Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review: Weird Flex but OK

Value When Reviewed

$999.99

Finest Costs At present: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

I can’t resolve if folding telephones are nice or silly, and it’s messing with my mind.

On one hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a marvel. It folds down from an everyday smartphone measurement right into a smaller, pocketable sq. form. It’s enjoyable. It is available in mint inexperienced.

However alternatively its outer display screen, whereas bigger than on earlier variations, is an admission of the compromise of a folding flip telephone. It’s meant to be folded shut generally. In the event you want a display screen, simply open it up! Don’t make me run apps on a tiny outer display screen!

I’ve additionally discovered battery life to be merely OK, and the cameras on this $1,000/£1,000+ telephone will not be ok – each areas haven’t improved from 2022’s Z Flip 4.

None of this modifications the actual fact the Z Flip 5 continues to be in all probability the most effective foldable you should buy in numerous methods. That’s primarily all the way down to Samsung’s 5 years of software program assist, and the higher after-sales assist globally in comparison with flip telephone rival Motorola. It’s additionally a less expensive foldable than Samsung’s personal Galaxy Z Fold 5.

However after utilizing the Flip for greater than per week I can’t assist however conclude you may get higher cameras, battery life, and show from a number of telephones that price much less. I don’t suppose you can purchase this telephone simply because it folds in half, but that is still the principle motive to purchase one.

Design & construct

• Folds flat when closed
• Compact when closed
• Shiny and slippery

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 folds shut just like the basic flip telephones of the early 2000s, so it’s smaller to carry in your hand or retailer in a pocket or bag. It’s the alternative thought of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which is the dimensions of a standard telephone however unfolds into a bigger pill measurement display screen.

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This capability to close flat with out the small hole of earlier Flips is all the way down to a slight redesign within the hinge of the telephone, which permits the display screen to billow extra on the crease in a waterdrop form and shut flat – and hopefully put much less stress on the folding show over time.

Samsung charges the hinge and display screen to play good collectively for 200,000 actions with out breaking – that’s over 5 years when you open and shut it 100 instances per day.

The surface of the telephone is principally fabricated from glass and aluminium, with a slippery texture due to each. Very slippery certainly. The telephone slid off my degree desktop and it gained’t keep nonetheless on many surfaces. You’ll need a case, although the Flip is impressively IPX8 water-proof – no dustproof score right here, although.

Regardless of not having the matt glass end of the Z Flip 4, my mint inexperienced overview pattern did fairly effectively to hid fingerprints. Which may not be the case for different color choices.

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An outer show covers many of the entrance of the highest half of the telephone’s again, whereas the remainder is adorned with twin principal cameras, a USB-C port, quantity rocker, and aspect mounted fingerprint sensor. The latter works effectively for authenticating apps and unlocking the telephone when it’s open or closed.

The haptics on the Z Flip 5 are additionally nice, with tight, clipped buzzes for the keyboard and nice use of various vibration patterns across the consumer interface (UI).

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Screens & audio system

• 6.7in 120Hz AMOLED principal display screen
• 3.4in 60Hz AMOLED outer display screen
• Twin stereo audio system

Unfolded, the Z Flip 5 has a 6.7in OLED 120Hz folding display screen that’s a tall 22:9 side ratio and has a big crease proper throughout the center horizontally. To fold, Samsung makes use of a plastic and glass composite, however in every day use it looks like tapping and swiping instantly on plastic.

That it really works is a marvel, nevertheless it’s a much less premium feeling than instantly interacting with the glass of an everyday smartphone. The outer layer will get mucky with fingerprints and hand oil very quick.

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I discovered my thumb didn’t typically contact the crease when scrolling due to how I held the Flip, however when you do go over it you possibly can really feel a particular ridge, and at some angles textual content contorts barely because it passes over it.

Turned sideways the display screen is a pleasant broad measurement, however I needed to study to not hold wanting on the now-vertical crease. It’s extra noticeable right here than on the bigger folding display screen of the Z Fold 5.

