Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
MSRP $1,000.00
“The Galaxy Z Flip 5 retains every part that labored concerning the Flip 4, then combines that with a bigger cowl display and a nicer hinge.”
Execs
- No extra hole when folded shut
- Extraordinarily well-built
- Hinge feels excellent
- Way more helpful cowl display
- Implausible efficiency
- Good and reliable cameras
- 5 years of updates
Cons
- The crease remains to be there
- Mediocre battery life
- Cowl display requires plenty of tweaking
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 must be an ideal foldable flip cellphone. Why? The pitch from Samsung is a reasonably easy one. It stored every part that labored so effectively for final yr’s Flip, made the duvet display way more helpful, added a brand new processor, and created a hinge that lets the Flip 5 fold fully flat when it’s shut. And, sure, the value is strictly the identical.
So, is the Z Flip 5 good? It’s actually shut, however not fairly. That is the very best Galaxy Z Flip Samsung has ever made, and it’s most likely the folding flip cellphone most individuals can purchase. It’s additionally a cellphone I’ve totally loved utilizing — even when a few issues about it have been a bit irritating alongside the best way.
About our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 evaluate
This evaluate of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 was first printed on August 3, 2023, after I (Joe Maring) used the cellphone for every week within the U.S., related to T-Cellular’s 5G community. It was up to date on August 12 to account for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 changing into extensively obtainable for buy.
Digital Tendencies’ senior author Andy Boxall then revisited the Galaxy Z Flip 5 on the finish of October 2023, after utilizing the cellphone for 10 days within the U.Okay. to see how the cellphone had modified and if it was nonetheless one we suggest. You’ll find his feedback in a devoted part straight under. Andy then went again to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 for a number of weeks in June 2024, and the evaluate has been up to date all through. For a better have a look at our evaluate course of, see our information on how we check telephones.
Revisiting the Galaxy Z Flip 5
I purchased a Galaxy Z Flip 5 over a Galaxy Z Fold 5 as a result of I felt there was extra cause to take action when it comes to technological development and innovation. The larger, extra helpful cowl display was the first cause, and I haven’t been disillusioned by it in any respect — however I additionally haven’t discovered it to be transformative. It’s very helpful for sure apps, however not for all, regardless of there being a manner to make use of virtually any app on it. It’s good for messaging apps and navigation, however I’m by no means going to look at YouTube on it.
That’s how I felt in October 2023, however issues took an surprising flip after I went again to the Z Flip 5 once more in 2024. I discovered utilizing the outer display too fiddly and time-consuming, even for the fundamentals, and I merely left the cellphone open when it wasn’t in my pocket or bag. Primarily, I used the Z Flip 5 as if it didn’t “flip” in any respect, ignoring the one factor that makes the cellphone particular. Regardless of this, I nonetheless just like the comfort of a clamshell folding cellphone, and it’s refreshing to not actually discover that I’m carrying round a 6.7-inch cellphone.
I’ve continued to seek out the battery a disappointment, although. With reasonable use (roughly three hours of display time per day), plus a bit of gaming, the battery is right down to round 25% by late night. It might probably’t handle two days of use in any respect, and even gentle use in 2024 sees the battery completed by the center of the second day. The Z Flip 5 lags behind non-folding telephones of the same measurement and worth, particularly with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 proving so environment friendly. Concerning the digital camera, I discovered it does carry out higher than the one on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and I do just like the pictures it takes, Nonetheless, it does lack an optical zoom, which is changing into extra commonplace, and I do miss it.
The construct high quality is nice, plus the hinge stays quiet and clean after many months. I selected certainly one of Samsung’s unique colours — matte blue — which disillusioned me by unexpectedly together with authorized textual content on the again and has then gone on to select up an unpleasant scuff as effectively. I’d suggest simply shopping for one of many commonplace colours, which don’t have authorized textual content on the again. The shiny end ought to keep away from scratches and scuffs higher, too. That stated, I’m nonetheless happy I went for the Z Flip 5 over the Z Fold 5, principally attributable to how simple it’s to reside with from each a efficiency and comfort perspective.
