Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Review: No New Tricks

Value When Reviewed

$1,799.99

Greatest Costs In the present day: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The brand new Samsung cellphone folds in half, once more. We’ve been right here earlier than.

I’m spoiled as I’ve entry to a variety of new telephones (it’s my job), however the Z Fold 5 is the fifth book-style folding cellphone from Samsung since 2019 – and issues are feeling quite acquainted.

This can be a system that appears and feels just like the Z Fold 4 and even the Z Fold 3, but it surely stays one of the best book-style folding cellphone you will get regardless of the elevated competitors from the likes of the Google Pixel Fold, Huawei Mate X3, and Vivo X Fold 2.

Samsung’s software program is the important thing. It’s one of the best available on the market because of app formatting, helpful flexibility, and S-Pen enter compatibility.

You must nonetheless ask your self if you really want a foldable like this although, because the Z Fold 5 stays eye-wateringly costly. However if you wish to be on the chopping fringe of cellular tech and in addition need a genuinely wonderful cellphone, that is the one to purchase.

Design & construct

• First Z Fold to close flat
• Sturdy hinge mechanism
• Matt glass again

The Z Fold 5 is a refined tackle the Z Fold 3 from 2021, as 2022’s Z Fold 4 barely modified something. The latest design adjustments listed here are the actual fact the Z Fold 5 shuts utterly flat, a feat achieved by Samsung’s rivals not too long ago and so one it needed to match. It meant that much less mud collected within the crease when it was in my pocket.

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It’s the thinnest Fold but at 13.4mm when shut however nonetheless a paperweight at 253g, dense and formed like a bar of gold bullion.

My engaging ‘Icy Blue’ overview system seems to be nice with a matt glass again that hides all fingerprints that the aluminium sides sadly don’t. You can even get it in black or cream, or a lesser-spotted blue and gray when you purchase from Samsung’s web site.

The hinge feels extremely strong too, in a position to keep open at any angle. This solidity provides to the very premium really feel of the cellphone, which – extremely – is IPX8 waterproof so might take a dunk within the pool and live on.

Due to the tall-and-thin design that takes in a thin outer show, it is a foldable that even I with my small fingers can comfortably use and kind on one-handed. I can’t kind on most common smartphones with one hand, and positively not on wider folding telephones such because the Pixel Fold.

A right-side-mounted fingerprint sensor means I can unlock the cellphone simply when closed with a thumb in a single hand. This cellphone is, weirdly, simpler to make use of in a single mitt than any Galaxy S23 or iPhone 14!

The haptics are additionally high notch – punchy and clipped once they should be with the keyboard, and powerful sufficient to really feel in a bag or pocket. No low cost buzzing sounds right here, simply high quality.

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Display & audio system

• 7.6in LTPO 120Hz inside AMOLED display screen
• 6.2in 120Hz outer AMOLED display screen
• Twin stereo audio system

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is all about its inside folding show. Fortunately it’s a superb panel that I loved regardless of the noticeable crease proper down the centre.

Different foldable producers resembling Motorola and Huawei have managed to clean out this crease on their units, however Samsung’s continues to be very evident. It’s bang in the course of a 7.6in AMOLED panel that in any other case seems to be nice. Samsung additionally has a show enterprise, in spite of everything, and it seemingly saves its finest for its personal merchandise.

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The 2176 x 1812 display screen has LTPO tech that lets it dynamically refresh between 1- and 120Hz relying on the app or what you’re doing, primarily to save lots of battery life. Apps seems to be daring and vivid on a show the place colors pop in an nearly cartoonish style in ‘Vivid’ mode out the field. You possibly can change this to ‘Pure’, and fiddle with each to get the texture you need.

Samsung’s ‘Eye consolation protect’ setting makes the display screen look far worse in its try and stability blue gentle relying on the ambient gentle. It’s nowhere close to nearly as good as Apple’s True Tone tech that does significantly better on iPhones.

Due to its 21.6:18 side ratio, the Z Fold 5’s inside display screen is nice for full-screen apps, or taking a look at two apps aspect by aspect. It’s much less pleasant for full-screen video, as you get black bar letterboxing whether or not you maintain it portrait or panorama. Apps like YouTube or Twitch are higher as there’s room for the video window and all of the remark or chat containers.

