We had the opportunity to check out the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 firsthand at the Samsung Unpacked event in Berlin. Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s new foldable device before you decide to place a pre-order.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 release date and price
In synchronized Unpacked events worldwide, Samsung unveiled several devices today, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Watch 6 Series, and Galaxy Tab S9 Series.
With regard to the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s pricing and availability, Samsung will offer the device in two storage variants. The 256 GB model will cost $999, while the 516 GB variant is available for an additional $100.
As for color options, the device is available in Graphite, Cream, Lavender, and Mint. Additionally, Samsung offers online-exclusive (e-store) colors: Blue, Gray, Yellow, and Green.
Pre-orders for the devices were announced today, including the new Galaxy Z Flip 5. Availability for the handset is expected to kick off in the second half of August. As a bonus, Samsung is offering double the storage for those who place a pre-order for either one of the new foldable devices.
Design, Display, and Hinge
With a 3.4-inch screen instead of the 1.9-inch screen in its predecessor, the front display is now three times larger and grabbed our attention immediately. However, to be honest, this isn’t something new, as Samsung seems to be following Motorola’s footsteps if some among you might recall in our
Motorola Razr+ (2023) review
.
So why is this such great news? Well, we can now actually utilize active widgets on the cover display, which offers three times the viewing area we had before. This includes the ability to respond to WhatsApp messages using a full-sized keyboard that has finally been integrated into the front screen. The experience is highly user-friendly, and I predict that over time you will find yourself using the phone in its folded state much more frequently.
Another rather noticeable update at first glance is the improved folding mechanism. The new hinge on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 now closes completely, eliminating the wedge-shaped air gap between panels. This results in an even thinner profile, with the device measuring a mere 15.1 mm when folded. To prevent dirt from getting between the panels and scratching them, Samsung has added a fine lip to the screen.
Another significant improvement is most certainly the reduced visibility of the crease and its thinner edges. It was about time for the Z Flip series to deliver a higher-quality main display. When unfolded, it reveals a beautiful Dynamic AMOLED FHD+ 6.7-inch display with an adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate.
All of these changes result in less pronounced bezels, a less noticeable crease, and a slightly slimmer smartphone overall. Apart from these, everything else remains the same.
Operating System and Interface
First things first: the Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs on the latest version of One UI 5 that is based on
Android 13. Samsung also provides one of the most reliable software update policies in the Android smartphone market. As such, you can expect at least four system upgrades (up to Android 17) and a minimum of five years of security patches
.
That said, as a foldable smartphone, the Z Flip 5 offers unique features that take advantage of this design. The so-called Samsung Flex features, such as Flex Mode and Flex Camera, are included. This means you can use your device in a folded position, which is particularly advantageous for recording videos with the main lenses and achieving higher quality in selfie photos.
Beyond the flex features, having a larger cover display proves beneficial in various scenarios, such as while shopping at the supermarket or traveling, as it maximizes the advantages of Samsung and Google Wallet. I’m a huge fan of NFC payment methods and all the features that come with the technology. Whether it’s for storing tickets for public transport or movies, everything is particularly convenient when the device is folded. It’s simply intuitive!
Finally, Active Widgets look set to play a major role on this device since, well, it’s a foldable phone. We’ve seen more and more manufacturers explore the use of widgets on the lock screen, such as Apple on iOS 17 and Nothing on Nothing OS 2.0. And there’s a very good reason for it: it’s really helpful.
It’s now even more user-friendly to use stacked widgets on the outer display, delivering an experience that is almost identical to using it when it is fully opened. I use the term ‘almost’ because, as of now, there’s no way to fully operate an app on the front screen. So, if you tap a widget intending to launch the associated application, you still need to navigate to the main screen.
For those wondering about the YouTube optimization for the flip screen, well… Samsung has yet to deal with this problem on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
To gain a more in-depth understanding of what One UI 5 has to offer, I recommend reading our guide on the best features to try out on Samsung’s User Interface. Also, check out my review of One UI 5 to get a balanced view of the software’s strengths and weaknesses.
Performance and Battery Life
When it comes to performance, the Z Flip series doesn’t disappoint. The Flip 5 is equipped with
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, currently the most powerful SoC for Android devices in the market. Samsung paired this monster with 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and took a bold approach to internal storage, which starts at 256 GB and goes all the way up to 512 GB
.
That said, we essentially see the same SoC configurations that were observed in the Galaxy S23 series, with a few tweaks that led to the processor being renamed as the ‘Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy’. Essentially, this translates into increased clock speeds, or so Samsung says. This tweak is tipped to deliver a boost in CPU performance and an increase in GPU performance compared to last year’s model.
At this point, we are unable to ascertain the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s capability as we normally would in a review due to time constraints. However, I anticipate a performance level that is similar to that demonstrated by the 2023 Galaxy S line-up. In other words, I expect consistent performance, but with significant thermal control measures in place.
