold5 on dynamic range, but that’s to be expected.
One area where the Z Flip5 falls short is zooming. The lack of a telephoto lens or high pixel-count main sensor means that any magnification beyond 3-4x results in a noticeable loss of detail. By comparison, with its dedicated 3x telephoto, the Z Fold5 can zoom up to 10x before image quality begins to suffer. Meanwhile, thanks to its 5x telephoto and Super Res Zoom algorithm, the Pixel Fold achieves 20x magnification without trouble.
Shooting modes are standard Samsung, and include portrait, portrait video (1080p 30fps), night, panorama, food, ultra steady (up to 4k 60fps), HDR10+ (up to 4k 60fps), pro (manual), pro video (up to 4k 60/30/24fps), slow motion (1080p 240fps), super slow motion (720p 960fps), hyperlapse (4k/1080p 30fps), Single Take, and Director’s View. The Z Fold5 also supports pro video at 8k 30/24fps video and 1080p 120fps, plus portrait video at 4k 30fps.
Stabilized video is captured at up to 4k 60fps (8k 30fps on the Z Fold5) with stereo or 360 audio – the latter via Samsung’s Galaxy Buds2 Pro. In addition, Samsung’s Camera Assistant app lets you fine tune camera settings, and Samsung’s Expert RAW app (Z Fold5 only) enables additional pro features plus astrophotography. Finally, the Z Fold5 includes a 50MP option that bypasses 4-in-1 pixel binning (the default 12.5MP mode) on the main shooter.
Like its predecessors, the Z Flip5 brings some unique camera features to the table. It supports landscape video recording (16:9, 1080p 60fps/30fps) when holding the phone vertically, which is pretty neat. Combine this with Flex Mode and the (half open) handset becomes its own tripod. More on Flex Mode later. You can also mirror the viewfinder on the cover screen to take higher quality selfies or to show others what you’re shooting.
Obviously, the Z Flip5 can also capture photos and videos when closed. Simply double-press the power / lock key and the viewfinder appears on the cover display. Swipe left or right to switch between portrait, photo, and video modes, tap on the icon to access basic settings, and pinch to zoom and switch between the main and ultrawide shooters. Tap the display or press the volume rocker to take a photo or video. It’s all simple and intuitive, and novice users will appreciate it.
Next up: audio, performance, and battery life...