Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Which should you buy?

Flagships proceed to get higher yearly, however additionally they proceed to get greater and larger. This ever-increasing race to pack the most effective applied sciences right into a single cellphone has led us to telephones we will’t simply maintain and deal with. For those who’re in search of compact telephones, your choices are fairly restricted. From the home of Samsung, the Galaxy S23 is without doubt one of the prime decisions for individuals who desire a small cellphone. However with the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, we now have a brand new compact cellphone to look ahead to.

Which small cellphone must you choose, although? On this comparability, we pit the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs the Galaxy S23 to evaluate which cellphone makes essentially the most sense for small cellphone patrons.

Let’s begin with the elephant within the room. The largest distinction between the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy S23 is that one is a foldable whereas the opposite isn’t.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a clamshell foldable that seems as a tall smartphone however could be folded within the center for a smaller footprint. The Z Flip 5 has two shows — a small show on the surface and a big show on the within. Then again, the Galaxy S23 has just one compact show, with no folding trickery concerned.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the primary amongst Samsung’s clamshell-style foldables to get a larger-sized cowl show. Samsung now calls this the Flex Window, measuring 3.4-inch diagonally, although this show has an odd form to accommodate the rear cameras. It is a 60Hz Tremendous AMOLED show with a decision of 720 x 748 pixels.

Since this cowl show is greater than what it was on its predecessors, customers can do loads of issues on it. You possibly can verify the climate, management music playback, atone for the inventory market, verify notifications, verify your name historical past, and even reply to texts with a full QWERTY keyboard — all with out flipping the cellphone open. It’s not an entire alternative for the bigger internal show, but it surely reduces the necessity to hold opening the cellphone for each small job.

Once you do have to flip open the cellphone, you get entry to a big 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X show. This internal show has a 120Hz adaptive refresh fee and a decision of two,640 x 1,080 pixels. When opened, the Z Flip 5 has a tall facet ratio of twenty-two:9, making the cellphone simple to grip for its display-diagonal. The clamshell folding kind issue provides you some great benefits of each a small cellphone and a big show.

There’s a noticeable crease working horizontally by the center of the Galaxy Z Flip 5. It’s noticeable at off-angles; you possibly can really feel it all through the day while you scroll up and down on the show.

On the Galaxy S23, there are not any such odd options. It’s a easy glass slab smartphone that we’re already acquainted with. There are not any deliberately folding components, creases, or secondary shows.

What you get on the Galaxy S23 is a 6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED show with a 120Hz refresh fee. It has a decision of two,340 x 1,080 pixels and a side ratio of 19.5:9 which is broader and shorter than the Flip 5. It’s a compact smartphone that most individuals can maintain and use with one hand.

On the within, the 2 telephones are pretty comparable. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy S23 include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the premier alternative of SoC for 2023. The “for Galaxy” branding means the chip barely differs from the common 8 Gen 2, providing increased peak CPU and GPU clock speeds. Each telephones even have the identical 8GB RAM possibility.

There’s a slight distinction in storage choices that Samsung presents. You should buy the Galaxy Z Flip 5 in 256GB and 512GB variants, whereas the Galaxy S23 could be bought in 128GB and 256GB variants.

Since there isn’t any microSD expandability on both cellphone, select the storage variant that can final you for the following two-three years of possession. Observe that Samsung doesn’t disclose its telephones’ RAM and storage kind specs.

For those who care about defending your cellphone in opposition to the weather, the Galaxy S23 performs higher with its IP68 score, whereas the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has an IPX8 score.

The “8” signifies water resistance, with each telephones in a position to deal with contemporary water as much as 1.5m depth for as much as half-hour. Neither can deal with saltwater, although; water injury isn’t coated beneath guarantee, so that you’d nonetheless need to keep away from water usually.

The purpose of distinction is in mud safety. The “6” after “IP” is the utmost rating for mud safety, that means the Galaxy S23 is dust-resistant. The “X” signifies a placeholder, that means the producer didn’t particularly check the product. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 thus can’t be judged as dust-resistant, so we’d advise care and warning round sand, mud, and particles as there’s a chance that particles can enter the cellphone.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 depends on a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor residing within the energy button for biometric authentication. The Galaxy S23 depends on an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Each are nice for authentication, so which one is healthier would boil right down to your placement choice.