The principle improve for the Z Flip 5 over earlier fashions is the outer display screen, which is now a 3.4in 60Hz show that may present much more info than the dinky ones earlier than. It dips down on the backside left edge to get across the cameras.

The thought is you possibly can run massive widgets for apps like calendar, climate, and alarms, in addition to view and work together with notifications with out opening the telephone.

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Like key rival, the Motorola Razr 40 Extremely (Razr+ within the USA), you may also run full apps on there comparable to Google Maps, YouTube, and WhatsApp, the latter full with tiny keyboard to kind out messages.

It’s spectacular and appears cool, nevertheless it looks like an answer to an issue Samsung has created itself. The entire level of a flip telephone – at present and 20 years in the past – is it’s a compact design that you just shut and put away. You’re allowed to cease utilizing it and are inspired to take action. You’ve got an entire inside display screen to make use of when you want it.

Utilizing the outer show is far worse in each occasion. The one helpful factor is that it may be a viewfinder to snap a selfie or group photograph with the principle digital camera. In any other case, all the things it might probably do is extra annoying and a worse expertise than simply opening the telephone.

I favor the small screens on the older Z Flip 4 or the Motorola Razr 40 that don’t distract you however nonetheless show key info.

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When closed and with the all the time on display screen turned on, it’s helpful to look down on the time, date, notifications, or battery share. That is helpful info and means I can hold my telephone closed. I don’t need to watch Netflix movies on it. That’s silly.

In a pinch possibly I’d use Google Maps and maintain the closed telephone simpler in a single hand. However I’ve by no means been holding a standard smartphone whereas utilizing Google Maps and considering it’d be higher if the display screen was a lot smaller and displayed a lot much less info.

Right here’s how Google Maps on the Z Flip 5 (left) compares to the outer show on the Motorola Razr 40 Extremely:

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If something, the quilt display screen highlights that Samsung wants to alter one thing every year on the Flip to make it totally different from the final one. That’s the factor this 12 months. To be honest, you may dig it. I believe the outer show of the Z Fold 5 makes much more sense because it’s an precise full telephone display screen fairly than a half-baked widget window however you may not need a telephone that massive and heavy.

The twin stereo audio system situated within the earpiece and the underside edge pump out respectable quantity and don’t distort even on the highest degree, although do change into piercing. Like all telephones – nice for YouTube and podcasts, however for music, get a Bluetooth speaker.

Specs & efficiency

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
• 8GB RAM
• Runs very effectively

The Z Flip 5’s efficiency is excellent due to the particular overclocked model of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 additionally discovered within the Z Fold 5 and Galaxy S23 telephones. The Flip runs a smidge slower when really pushing it with high-end video games and multitasking because it has 8GB RAM in comparison with 12GB within the Fold or Galaxy S23 Extremely.

In benchmark checks, the Flip carried out noticeably higher than final 12 months’s Flip 4 in CPU use, however graphical outcomes have been very related:

Each model of the Z Flip 5 has 8GB RAM, with both 256- or 512GB non-expandable storage. It’s good to see Samsung ditching the 128GB mannequin and beginning with double that.

My overview pattern ran Name of Responsibility Cellular completely tremendous, although the crease proper down the center of the display screen was distracting.

Connectivity comes within the type of Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 4G, and 5G.

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Digital camera & video

• Stable 12Mp principal sensor
• 12Mp ultra-wide and 10Mp selfie
• Usually over-saturated colors

The cameras on the Z Flip 5 are stable and completely acceptable, however they’re inferior to another telephones on this worth vary.

That mentioned, the principle lens has nice dynamic vary and is an excellent digital camera you’ll be happy to hold in every single place with you for the subsequent few years. I received some pictures out of it that I’m actually happy with, nevertheless it’s not probably the most constant.

