I’ve already managed to get my hands on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 for nextpit. Read my honest thoughts in this hands-on of Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is Samsung’s latest flagship foldable smartphone. It comes in three memory configurations: 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB, with its price starting at $1,799 for the 256 GB model. Pre-orders will begin on July 26, 2023.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Prices | |
|---|---|
| 256 GB | $1,799 |
| 512 GB | $1,999 |
| 1 TB | $2,299 |
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a foldable smartphone that folds close vertically as opposed to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 which arrives in a clamshell format. This year, Samsung decided to perform minor optimization tweaks rather than take a stab at innovation.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 retains the same camera module, screen, battery, and charging technology as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Well, the screen is a little bit brighter, while the new teardrop-shaped hinge allows the smartphone to fold completely flat. We’ve also got the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC powering the device. However, at $1,799 a pop, is Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone really worth it?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 design and build quality
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 doesn’t feature any major changes in terms of design. The finish is excellent, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and IPX8 certification for water and dust resistance included. However, there is still no space for an S Pen.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to a high-end handset. We’ve got Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to protect the back and cover screen. The frame is made from aluminum, and the foldable smartphone is IPX8-certified for water and dust resistance. You can submerge it under 1.5 m of clean water for 30 minutes. Kudos to the brave ones who have already taken their handsets out for a dip.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available in three colors: Phantom Black, Cream, and Icy Blue. The latter is really visually appealing. The foldable smartphone is thinner than last year’s model, thanks to its new “teardrop” hinge that allows it to fold completely flat. The dimensions of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are:
- 67.1 x 154.9 x 13.4 mm when folded
- 129.9 x 154.9 x 6.1 mm when unfolded
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 weighs 253 g, making it 10 g lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This form factor is clearly heavy, but some non-folding smartphones also tip the scales at a similar weight. All in all, I found the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to be easy to hold in the hand.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 features two screens: 7.6-inches and 6.2-inches, respectively. Not much has changed here as well apart from the slightly higher brightness.
The inner screen is a 7.6-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2176 x 1812 pixels and a variable refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz (LTPO). The outer screen is a 6.2-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2316 x 904 pixels and also features a variable refresh rate ranging from 48 to 120 Hz (LTPO).
At the top of the left panel of the inner display, Samsung integrated a selfie camera hidden beneath the screen. This UDC (Under Display Camera) has a ridiculous 4 MP resolution (by today’s standards) and will really only be useful for video calls. You have plenty of other options for taking quality selfies with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
In short, I found the two-screen combo to be as effective as ever. The cover screen has the dimensions of a normal smartphone, albeit being a little thinner just like a Sony Xperia. The inner screen is just as attractive when unfolded. Yes, this is despite the fact that the crease in the middle is still very noticeable, both visually and to the touch.
Overall, it is more or less exactly the same recipe as last year. Almost nothing has changed compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Samsung insists that this year’s model has improved brightness in the inner screen, rated at 1,200 nits in HBM compared with 1,000 nits on the Z Fold 4, and 1,750 nits at peak compared with 1,500 nits.
And the pixel density hiding the selfie camera beneath the inner screen is also said to have increased, concealing the selfie lens further. We’ve seen far more advanced evolution before, so nothing surprised us here, really.
Operating System and UI
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs on One UI 5.1 which is based on Android 13. Samsung promises four Android updates and five years of security updates for this handset.
I’m not going to dwell on Samsung’s Android skin, as you can find our full One UI 5.1 review here. You can also check out our list of the best One UI features for your Samsung smartphone.
I liked the photo app functions that let you use the outer screen as a viewfinder to take selfies via the photo lens located behind. However, I’ll confine myself to mentioning the new features specific to the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
The first of these, which is fairly minor, enables up to four recent applications to appear as a shortcut on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Previously, it was only possible to have two. Yeah, I know, we’re off to a great start. But hang on, it’s not over yet.
You can still minimize full-screen applications and turn them into floating windows. However, you can now hide these floating windows by dragging them right or left to the very edge of the screen.
The most interesting feature is the new drag-and-drop gesture for copying and pasting items from one application to another. Basically, you can open your photo gallery, tap and hold on a photo to copy it, then tap and hold the Samsung Notes application icon to drag and drop the image from your gallery and paste it into your note.
Samsung also optimized the split-screen mode somewhat. You can now display floating windows while the screen is in split mode. In any case, I’ll bring you a full guide to all the multitasking features available on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in due time.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 performance
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC. This is simply a “custom” version where Qualcomm has slightly overclocked the chip. This SoC is mated to 12 GB of RAM and 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB of storage.