Concerning software program, the expertise is almost an identical on both cellphone (barring the options reserved for the quilt show). Each telephones launched with One UI based mostly on Android 13. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with One UI 5.1.1, which is barely newer than One UI 5.1 on the Galaxy S23. Each telephones have been up to date to One UI 6 based mostly on Android 14.

Each telephones will obtain 4 main Android OS updates and 5 years of safety updates from their launch date. Because the Flip 5 is a later launch, it’s promised to get a few safety updates greater than the Galaxy S23, however this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker to most individuals.

In its folded state, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a tiny cellphone. It measures simply 85.09 x 72 x 15mm, which could be very pocketable.

In its unfolded state, although, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a tall cellphone. It measures 165 x 71.9 x 6.9mm, considerably taller and barely wider than the Galaxy S23’s 146.3 x 70.8 x 7.6mm dimensions. The S23 is barely thicker, although, and since it doesn’t fold, it additionally feels extra strong and assured within the hand.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is heavier at 187g, in comparison with the Galaxy S23’s 168g weight.

If measurement is your main consideration, you’d have to resolve whether or not you desire a cellphone that’s all the time compact (Galaxy S23) or if you happen to’d like a big show with the portability of a smaller kind issue (Galaxy Z Flip 5).

As for the design, there’s a stark distinction between the 2, primarily due to the shape issue. You possibly can see a commonality within the design language that makes each of them Samsung telephones, however rather more of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is occupied by a show.

The cameras on the 2 telephones have a good bit of distinction. Samsung is constrained by the foldable kind issue on the Flip 5, so the corporate can not usher in a few of the higher digital camera tech it has been utilizing on the Galaxy S23.

For starters, the first digital camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a 12MP sensor with an ƒ/1.8 aperture, 1.8μm pixel measurement, OIS, and Twin Pixel autofocus. Compared, the Galaxy S23 has a 50MP sensor with an ƒ/1.8 aperture, 1.0μm pixel measurement, OIS, and Twin Pixel autofocus. The pure pixel measurement might look smaller, however the Galaxy S23 makes use of quad-binning to mix 4 pixels into one bigger pixel, outputting 12.5MP photos.

On the Galaxy S23, we get vivid, vibrant photos with crisp particulars, and the Flip 5 reveals comparable habits. Usually, the variations between the S23’s and the Flip 5’s digital camera setup will likely be finest noticed in decrease lighting circumstances. In conditions with ample mild, common shoppers will usually don’t have any complaints from both cellphone.

The ultrawide digital camera on the 2 telephones is the same 12MP sensor with a 123° FoV and ƒ/2.2 aperture. The distinction is in pixel measurement, with Galaxy Z Flip 5 producing 1.12μm pixels whereas the Galaxy S23 produces 1.4μm pixels.

In comparison with the first on the respective telephones, the ultrawide produces a paler colour palette with softer particulars and the everyday wide-angle distortion on the edges. Between the 2 telephones, the Galaxy S23’s ultrawide once more has the higher hand over the Flip 5’s ultrawide as lighting turns into sub-optimal.

The place the Galaxy S23 has a transparent win is the telephoto digital camera as a result of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 doesn’t have one in any respect.

On the Galaxy S23, you get a 10MP telephoto digital camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 1.12μm pixel measurement. It’s able to 3x optical zoom and as much as 30x digital zoom. Particulars are nice at 3x and bearable at as much as 10x, so that you’d probably need to stay inside this zone for the most effective outcomes.

For the entrance digital camera, there’s a 12MP sensor with an ƒ/2.2 aperture and 1.12μm pixel measurement on the Galaxy S23. Compared, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 10MP sensor with an ƒ/2.2 aperture and 1.22μm pixel measurement.

You’d be hard-pressed to select a winner between the 2 units of telephones for the entrance digital camera, as the photographs are often excellent. There may be some room for enchancment in portrait mode, although.