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S-Pen

The inside display screen can also be suitable with Samsung’s S-Pen styluses, which I used to be in a position to check with the brand new Slim S-Pen Case accent. It’s a case for the cellphone that clips on and holds a newly flat and skinny S-Pen Fold Version within the again so you’ll be able to carry it extra simply with you. It’s much better than the dangerous, chunky instances for earlier Folds that had a full measurement S-Pen in them.

It feels straightforward to put in writing on the display screen because of its plastic layers, but it surely’s a far cry from paper. I wrote a good few notes for this overview on the big display screen utilizing Samsung Notes, and Samsung additionally has labored carefully with in style iPad app GoodNotes to deliver S-Pen compatibility to its upcoming Android app.

Should you write a variety of notes you then’ll love having the ability to try this in your cellphone on a display screen measurement that isn’t cramped – it is a higher guess for the S-Pen than the S23 Extremely that comes with one contained in the precise cellphone. It’s additionally useful if it’s essential often signal paperwork, however you additionally may simply need to ship your mates daft drawings.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

On the entrance of the cellphone when it’s closed is a 6.2in AMOLED display screen that may refresh between a extra restricted vary of 48-120Hz when in adaptive mode, however nonetheless seems to be nice. I occur to love the gangly 23.1:9 side ratio as I’ve small fingers, so it’s a guide type foldable I can truly use one handed when closed. I can’t even kind one handed with a thumb on most common telephones as a result of they’re too large for me, but it surely’s straightforward to do this on the Z Fold 5’s outer show.

If in case you have bigger fingers you’ll wrestle with typos and all the things being too small.

Stereo audio system are on the highest and backside of the left half of the cellphone as you maintain it unfolded. They sound full and surprisingly detailed and do nice with YouTube and video games.  

Specs & efficiency

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset
• 12GB RAM in all fashions
• 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage

The Z Fold 5 has the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset that’s within the Galaxy S23 Extremely and the opposite S23 telephones. In benchmarking it clocked just below the ability of the Extremely on Geekbench, however the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has close to flawless efficiency.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 benchmarks

Apps open and cargo immediately because of 12GB throughout all fashions, and you may stand up to 1TB non-expandable storage when you actually need to spend over $2,000/£2,000 on a cellphone.

Connectivity is sorted with 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. There’s additionally a twin nano-SIM slot, or you’ll be able to run an eSIM.

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Digital camera & video

The cameras on the Z Fold 5 are dangerous for a cellphone of this worth. They’re the worst factor about it.

I wouldn’t say the identical in the event that they had been on a $500/£500 cellphone, however contemplating the Fold prices a minimum of $1,799.99/£1,749, they’re simply not acceptable. Colors are wildly oversaturated, significantly greens and blues of sky and grass, leaving most pictures I took with a neon splash of Barbie film proportions.

The primary rear lens is a 50Mp f/1.8 sensor with optical picture stabilisation (OIS). It produced crisp, clear photographs which can be able to submit to social media, however their vivid tones usually are not normally true to life.

I choose the photographs from Samsung’s extra mature tuning on the Galaxy S23 Extremely, or higher nonetheless from the Google Pixel 7 Professional, which has richer distinction and higher excessive dynamic vary.

The portrait mode is a bit iffy, too.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

A 10Mp f/2.2 ultra-wide lens can also be good in a pinch for capturing landscapes or busy scenes if you’re up shut, but it surely’s under one of the best smartphone cameras on the market.

The 10Mp f/2.4 telephoto digicam has 3x optical zoom and OIS and is sweet for punching into scenes and sustaining acceptable image high quality. However in actuality, these cameras aren’t any nice enchancment over a really comparable arrange on 2021’s Z Fold 3. Right here’s three pictures of the identical scene via every rear lens:

You additionally get a high-quality 10Mp selfie digicam in a minimize out within the outer show, and due to the entrance display screen you’ll be able to open the cellphone totally and use it as a viewfinder to take a selfie with the rear cameras. Right here’s one from the entrance 10Mp one although:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Samsung’s insistence on the 4Mp underneath show digicam within the inside display screen continues to be barely odd. It makes use of pixels to cowl it if you’re not in use, however selfies on it are horrible, and it ought to solely be used for video calls.

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I fairly loved capturing and watching video on the Fold because of the big viewfinder, and it will probably seize 8K footage at 30fps (not that both of its screens can play it again at that decision). In customary full HD at 30fps issues nonetheless look good, stabilisation is first rate, and hues aren’t as wildly saturated as they’re with pictures.

