Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 5 positive factors a considerably bigger cowl display screen, an upgraded hinge and a brand new processor that ought to enhance efficiency and pictures, addressing a few of the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s largest shortcomings. It launches on Aug. 11 beginning at $1,000 (£1,049, AU$1,649), exhibiting that customers nonetheless must pay a excessive value to get their palms on telephones that fold in half.
This story is a part of Samsung Occasion, CNET’s assortment of stories, suggestions and recommendation round Samsung’s hottest merchandise.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s largest improve is its new cowl show, which I discovered compelling throughout my transient time utilizing the machine. With this improve, the exterior show truly feels useful and helpful fairly than simply beauty, serving to Samsung’s flip telephone catch as much as these made by Motorola and Chinese language tech large Oppo.
Samsung launched the brand new flip telephone at its Galaxy Unpacked occasion in Seoul on Wednesday, alongside a bevy of different merchandise such because the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Watch 6 collection and Galaxy Tab S9 household. The launch underscores Samsung’s guess that foldable designs are the way forward for high-end smartphones, particularly as a differentiator to Apple simply forward of iPhone launch season.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 (left) and Galaxy Z Flip 4 (proper).
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The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cowl show, which Samsung now calls the Flex Window, measures 3.4 inches in comparison with the Z Flip 4’s 1.9-inch exterior show. That makes it simply barely smaller than the three.6-inch entrance display screen on the Motorola Razr Plus.
Most individuals will nonetheless use the Z Flip 5’s 6.7-inch inner display screen for duties like studying the information, taking part in video games and shopping social media. However the greater cowl show might make the Z Flip extra helpful in different methods. Once I reviewed the Razr Plus, for instance, I used to be enamored with the telephone’s spacious cowl display screen. I beloved propping it open like a tent whereas taking part in music, and even typing to shortly reply to a textual content message.
Watch this: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Palms-On: A Greater Display Goes a Lengthy Method
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Samsung is trying to offer an identical expertise with the Z Flip 5. Throughout my transient time with it, I scrolled by Google Maps, typed within the messages app and even watched the Barbie film trailer on YouTube with out opening the telephone. You possibly can’t do any of that on the Z Flip 4’s cowl display screen. Though you possibly can on the Razr Plus.
However you will not have the ability to use each app on the entrance show. For essentially the most half, Samsung limits cowl display screen apps to ones it believes have a great cause to be there, like Google Maps, YouTube and WhatsApp. Samsung needs to deal with use instances that make sense for the duvet display screen, like shortly checking instructions or replying to a textual content, which is why solely about 10 apps will probably be accessible on the Flex Window at launch. That differs from the Razr Plus, which may run nearly any app (together with TikTok) on the entrance display screen.
If you wish to attempt different apps on the duvet display screen you possibly can set up Good Lock, an app for Samsung gadgets that lets individuals customise their telephones’ interface.
Samsung; GIF by Arielle Burton/CNET
Cowl display screen apps seamlessly transition to the 6.7-inch inner show whenever you open the telephone. However this does not work the opposite approach round, because it does on the Motorola Razr.
The quilt display screen feels prefer it was primarily designed to run widgets greater than full apps. These widgets are the very first thing you see when turning on the duvet display screen, they usually present a bigger view of the climate, your calendar, alarms, linked machine controls and different tidbits of knowledge in comparison with the Z Flip 4’s minuscule display screen. You possibly can take away or reorder these widgets, both on the duvet display screen or within the telephone’s settings menu.
Samsung: GIF by Arielle Burton/CNET
The Z Flip 5 additionally has a brand new hinge, which Samsung calls the Flex Hinge. This permits the machine to fold fully closed, just like the Razr Plus, with out the wedge-shaped hole discovered on earlier Galaxy Z Flip and Fold gadgets.
This not solely makes the telephone really feel extra compact, nevertheless it ought to enhance sturdiness, in accordance with Samsung. The brand new hinge has fewer shifting components in comparison with the earlier model, which ought to make it much less inclined to break. Each of Samsung’s new foldables have an IPX8 water resistance ranking, which ought to enable them to face up to submersion in 1.5 meters (roughly 5 toes) of water for as much as half-hour. That is the identical sturdiness ranking as final 12 months’s gadgets.
The quilt display screen and hinge are the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s largest upgrades. In any other case, the telephone will get a routine processor improve to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. It is the identical chip that powers the Galaxy S23 lineup, which helped enhance the battery life and picture processing. I am wanting ahead to seeing whether or not that holds true for the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Samsung is leaning on this chip to shoulder the burden of extending the Z Flip 5’s battery life because it has the identical 3,700-mAh battery capability because the Z Flip 4. The bottom storage can also be rising from 128GB to 256GB on the Z Flip 5 in comparison with the Z Flip 4, a change that Samsung additionally made to the Galaxy S23 Plus earlier this 12 months.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 with its cowl display screen.