Our unique evaluate of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 continues under.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: design and hinge
Sure, the duvet display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a giant deal, however there’s one other essential replace that’s not fairly as apparent — and that’s Samsung’s new hinge. Samsung calls it the “Flex Hinge,” and in comparison with hinges on earlier Z Flips, the Flip 5 is ready to fold fully flat when it’s folded shut, so no extra unpleasant hole. Not solely is it extra aesthetically pleasing, however it additionally makes the Flip 5 a bit thinner than the Flip 4 when shut — going from 17.1mm at its thickest to simply 15.1mm.
Though the hole on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 by no means bothered me personally, having the Flip 5 remove it’s nonetheless nice to see. It makes the cellphone really feel a bit extra full, and whereas a distinction of 2mm in thickness doesn’t sound drastic, it does make the Z Flip really feel extra pocketable than ever earlier than. It additionally stops mud and lint from gathering beneath the 2 folded sections fairly so simply.
There’s one thing else you’ll discover concerning the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s hinge, and that’s the way it feels a bit looser in comparison with earlier generations; Samsung admits as a lot on its web site! However don’t take this to be a foul factor. The Z Flip 4 all the time felt a bit stiff to open, even after weeks of use. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 feels a lot smoother from day one, and even with out the hole, I discover the cellphone very simple to open and shut. And the very best half is that the smoother motion doesn’t make the hinge really feel any much less sturdy. (You may nonetheless prop the hinge up at nearly any angle.)
It’s additionally value mentioning that the Z Flip 5’s hinge feels noticeably higher designed than the one on the Motorola Razr Plus. Motorola’s flip cellphone makes extra noise when being opened, and should you gently rub the 2 halves collectively when closed, you may really feel and listen to them shifting in opposition to one another. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 displays no such quirks, and whereas it stays to be seen how both cellphone holds up after months of standard use, I wouldn’t be shocked if Samsung’s cellphone withstands the check of time extra reliably.
There are such a lot of little issues that simply really feel higher on the Z Flip 5.
That consensus additionally boils right down to the remainder of the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s design. Coming from the Razr Plus, there are such a lot of little issues that simply really feel higher on the Z Flip 5. The facility and quantity buttons are sturdy and don’t wiggle while you push on them. The vibration motor (whereas not unbelievable) feels nicer and doesn’t make an disagreeable sound. The audio system sound louder and fuller. The IPX8 ranking, whereas not helpful for dust-proofing, permits the Z Flip 5 to outlive water splashes and submersion simply in addition to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely or iPhone 15 Professional.
These are all little issues on their very own, however while you add all of them up — mixed with Samsung’s excellent new hinge — it leads to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 being essentially the most well-constructed flip cellphone foldable I’ve used thus far.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: cowl display
Okay, okay — now we will discuss concerning the Z Flip 5’s cowl display. The quick story is that it’s a really huge improve and may do absolutely anything you’d like. The longer story is … effectively, it’s a bit extra sophisticated. Specs-wise, the Z Flip 5’s cowl display is a Tremendous AMOLED panel and measures 3.4 inches. The decision is 720 x 748, it has a 60Hz refresh fee, and it’s coated with Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
On a technical degree, it pales compared to the 1056 x 1066 decision and 144Hz refresh fee of the Razr Plus cowl display. The Z Flip 5 nonetheless seems sharp sufficient to my eyes, and I don’t discover the 60Hz refresh fee as a lot as I believed I might. I wouldn’t say I’ve been sad with the standard of the duvet display (it’s extraordinarily colourful and will get tremendous shiny), however Samsung definitely might have executed much more right here. Technical stuff apart, the meat of the dialog lies within the software program of the Z Flip 5’s cowl display.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cowl display begins together with your clock face. There are six classes of faces to select from, together with Featured, Gallery, Informative, Graphical, Easy, and Colours. There are a number of kinds for every class, and every one will be personalized to your precise liking. I’ve been utilizing one of many Informative kinds, which reveals me the time, climate, date, battery, and notification icons — it’s improbable.
From there, you might have a number of most important methods to work together with the duvet display:
- Swipe down to open your Fast Settings.
- Swipe up to entry your fee playing cards in Samsung Pay.
- Swipe proper to view your entire notifications.
- Swipe left to cycle by means of your widgets.
If this sounds much like the way you work together with a Samsung Galaxy Watch, that’s on objective. Samsung wished the Flip 5’s cowl display to imitate how you utilize its smartwatches, and I feel that was the fitting name. This interface is clear, easy, and very easy to know after just some seconds of swiping round.