Battery & charging

• 4,400mAh battery
• 25W charging is ‘sluggish’
• Wi-fi and reverse wi-fi charging

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is one in every of Qualcomm’s most balanced chips ever, with nice energy effectivity. This makes the Z Fold 5 a cellphone you should utilize all day away from the mains, although it received’t stretch to 2 full days. Truthful sufficient when there’s two honking nice screens.

Within the PC Mark battery check, it scored a good 11 hours and 10 minutes, over an hour lower than the S23 Extremely. The Z Fold 5 solely squeezes in a 4,400mAh battery in comparison with that cellphone’s 5,000mAh.

There’s solely a USB-C cable within the field, so that you’ll have to purchase a 25W energy brick if you wish to cost at full velocity. That’s sluggish by fashionable requirements, and it solely charged to twenty-eight% in quarter-hour and 56% in half-hour for me.

You additionally get Qi wi-fi charging in-built, and you may wirelessly cost earbuds or different suitable units with reverse charging.

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Software program & options

• Android 13
• One UI 5.1.1
• 5 years of software program assist

The Z Fold 5’s software program is superb, one of the best on the market for a folding cellphone. You get an elective however nice taskbar that shows your chosen and up to date apps for rapidly launching them or going into break up display screen mode.

Two apps is concerning the max you need, although you may also open apps in pop up home windows if it’s essential. I used the cellphone to look at movies whereas texting, and in addition to have a video name whereas maintaining a piece chat open.

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Helpful as this may be, it’s these instances after I most really feel like book-style foldable telephones are discovering options to issues that solely exist due to their very own limitations.

Samsung’s One UI is sweet, and you may preserve issues as easy or as customised as you need. The Fold ships with Android 13, however will stand up to Android 17 in 2027. It would obtain safety patches until 2028, too, and if you’re spending this a lot, that’s good to know.

The system will put apps into ‘deep sleep’ that stops updates and notifications until you flip off this characteristic, one thing Chinese language producers typically get slated for, however Samsung is doing it too.

Higher are issues just like the Sport Booster mode that activates robotically when gaming to regulate capabilities and efficiency. It’s good to see Samsung recognise the Z Fold 5 can and shall be used for greater than productiveness and work.

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Value & availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 prices from $1,799.99/£1,748 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.

A 256GB mannequin prices $1,919.99/$1,849 and a 1TB mannequin may be bought for $2,159.99/£2,049 from Samsung’s web site.

You possibly can pre-order all fashions globally direct from Samsung. It goes on full sale worldwide on 11 August.

This can be a supremely costly cellphone. The value is without doubt one of the principal causes to not purchase it – until you’ll preserve it for a while and genuinely use and revel in all its options. In any other case, you will get a traditional – and higher – smartphone for a whole bunch much less.

Within the US, the one actual different to the Z Fold 5 is the Google Pixel Fold, which prices about the identical however has a wider design and fewer spectacular software program. The cameras are higher, although.

Within the UK you would go for the Pixel Fold or the Honor Magic Vs.

It’s price noting that for the worth of the most cost effective Z Fold 5 you would purchase the highest spec 1TB iPhone 14 Professional Max – a greater all-round system by far.

Verdict

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is one of the best book-style foldable nonetheless regardless of competitors from Google, Huawei, Vivo, and Xiaomi. These firms may need bested Samsung on {hardware}, however the pleasure right here is the software program. One UI is significantly better and extra helpful than any of its rivals.

Should you can abdomen the sky excessive asking worth, you’ll be rewarded by a cellphone with wonderful efficiency, all-day battery life, nice audio system, and oh yeah, an enormous folding show that’s nice to make use of.

However when you dislike the outer display screen’s thinness or the system’s unavoidable bulk, take into consideration whether or not a folding cellphone like that is actually for you.

Specs

• Unfolded: 129.9x 154.9 x 6.1mm
• Folded: 67.1 x 154.9 x 13.4mm
• 253g
• 6.2in 120Hz AMOLED cowl show (23.1:9)
• 7.6in 120Hz AMOLED foldable inside show (21.6:18)
• Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on entrance show and rear
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB/1TB of UFS 4.0 storage
• Rear cameras: 50Mp principal f.1.8, 10Mp f/2.4 3x telephoto, 12Mp f/2.2 123-degree ultra-wide
• 4Mp f/1.8 under-display digicam
• 10Mp f/2.2 cowl digicam
• As much as 8K video recording
• 4,400mAh battery with 25W charging
• Aspect-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 5G
• NFC
• Out there in Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream, Gray, Blue