Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review: A Foldable Powerhouse

What is Samsung Galaxy Z Filp 5?

For tech lovers out there, Samsung is no stranger when it comes to state-of-the-art gadgets.  The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a foldable smartphone that is sure to catch your attention with its sleek design and impressive features. It was launched on July 26, 2023. The launch took place at a dedicated event held in Seoul, South Korea. And you can buy it on August 11th at Samsung’s official store. On Amazon, if you purchase the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 now, you can get a $150 Amazon gift card as well.

Unboxing the Z Flip 5 – What to expect when you open your package

• Galaxy Flip 5
• USB Cable
• SIM Tray Ejector
• Quick Start Guide

Galaxy Z Filp 5 specs

Display and Design

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s design is undoubtedly one of its primary selling points. The phone boasts a folding screen with a hinge mechanism that allows you to open and close it like a book. It features an Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, contributing to its high-quality feel and durability. When I first saw it, I feel it was sturdy while being surprisingly lightweight when I hold it in hand. It is light and weighs just 6.6 ounces.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with a 6.7-inch flexible dynamic AMOLED folding screen that provides vibrant colors and sharp visuals. It has a resolution of 1080×2636 pixels. It still has a 22:9 screen aspect ratio, and I found it easy to swipe from left to right, but I still had to stretch my fingers to access its top corners. Samsung has greatly improved its brightness. In fact, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 reached a peak brightness of 1,504 nits, easily surpassing its predecessor’s 772-nit level.

Furthermore, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s new 3.4-inch Super AMOLED Flex window is striking and adds more utility than ever. Its 720 x 748 resolution may be low, but the screen is still polarizing, with vibrant hues and wide viewing angles. I really like how it blends into the design, as it’s hard to tell it’s there even when it’s closed. And it allows users to check notifications, time, and other information without unfolding the phone. The display is bright and vivid, you can enjoy Netflix, and Youtube, or scroll through social media with ease.

Design

Functionally, it comes with widgets, some apps, and a better way to capture framing photos and videos. While support for full apps is currently limited to a handful (Google Maps, Messages, Netflix, WhatsApp, and YouTube), I guess more functions will be added to the feature.

The folding process is smooth, and you can perform it with one hand. It is more compact and portable compared to traditional smartphones. The design offers a better grip, and you can easily fit it in your pocket because of its compact size. The phone is available in various colors, including Mint, Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Gray, Blue, Green, and Yellow.

Camera Quality – Snap Incredible Photos and Videos

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 packs a dual-camera system consisting of a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. It is equipped with a high-quality camera setup. Same as before, offering various shooting modes and features for capturing stunning photos and videos. But extras like portrait video, time-lapse, and director’s view are all here again. The phone also has a 10MP selfie camera.

It comes with a feature called Flex mode, which allows you to set your phone on a flat surface and take selfies hands-free. Therefore, it is easier to take selfies and record vlogs. I no longer have to worry about framing as I can see the entire shot directly through the flex window. In Flex Mode, record share-worthy videos without holding your phone.  I tend to use it more for this simple reason.

When it comes to quality, it has a little improvement for daily photos taken in ideal lighting conditions. Although when capturing the same scene with the main camera, it is hard to find any meaningful gain in Flip 5’s photo.

However, Samsung says that the Z Flip 5 utilizes AI image signal processing (ISP) algorithms to optimize photos, especially those taken in low light. Taking excellent images in low light, the Z Flip 5 is appropriately enhanced. These cameras come with features such as LED flash and HDR, allowing users to capture high-quality photos and videos. With the Z Flip 5’s night mode, you can see how its shots are brighter and more detailed. It does tend to lean towards warmer colors.

What’s more, the portrait mode on Flip 5 is better compared to Flip 4. This is because Flip 5 improves the way it detects edges. Some areas of the hair and ears were blurred in portrait mode on Flip 4, while the same areas became sharp on Flip 5.

Performance & Battery Life – Power Up Your Day

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has been praised for its overall performance and impressive battery life.

Performance

Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and is backed by 8GB of RAM, making it highly efficient in performance. It is a high-end smartphone that runs on the Android 13 operating system with One UI 5.1. I discovered that the interface navigation is exceptionally smooth, maybe it is because of the 120Hz refresh rate. This feature greatly enhances the responsiveness of the device, allowing for seamless multitasking even when handling multiple applications simultaneously.

Gaming

In terms of gaming, the Z Flip 5 delivers outstanding frame rates, surpassing its predecessors such as the Flip 4. It achieved a single-core score of 1,354 and a multi-core score of 4,288 in GeekBench 5 tests, indicating improved performance. Furthermore, it excels in graphics processing, as demonstrated by its impressive score of 18.03 fps (frames per second) on the demanding 3DMark Wild benchmark. Even when rendering videos using Adobe Premiere Rush, the Z Flip 5 proves to be faster than other smartphones, shaving off valuable seconds. Also, the phone has a 5G network, making it highly responsive when it comes to internet connectivity.

It is smooth, user-friendly, and even comparable to the Galaxy S23 in certain tests. Users on Reddit also share positive experiences with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which provides satisfactory performance.

Battery

About the battery, it comes with a 3,700mAh battery. It’s the same battery capacity as before, but its energy-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip makes all the difference.

According to Tom’s Guide, the Z Flip 5 outperforms its predecessor with a battery life of 9 hours and 53 minutes, almost an hour longer. The device is reported to last longer than some other smartphones on the market, including the Pixel. Users on Reddit have reported satisfactory battery life ranging from 6 to 10 hours depending on usage.

However, it’s worth noting that the Always-On Display (AOD) feature can impact battery performance on the Z Flip 5. Overall, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 provides reliable battery life for everyday use.

About battery charging, Z Flip 5 supports “Super Fast Charging” and “Fast Wireless Charging 2.0”. That means it supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. More importantly, if you have a pair of wireless earbuds or a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 that needs charging, you can place it on the back of the Z Flip 5 for 4.5W reverse wireless charging. These charging specs are exactly the same as what we saw on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and while it would be nice to see faster wired charging, this is still a pretty robust setup for a foldable flip phone in 2023.

Pros and cons of using the Z Flip 5 as compared to other phones

When comparing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 to other phones, there are several pros and cons to consider. Here are some highlights gathered from various sources:

Pros:

• Large outer display that is practical for quick access to notifications and basic functions
• Gapless hinge design improves dust resistance
• Reliable performance with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, making it suitable for gaming and multitasking
• Comes with 4K video recording support
• Runs on the latest Android 13 OS with One UI 5.1

Cons:

• Presence of a crease due to its folding design, although it has become slimmer compared to previous models
• Limited dust resistance compared to some other phones

Pricing and Overall Value for Money

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be available for pre-order on July 26, and the phone will be officially announced on August 11. It comes in four main colors including Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender. The Samsung website will feature exclusive colors of grey, blue, green, and yellow.

Like the Flip 4, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 starts at $1,000. However, as mentioned above, you now get at least 256GB of internal storage instead of 128 GB. Now at Amazon, you can purchase the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 now and get a $150 Amazon gift card!