Widgets are a core a part of the Z Flip 5’s cowl display. There’s loads to select from proper out of the field, together with a calendar, climate forecast, timer, alarm, stopwatch, current calls, direct dial, steps, each day exercise, and a finance watchlist. It’s a bigger choice than the “panels” you get on the Motorola Razr Plus, they usually’re significantly better designed, too — exhibiting extra info and dealing extra reliably, no less than in my expertise.
Samsung additionally well makes use of the small part of the show that extends additional into the bottom-left nook. When you have a timer, stopwatch, or audio ongoing, you’ll see it as a small pop-up there. However we nonetheless haven’t talked about one vital factor: apps on the duvet display. It’s doable to make use of apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 cowl display, however getting every part to work the way you need to is a chore. You primarily have two methods of utilizing apps on the Flip 5’s cowl display:
The straightforward manner: Faucet a toggle within the Labs part of the Settings app, and also you get entry to 6 purposes Samsung has curated for the duvet display. These embody Google Messages, Samsung Messages, WhatsApp, Google Maps, YouTube, and Netflix.
The onerous manner: If you wish to run any app put in on the Flip 5 on the duvet display, you want to set up the Good Lock app from the Galaxy Retailer. Then it’s important to open Good Lock and set up one thing referred to as “MultiStar”. Then it’s important to open MultiStar. After which it’s important to faucet three different buttons and choose which apps you need to use on the duvet display earlier than it really works.
Good Lock is an official Samsung utility and never some random third-party rubbish, however it’s horribly designed. Samsung additionally doesn’t clearly clarify this course of wherever when establishing the Z Flip 5 — you simply should know exactly what to obtain and the place to look. It’s not user-friendly, not intuitive, and far more sophisticated than it must be.
The upside? After you undergo all of this problem, apps run fairly effectively on the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cowl display. As soon as Good Lock is put in and configured, you get a “Launcher” widget that reveals the entire apps you’ve chosen to make use of on the duvet display.
I exploit apps on the Z Flip 5 for a similar issues I exploit the Razr Plus’s cowl display for — replying to Telegram messages, scanning my Starbucks barcode when ordering espresso, catching up on emails in Outlook, and so on. Issues are barely extra condensed on the Z Flip 5’s cowl display in comparison with the Razr Plus’s, however the expertise is basically the identical for the purposes I exploit.
You may open an app on the duvet display and proceed it on the principle show should you open the Flip 5, however it doesn’t work in the wrong way. Equally, there’s no solution to multitask on the Flip 5’s cowl display. On the Razr Plus, you may swipe on the underside of the display to cycle between apps you’ve lately used. However due to the hacky method to apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung provides no such choice.
After some tweaking and setup, the expertise of utilizing apps on the Z Flip 5’s cowl display is sort of pleasant. However attending to that time is much tougher than it must be — and one thing that much less skilled customers will probably be deterred from solely. I’m glad all of those instruments are right here and that the duvet display is able to a lot, however the total consumer expertise wants loads of work.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: show and crease
Though the duvet display is new and thrilling, we additionally want to speak concerning the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s most important show. Fortunately, it’s superb! That shouldn’t come as a shock, because it’s nearly similar to the show used on the Flip 4 final yr. You’re getting a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X show with a 2640 x 1080 decision and a 120Hz refresh fee.
In typical Samsung trend, the show on the Flip 5 is beautiful. Colours are very saturated and pop proper off the display, making every part from movies to your Settings app look excellent. The 120Hz refresh fee is predictably nice, too, permitting your entire swiping/scrolling to really feel as clean as doable.
There’s one show improve this yr, and it’s a bounce from 1,200 nits of brightness on the Flip 4 to 1,750 nits on the Flip 5. We’ve had loads of very sunny days in Michigan these days, and the added show brightness has been significantly appreciated. I by no means had too tough of a time seeing the Flip 4’s display outside, however the Flip 5 has given me zero points in any way.
If I’ve one grievance concerning the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s show, it’s that the crease — no less than to my eyes and contact — hasn’t modified a lot in any respect in comparison with the Flip 4. It doesn’t severely impression day-to-day use, however coming to the Flip 5 instantly after utilizing the Motorola Razr Plus for therefore lengthy, Samsung’s crease is a lot extra pronounced.