Because the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a foldable with a big outer show, you possibly can successfully flip the cellphone round and use the first rear and ultrawide cameras in your selfie wants. In such conditions, you’d get a greater outcome than the Galaxy S23’s entrance digital camera.

For video, the Galaxy S23 can shoot 8K 30fps and 4K 60fps from its main rear digital camera. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is restricted to 4K 60fps solely from its main rear digital camera. There isn’t loads of benefit in capturing at 8K, although. Additional, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s distinctive kind issue makes it simple to carry like a camcorder, serving to with longer-duration capturing.

General, the Galaxy S23 nonetheless retains a lead in high quality and flexibility over the Galaxy Z Flip 5. A superb telephoto digital camera is an underrated function, and it helps with framing and positioning.

For those who’re selecting a cellphone for its digital camera prowess, we’d give factors to the Galaxy S23 over the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Regardless of the bigger expanded kind issue, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a smaller 3,700mAh battery, in opposition to the Galaxy S23’s 3,900mAh battery. Mixed with the larger expanded show, you’d often worsen battery life on the Flip 5 than the S23 until you resign your self to working the cellphone completely by the entrance show.

On the Galaxy S23, we may end days with 40% battery remaining, and often final a day and one other close-half on a full cost. With the Flip 5, we may final nearly a day, and one other quarter if we stretch it, with about 4 hours of screen-on time.

As for charging, each the Flip 5 and the Galaxy S23 share the identical charging specs. Each telephones help 25W wired, 15W proprietary wi-fi charging, and 10W Qi wi-fi charging.

A USB Energy Supply PPS charger will take 80 minutes to cost up the Galaxy S23 absolutely, and about 75-80 minutes to totally cost the Flip 5 regardless of the smaller battery.

Each telephones additionally help 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging to cost equipment. Nonetheless, neither cellphone comes with a charger within the field.

Pricing is the place the Galaxy S23 flexes its muscle tissue. The cellphone prices $800 for the 128GB variant, whereas the comparable 256GB variant retails for $860. Compared, the 256GB variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is available in at $1,000, whereas the 512GB variant is much more costly at $1,120.

For its value, the Galaxy S23 gives a wonderful package deal. Contemplating all of the areas the place it trumps the Flip 5, it’s stunning to see the decrease pricing. For those who’re prepared to accept a decrease storage variant, the worth distinction is a neat $200, which additional suggestions the already-titled spec sheet within the S23’s favor.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 launched on July 26, 2023, with pre-orders starting on the identical day. The cellphone went on open sale on August 11, 2023, within the US. We’ve seen the worth dip throughout gross sales season, however no deep or lasting reductions can be found for the cellphone but since it’s nonetheless comparatively new in its product lifecycle.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy S23 are strong smartphones with spectacular specs that ought to enchantment to the common person.

That being stated, the cellphone you must desire relies on a simple query: Would you like a foldable cellphone? If the reply is sure, then the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the apparent alternative. It’s best to go for the Galaxy S23 if the reply is not any.

For folk wanting a compact smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s folded kind issue would really feel attractive. However there are a good variety of compromises alongside the way in which. You possibly can’t use the cellphone’s whole performance by the quilt display screen, so you’ll need to ceaselessly open up the cellphone to make use of it. In its unfolded state, the Flip 5 is a big cellphone and can’t be referred to as compact.

Thus, the Galaxy S23’s kind issue makes it good for these wanting a compact cellphone, as no circumstances are connected to its compactness.

General, the Galaxy S23 wins out on the spec sheet. It has a barely higher life, higher mud resistance, and a significantly higher digital camera system. The cherry on the cake is that it’s cheaper too, so that you spend much less for a superior expertise.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a good cellphone, however you have to be dedicated to attempting out the foldable kind issue to understand what it brings to the desk. There are some comparative compromises to make vis-a-vis the Galaxy S23, however foldables are the speak of the city lately.

If you wish to have a cellphone in your hand that stands out from the ocean of glass slab smartphones, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the right cellphone.