I was only able to run a few benchmarks during my short hands-on and unfortunately didn’t have the time to download or install a mobile game on the smartphone. After running my two benchmarks, I could already feel the smartphone heating up behind. I’ll tell you more about its thermal throttling in my full review.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) | |
|---|---|
| 3DMark Wild Life | Too powerful |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme | 3,009 |
| Geekbench 6 |
|
Samsung wasn’t too keen on running benchmarks for testers at the press event. The manufacturer’s representatives warned us that the software versions of the models on display were not finalized yet. Let’s give Samsung the benefit of the doubt, and we’ll soon see whether the traditional launch updates will have a positive impact on performance.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera
That’s my biggest disappointment with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The camera module has not changed at all compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. We find the same triple camera module at the back, with a 50 MP main lens, a 12 MP ultra wide-angle lens, and a 10 MP telephoto lens that is capable of 3x optical zoom
.
The 10 MP external selfie camera and the 4 MP internal selfie camera which remains hidden under the screen also remain unchanged.
I’ll reserve my judgment in the full review as well. Admittedly, Samsung hasn’t gone overboard in terms of new features. But overall, the photo quality of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 remains excellent.
I simply find it regrettable that this $1,799 folding smartphone, which is Samsung’s flagship among flagships, doesn’t feature the same camera configuration as the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Okay, my detractors will retort that Samsung surely doesn’t want to cannibalize its two premium ranges. At the very least, it could have given us the S23 Ultra’s 200 MP main lens.
Just note that the quality of the camera tucked beneath the screen and its paltry 4 MP makes it a gimmick at best. It remains practical for making video calls and provides the bare minimum quality that does the trick. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers several better alternatives for taking quality selfies anyway.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 battery
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 packs a 4,400 mAh battery that supports 25 W wired charging, 15 W wireless charging, and 5 W reverse wireless charging. The charger is not included in the box.
There’s no evolution to be noted here either, which is becoming a repetitive tune. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to spend the night at Samsung’s headquarters to run our PC Mark benchmark and test out the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s battery life.
I’ll tell you more in my full review. I simply think it’s a shame to be stuck with 25W wired charging in 2023. Yes, it’s the same with Apple. Yes, it’s the same with Google as well. But the Galaxy S23 Ultra has already made the leap to 45 W, so why not the Galaxy Z Fold 5?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 technical specifications
| Technical specifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Device | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | |
| Image |  | |
| Dimensions & Weight | Folded | Unfolded |
| 253 g | ||
| External display | 6.2-inch | AMOLED | 2316 x 904 p | 48-120 Hz | |
| Internal screen | 7.6-inch | AMOLED | 2176 x 1812 p | 1-120 Hz | |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | |
| Memory | 12 GB RAM | 256/ 512 GB/ 1 TB storage | |
| Expandable storage? | ❌ | |
| OS | One UI 5.1 | Android 13 | |
| Main photo lens | 50 MP | f/1.8 aperture | μm pixel size | Dual Pixel AF | OIS | |
| Ultra-wide angle lens | 12 MP | f/2.2 aperture | 1.12 μm pixel size | 123° FOV | |
| Telephoto lens | 10 MP | aperture f/2.4 | pixel size 1 μm | optical zoom x3 | OIS | PDAF | |
| Selfie lens | 10 MP | aperture f/2.2 | pixel size 1.22 μm | |
| Under-screen selfie lens | 4 MP | aperture f/1.8 | pixel size 2 μm | |
| Battery | 4,400 mAh | |
| Charging | Wired: 25 W | Wireless (Qi): 15 W | Reverse wireless: 5 W | |
| Connectivity | 5G | LTE | Wi-Fi 6E | Bluetooth 5.3 | |
| IP rating | IPX8 | |
| Colors | Icy Blue, Cream, Phantom Black | |
Early Verdict
My first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 are more than mixed. The concept itself is still cool, that’s for sure. If I had $2,000 to blow on a smartphone, I wouldn’t buy any other model than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, or the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
And therein lies the problem. To say that Samsung has focused on optimization rather than innovation is a huge understatement. It’s the kind of thing you’d say in an iPhone review to avoid offending Apple, at the risk of jeopardizing your invitation to Cupertino in September.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 doesn’t carry enough innovation. You get the same screen, albeit a little brighter, not to mention exactly the same camera module. The same battery and charging technology as well as design are also part of the deal, with the latter being just thinner and flatter.
Samsung will surely say that these tiny improvements conceal an immense amount of R&D investment coupled with technological prowess. Make no mistake about it, I don’t doubt that at all. But all I can see is that the $1,799 price tag is expensive, and that makes the very few new features offered by the Galaxy Z Fold 5 very difficult to recommend.
What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5? Do you think I’ve been too harsh in this review? Will I make a U-turn in my full review? Do you think the $1,799 asking price is justified?
To find out more, check out our selection of the best foldable smartphones and our comparison of the best Samsung smartphones in 2023.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
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