I usually don’t even discover the Razr Plus’s crease when touching its most important show, however there’s no mistaking it on the Z Flip 5. When corporations like Motorola, Oppo, and others have discovered methods to significantly reduce their crease depth, it’s disappointing that Samsung doesn’t appear desperate to comply with go well with.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: cameras
If you happen to used a Galaxy Z Flip 4, the digital camera setup on the Flip 5 will probably be instantly acquainted, however our separate check evaluating the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 4 cameras does present some real enhancements. The Flip 5 is provided with a 12MP most important digital camera with f/1.8 aperture and optical picture stabilization. There’s additionally a 12MP ultrawide digital camera with a 123-degree area of view, plus a 10MP selfie digital camera on the principle show. In different phrases, it’s nearly similar to the digital camera system on final yr’s Z Flip.
To Samsung’s credit score, there are a few enhancements on the Z Flip 5 over final yr’s cameras. An upgraded picture sign processor within the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ought to translate to higher coloration copy throughout the board. The primary and ultrawide cameras even have a brand new “clear lens coating” to stop lens flares, and the selfie digital camera has a barely improved f/2.2 aperture (in comparison with f/2.4 on the Z Flip 4).
In my testing, pictures taken with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 have — unsurprisingly — regarded similar to the Flip 4. That’s to say photographs are colourful, have superb dynamic vary, and are simply as dependable whether or not you’re outside in shiny daylight or in a dimly lit room.
The Z Flip 5 is a cellphone I can snap a photograph with and really feel assured concerning the finish end result.
Do pictures generally look too saturated and never 100% correct to the actual world? Sure, however I feel current Samsung telephones have struck a pleasant steadiness right here. That further pop interprets to extra vibrant and attention-grabbing photographs, and most of the time, I’ve been very pleased with the pictures I’ve taken with the Flip 5. It’s a cellphone I can snap a photograph with and really feel assured concerning the finish end result — one thing I completely couldn’t say concerning the Motorola Razr Plus.
I’m nonetheless ready for the day when Samsung finds a manner so as to add a telephoto digital camera to a Z Flip, and significant upgrades to the principle and ultrawide cameras are lengthy overdue. However in that very same breath, there’s no denying Samsung has a stable pair of cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. They’re simple to shoot with, ship crowd-pleasing outcomes, and are among the many greatest you may get on a flip cellphone foldable right this moment.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: efficiency and software program
Efficiency-wise, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has the identical “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy” chip we noticed within the Galaxy S23 household earlier this yr — plus 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. As anticipated, that interprets to improbable efficiency on the Z Flip 5. Nothing slows this cellphone down. From a number of Google Chrome tabs, streaming 4K movies, or making an attempt to degree up in Marvel Snap after I must be working, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has by no means felt sluggish to me. The cellphone can get a contact heat while you’re actually pushing it with extended gaming periods or livid multitasking, however it by no means will get so heat that it’s worrying or uncomfortable.
In the case of software program, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 ships with Android 13 and Samsung’s customized One UI 5.1.1 interface. If you happen to’ve used a Samsung cellphone inside the final couple of years, you’ll be proper at house on the Flip 5. One UI remains to be One UI, for higher or worse, and it’s not modified a lot in any respect right here.
One UI is chock-full of additional options not present in “inventory” Android, and a few of them will be extraordinarily helpful. I like with the ability to add customized app shortcuts and widgets to the lock display. Samsung’s always-on show function is extremely customizable, and it even carries over to the duvet display on the Flip 5.
I additionally respect how a lot management Samsung offers you over the facility button, permitting you to show it right into a digital camera launcher or a shortcut to open any app you need. Plus, Samsung’s app optimization continues to be unmatched for folding flip telephones. Within the YouTube app, for instance, half-folding the cellphone pushes the video to the highest portion of the display whilst you get optimized video playback controls under.
However for each further function I exploit in One UI, there are half a dozen others that I’ve zero use for — whether or not that’s Bixby, working apps in pop-up home windows, or the Edge panels menu that I all the time open after I don’t imply to. I definitely don’t hate Samsung’s method to Android software program, and I respect the corporate providing so many settings/instruments to play with. However, no less than for me personally, I favor the easier software program method we see with Google Pixel and Motorola smartphones.