That 12Mp principal lens is f/1.8 and has optical picture stabilisation (OIS), and takes clear, sharp pictures in daylight. I’ve been impressed with the sharpness and degree of element, although a few pictures have areas of blur in them. I additionally discovered that generally the colors are saturated as much as inside an inch of their dayglo perfect, notably the blues and greens:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Right here’s extra of that principal lens in motion, together with utilizing the entrance display screen as a selfie viewfinder, and in low mild:

Possibly I’m being nitpicky, however the color palettes of each the iPhone 14 and notably Google Pixel 7 are far more pure to my eyes (telephones that price lower than the Flip however don’t, y’know, flip).

You possibly can shoot in RAW, which is sweet to see, and video is nice, with stabilised footage capable of course of at as much as Extremely HD (4K) at 60fps.

The ultra-wide digital camera can also be 12Mp however a unique sensor with f/2.2 however no OIS, and it’s not nearly as good in high quality. Positive for capturing extra of a scene, however the color can also be too vibrant in lots of situations:

Don’t get me improper, the cameras listed here are stable and will probably be greater than sufficient for informal photographers. Right here’s portrait mode at work, too:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

However in case you are after the most effective digital camera telephone, this ain’t it, particularly if you’d like an optical telephoto lens, because the Z Flip 4 doesn’t have one. Zoom is digitally cropped from the principle lens and you may punch in at 2x, 4x, and 10x utilizing the UI. 10x appears shoddy however pictures are surprisingly good at 4x:

A 10Mp front-facing digital camera cut-out on the principle display screen is stable and does effectively with selfies so long as you’ve turned off Samsung’s beautifying modes (you don’t want ‘em, hun):

Battery life & charging

• Gradual 25W wired charging
• Qi wi-fi charging
• Reverse wi-fi charging

The Z Flip 5 comes with only a USB-C to -C cable within the field and might solely cost at a pitiful 25W no matter charger you employ. That is far behind the OnePlus 11 (100W) and even Samsung’s personal 23 Extremely (45W).

I charged the telephone from lifeless to solely 22% in quarter-hour and 40% in half-hour, regardless of the small capability. The OnePlus 11 can totally cost in 26 minutes. In the event you worth quick charging, the Z Flip 5 will not be for you.

I discovered battery life to be tremendous, nearly lasting a day when utilizing the telephone loads. In PC Mark’s battery check, the telephone lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes.

Given the small measurement of the gadget, there’s solely a 3,700mAh cell however the Razr 40 (common mannequin) matches in a 4,200mAh cell. That is no two-day telephone by any means, and I noticed the telephone lose greater than 10% in a single day whereas doing nothing. Maintaining the always-on operate on the outer display screen activated might have one thing to do with this.

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As soon as, the telephone received to 19% with simply two hours and 11 minutes of display screen on time. That’s unhealthy, nevertheless it was often higher than this. You’ll have to cost earlier than the top of the day in case you are a heavy telephone consumer.

When you’ve got juice although you possibly can reverse cost appropriate equipment comparable to earbuds, or cost the telephone itself on a Qi charging pad.

Software program & options

• Android 13
• OneUI 5.1.1
• 5 years of assist

Out of the field, you possibly can solely run a choose variety of full apps on the skin display screen, however there’s a method to run any you want. It’s probably the most insanely hidden software program function – Samsung clearly doesn’t need you to show it on as a result of it’s a foul expertise, so I’m undecided why you’ll be able to flip it on.

You obtain Samsung app Good Lock via the Galaxy Retailer, then obtain a function known as MultiStar (clearly!). Then you definately faucet MultiStar and faucet, I child you not, ‘I ♡ Galaxy Foldable’ after which allow the Launcher Widget. From there you possibly can choose all of the apps you’d prefer to run on the outer show. You then should add the Good Lock widget to the outer show. How consumer pleasant!