Although we were able to conduct some benchmarks for the new flip phone, I consider these results as preliminary since the models we checked out at the event will most likely receive a software update shortly. So, stay tuned for a new overview of performance results when we publish our final review of the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
| Galaxy Z Flip 5 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) | Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) | Galaxy S23+ (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) | Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) | Galaxy Z Flip 4 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Mark Wild Life | Too powerful | 5,682 | |||
| 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test | Best loop: 9,653 Worst loop: 5,464 | Best loop: 11,049 Worst loop: 6,169 | Best Loop: 12,958 Worst loop: 8,047 | Best loop: 12,278 Worst loop: 7,386 | Best loop: 10,586 Worst loop: 4,145 |
| Geekbench | Single: 1,985 Multi: 5,151 (v6) | Single: 1,537 Multi: 4,807 (v5) | Single: 1,528 Multi: 4,823 (v5) | Single: 1,912 Multi: 4,981 (v5) | Single: 1,309 Multi: 4,213 (v6) |
Even though we see a performance upgrade between generations, something that remains unchanged is the battery capacity. Like its predecessor, the Z Flip 5 has a 3,700 mAh battery and supports a charging speed of up to 25W. In terms of fast charging, Samsung still lags behind the competition. We’ll provide more details on this in our final review, so stay tuned.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 camera
Speaking of consistency: Both sensors in the dual-camera setup maintained a 12 MP resolution, while the selfie camera kept its 10 MP resolution. If the camera module lacked a telephoto lens last year, the same is true for 2023. Additionally, we can probably anticipate the heavy post-processing results that I mentioned in my
Galaxy Z Flip 4 review
.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the image quality will be significantly compromised, as the main lens can deliver nice images under good lighting conditions. Still, given this price range, is it not wrong to hope for more than just a few modifications?
Finally, I had the opportunity to take some pictures with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 during the press event in Berlin. Here are some of the samples I managed to capture and share with my phone using the Nearby Sharing feature.
As a first impression of this year’s camera, I’ve noticed improvements in post-processing and light capture. Colors were warm and vivid, and the dynamic range has improved, resulting in more visually appealing photos. But still, in terms of camera capabilities, I was certainly hoping for more substantial innovations in 2023.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 technical specifications
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Device | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
| Image |  |
| Display | Main display: Infinity Flex Display | 6.7 inches | 22:9 | Dynamic AMOLED FHD+ (2,640 x 1,080 pixels) | 425 PPI Front display: 3.4-inch | Super AMOLED (720 x 748 pixels) | 60 Hz | 306 PPI Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Armor Aluminum |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy |
| Memory | 8 GB LPDDR5X RAM | 256 / 512 GB internal storage |
| Software | Android 13 with One UI 5.1.1 Four Android upgrades Five years of software updates |
| Rear camera | Dual camera Main: 12 megapixels | 1.8 µm | f/1.8 aperture | FOV: 83˚ | OIS Ultra-wide angle: 12 megapixels | 1.12 µm | f/2.2 aperture | FOV: 123˚ |
| Front camera | 10 megapixels | f/2.2 aperture | FOV: 85˚ |
| Battery | 3,700 mAh 25 W wired charging 10 W wireless charging |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, WLAN 802.11 a/b/g (2.4 GHz), Wi-Fi 6E (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.3, USB Type-C, GPS |
| IP | IPX8 |
| Colors | Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Mint Online exclusive (e-store): Blue, Gray, Yellow, Green |
| Dimensions | Closed: 71,9 x 85,1 x 15.1 mm Open: 71,9 x 165,1 x 6.9 mm |
| Weight | 187 g |
Early Verdict
In 2023, Samsung introduced some essential updates to the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Now, it has a highly functional outer display that allows data input. The hinge is decidedly better designed, and the gap between the displays has been eliminated. While these changes might seem basic to some, they affect daily use significantly, particularly considering the relatively slow development within the foldable device category.
Moreover, Samsung not only doubled the internal storage of the series but also maintained the same prices as last year’s lineup. This may not sound as impressive as it should, given the typically high prices in the foldable phone market. Trust me, it’s good news.
On the flip side (heh!), the Z Flip 5 continues Samsung’s trend of conservative upgrades, which is somewhat disappointing. Although camera quality seems to have improved, addressing the post-processing issues of last year’s model, I’m frustrated by Samsung’s failure to pioneer a leap in premium image sensors for the foldable phone category.
I’m confident that I don’t need the final review to declare that the new Z Flip generation is the best device in the lineup. However, it’s becoming less and less exciting for those who are already familiar with this form factor and actually own at least one of these devices. For newcomers, though, this device will likely be seen as “awesome,” as it should be.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
To device database