That stated, there’s no denying how wonderful Samsung’s software program replace coverage is. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is promised 4 years of main Android upgrades and 5 years of safety updates. Samsung’s replace coverage is among the greatest within the enterprise — second solely to the seven years of updates Google provides for the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Professional. Whether or not you’re involved about new options or essential safety updates, Samsung has you coated.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: battery life
Identical to the Galaxy Z Flip 4 final yr, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 3,700 mAh battery to maintain it going all through the day. Additionally, similar to final yr, that interprets to fairly mediocre battery life. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is firmly a one-day smartphone and by no means goes past that. With 14-15 hours of complete uptime — plus a bit of over three hours of screen-on time (for the principle show) — I’ve simply been draining the battery to single digits. In different phrases, if I take the Flip 5 off the charger at 7 a.m., it’s not unusual to have lower than 10% battery by 9 p.m. that night.
That is with fairly reasonable utilization — together with 30 to 40 minutes utilizing Twitter, round 10 minutes scrolling by means of TikTok and Instagram, frequent podcast listening, and a few hours spent on a 5G connection. I’ve ended some days with 20% to 30% battery earlier than bedtime, however that was provided that I restricted my display time to 2 hours or much less. My greatest day to this point included 17 hours and half-hour of complete use time, 2 hours and 24 minutes of screen-on time, and I nonetheless managed to finish the day with 26% remaining.
This isn’t excellent battery life, however it does seem like enhancing a bit of bit extra with every day that I exploit the Flip 5. In the case of charging, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 sports activities 25W wired charging, 15W wi-fi charging, and 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging if you wish to use it to prime up your smartwatch, wi-fi earbuds, or one other cellphone.
These are all nice speeds and pretty commonplace for this manner issue. The Z Flip 5 goes from 0 to 50% in about half-hour and takes a bit of over an hour to get a full recharge. It’s nothing that’ll knock your socks off just like the 80W charging on the OnePlus 11, however it will get the job executed.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: worth and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 begins at $1,000 with 256GB because the default choice. If you happen to want extra cupboard space, you may get the 512GB model for $1,120. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is offered for quick buy. You will get it straight from Samsung.com, retailers like Amazon and Finest Purchase, or by means of your wi-fi provider. Provides and offers on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 are widespread, so should you don’t need to pay the total retail worth, you’ll simply must have a bit of endurance and the fitting deal will come alongside.
Yet another factor to think about is the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will probably be launched within the close to future, so except you discover a actually wonderful deal or can’t look forward to a brand new cellphone, it is going to be value seeing what Samsung does with the Z Flip 5’s sequel.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: verdict
Once I reviewed the Motorola Razr Plus earlier this yr, I referred to as it “the folding cellphone I’ve been ready for. I additionally went on to jot down one other article hailing the Razr Plus as my favourite smartphone of 2023. I’ve talked about that cellphone loads all through this evaluate, and that’s as a result of it’s the closest — and the one — competitor Samsung faces with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 (no less than within the U.S.). For me, the Razr Plus nonetheless has a attraction that Samsung doesn’t fairly grasp with the Flip 5.
Whether or not it’s the magenta leather-based again, the extra streamlined cowl display, or Motorola’s easier software program, the Razr Plus is a cellphone I personally favor utilizing a bit extra. However after I take a step again and have a look at the massive image — and take into consideration which folding cellphone most individuals ought to spend their $1,000 on — it’s tough to not suggest the Galaxy Z Flip 5 over Motorola’s flip cellphone.
If you happen to’re available in the market for a $1,000 folding cellphone proper now, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the one you can purchase.
There are loads of causes for this. Samsung’s hinge feels significantly better constructed, and for a folding cellphone, that’s a giant deal. The Z Flip 5 additionally has a greater digital camera expertise, a more moderen processor, longer software program help, and a nicer total construct. Sure, the duvet display is a ache to configure, however after you have it arrange the best way you need, it does nearly every part you possibly can ask for.
I’ll put it this manner: If you happen to’re available in the market for a $1,000 folding cellphone proper now, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the one you can purchase. I’ve my private preferences for Motorola’s flip cellphone, however it’s inconceivable to disclaim that Samsung has the objectively higher product of the 2. There’s a cause Samsung is seen because the king of folding telephones, and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 ensures that received’t change any time quickly.
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