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Cameras have all the time been an essential a part of the Galaxy Z Flip collection, however the Z Flip 5 has related digicam {hardware} in comparison with final 12 months’s mannequin. That features a 12-megapixel most important digicam, a 12-megapixel ultrawide digicam and a 10-megapixel selfie digicam. The distinction this 12 months is that the cameras have a brand new lens coating that ought to scale back lens flare. Hopefully this, mixed with the brand new processor, will enhance the Galaxy Z Flip’s cameras from what my colleague Patrick Holland referred to as “B-grade cameras” in his evaluate final 12 months. And naturally, the Z Flip 5’s enlarged cowl display screen additionally means you will have a roomier viewfinder for taking selfies when the telephone is closed.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s software program expertise is basically the identical as that of the Z Flip 4, however Samsung added extra integrations with its new Galaxy Watch 6. For instance, when the digicam app is open and also you fold the Flip 5 midway to place it in Flex Mode and you will see the icon for the digicam controller app pop up in your Galaxy Watch 6’s watch face. This allows you to see a preview of what you are capturing and alter angles out of your wrist. The app itself is not new, however the watch’s skill to floor it when it detects that you take a photograph in Flex Mode is.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 looks like Samsung’s try to handle the earlier era’s largest compromises: A canopy display screen that felt too tiny to be helpful, a comparatively quick battery life and a hinge that did not fold as flat as some rivals. Whether or not I am going to advocate this telephone depends upon how nicely Samsung executes on that objective.
Samsung; GIF by Arielle Burton/CNET
However most significantly, I hope the duvet display screen provides the Z Flip 5 a clearer function. Having a telephone with a built-in tripod that may slot in your pocket extra simply is useful, nevertheless it’s not sufficient to persuade most individuals to change to a $1,000 flip telephone for. The Razr Plus’ bigger exterior show proved that flip telephones may be about extra than simply portability. With the Z Flip 5, I will be anticipating Samsung to push that concept additional.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 specs vs. Motorola Razr Plus, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, Motorola Razr 2023
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5Motorola Razr PlusSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 5GMotorola Razr 2023Display measurement, tech, decision, refresh fee, brightness Cowl: 3.4-inch AMOLED (728 x 720 pixels); inner: 6.7-inch AMOLED (2,640 x 1,080 pixels), 1-120HzCover: 3.6-inch OLED (1,066 x 1,056 pixels); inner: 6.9-inch (2,640 pixels x 1,080)Cowl: 1.9-inch AMOLED (512 x 260 pixels); inner: 6.7-inch (2,640 x 1,080 pixels) Cowl: 1.5-inch, OLED (194 x 368 pixels); inner: 6.9-inch (2,640 pixels x 1,080)Pixel density Cowl: 306 ppi, Inside: 425 ppiCover: 413 ppi, inner: 413ppiCover: 302 ppi, inner: 425 ppi Cowl: 282 ppi, inner: 413 ppiDimensions (inches) Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 in; closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 inOpen: 2.91 x 6.73 x 0.28 in; closed: 2.91 x 3.48 x 0.59 inOpen: 2.83 x 3.3 x 0.67 in; closed: 2.83 x 6.5 x 0.27 in; hinge: 0.59 in (sagging)Open: 2.91 x 6.73 x 0.29 in; closed: 2.91 x 3.47 x 0.62 inDimensions (millimeters) Open: 71.88 x 165.1 x 6.89 mm; closed: 71.88 x 85.09 x 14.99 mmOpen: 73.95 x 170.83 x 6.99 mm; closed: 73.95 x 88.42 x 15.1 mmOpen: 71.9 x 165.2 x 6.9 mm; closed: 71.9 x 84.9 x 17.1 mm; hinge: 15.9 mm (sagging); Open: 73.95 x 170.82 x 7.35 mm; closed: 73.95 x 88.24 x 15.8 mmWeight (grams, ounces) 187 g (6.6 oz)189 g (6.64 oz)187 g (6.59 oz)189 g (6.65 oz)Cell software program Android 13Android 13Android 12/13Android 13Camera 12-megapixel (most important), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)12-megapixel (most important), 13-megapixel (ultrawide)12-megapixel (most important), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)64-megapixel (most important), 13-megapixel (ultrawide)Entrance-facing digicam 10-megapixel32-megapixel10-megapixel 32-megapixelVideo seize TBD4K4K4KProcessor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2Snapdragon 8 Gen 1Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1Snapdragon 7 Gen 1RAM/storage 8GB + 256GB/512GB 8GB + 256GB8GB+ 128GB/256GB/512GB8GB + 128GBExpandable storage NoneNoneNoneNoneBattery 3,700 mAh (dual-battery)3,800 mAh3,700 mAh4,200 mAhFingerprint sensor SideSideSideSideConnector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneNoneSpecial options 5G-enabled, IPX8 water resistance, 25W wired charging, wi-fi charging, wi-fi energy share, twin SIMIP52, 5G-enabled, foldable show, 30W wired charging, wi-fi chargingIPX8, 5G enabled, foldable show, wi-fi charging, 25W quick chargingIP52, 5G-enabled, foldable show, 30W wired charging, 5W wi-fi chargingUS value off-contract $1,000$1,000$999TBAUK value £1,049Converts to £780£999TBAAustralia value AU$1,649Converts to AU$1,475AU$1,499TBA