They work effectively sufficient, however Samsung is clearly attempting to regulate which apps are used on it by most individuals. Why not let all apps on there like on the Motorola Razr 40 Extremely?

On the principle display screen, One UI 5.1.1 does a fantastic job of wanting and behaving such as you’d count on from a standard Samsung smartphone. It’s very customisable and does take a little bit tinkering to be pleased with it in my expertise, however I’m no One UI hater. I might simply use it day-after-day and like it to the Android skins utilized by Xiaomi, Vivo, and OnePlus.

Samsung’s ‘flex mode’ works with just a few apps such because the digital camera and YouTube, the place folding the telephone midway can act like a tripod to make use of hands-free. It’s nice for video calls and works with WhatsApp and Fb Messenger in addition to Google calling apps.

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There’s additionally a function you possibly can swap on known as ‘flex mode panel’ that retains any app open on the highest half of the display screen and turns the underside half right into a touchpad, turning the telephone right into a tiny laptop computer with mouse management. It’s cute, and may work as an accessibility possibility for some.

Samsung nonetheless has the most effective software program assist of any Android producer, providing 4 years of Android updates and 5 years of safety patches for the Z Flip 5, so that you’re good till 2027 and 2028 respectively.

With all the ability the telephone has, I’m undecided why Samsung doesn’t add its desktop mode DeX to the Z Flip 5. The Z Fold 5 runs it, as do the S23 telephones. Plugging within the telephone to a monitor to run apps in a Home windows-style desktop mode may be very useful, if area of interest, and the {hardware} right here might definitely address it.

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Value & availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 prices from $999.99/£1,049 for a mannequin with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.

An 8GB/512GB mannequin prices $1,119.99/£1,149.

In the event you pre-order the telephone from Samsung instantly, you may get the 512GB model for the value of the 256GB. This supply is on till the official on sale date of 11 August.

It’s an expensive telephone, however if you’d like a flip foldable the one different choices within the US is the identically priced $999/£1,049 Motorola Razr 40 Extremely, whereas the UK additionally has that and the £849 Oppo Discover N2 Flip. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a hefty $1,799.99/£1,749.

Non-folding telephones such because the $599/£599 Google Pixel 7 characterize significantly better worth, with superior cameras, show, and battery life.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a superb alternative if you’d like a contemporary folding flip telephone. It has a really premium design, intelligent software program options, battery that ought to final you a day, and is actually compact when folded shut.

Its outer display screen may allure you, and it’s good for checking time, notifications, and key info with out unfolding the gadget. However I discovered myself irritated at its limitations whereas attempting to be helpful, and it feels redundant to run full apps on it when you possibly can simply unfold the telephone and use the superior inner display screen.

The very fact Samsung tries to restrict which apps you should use on the small show exhibits you the corporate doesn’t actually need you to.

It makes the Z Flip 5 really feel like a little bit of a ‘the place subsequent?’ type of telephone. It’s similar to the Z Flip 4, and for the value I like to recommend getting an everyday smartphone that can have a greater display screen, digital camera, and battery life, such because the Google Pixel 7, iPhone 14, or any of the Galaxy S23 sequence.

Specs

• Android 13 with One UI 5.1.1
• 6.7in Full HD+ 120Hz (2640×1080) foldable 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X with HDR10+ assist
• 3.4in Tremendous AMOLED (260×512) 60Hz cowl display screen
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset
• 8GB RAM
• 256/512GB inner storage
• 12Mp, f/1.8, OIS rear digital camera + 12Mp extremely broad, f/2.2
• 10Mp, f/2.2 entrance digital camera
• Facet-mounted fingerprint scanner
• 2D face recognition
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.3
• GPS
• NFC
• 5G
• 4G LTE
• IPX8
• USB-C
• 3700mAh non-removable battery
• 25W wired charging
• Wi-fi charging
• Unfolded: 71.9 x 165.1 x 6.9mm
• Folded: 71.9 x 85.1 x 15.1mm
• 187g