In this article, reviewing the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung’s brand-new foldable phone, whose main appeal is that it folds in half to become much more compact. The big changes this year include a brand-new hinge design, an updated processor, and a much larger cover display. So, how do these changes affect the overall experience? Let’s Know
Read Also: Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro Review
Galaxy Z Flip 5 Hinge
Here’s what I found: starting with the hinge, the thing you’ll notice right away is that it now closes almost completely flat. Goodbye Gap; it definitely looks a lot more refined this way. And while it’s better at keeping big chunks of lint off the main display, it’s still going to attract dust particles. There seems to be a little more wobble and movement at the hinge this year; the galaxy Z Flip 4 was rock solid, like there’s absolutely no movement at all. Some might even say the hinge was a little too tight on the Flip 4 because you had to physically shut it all the way, or else it would just stay open like this. Whereas with the Flip 5, once you get past a certain point, it’ll just swing shut on its own. The Flip 3 did the exact same thing, so it’s interesting that they went back to that. The benefit is that it’s much easier to open and close the phone; the drawback is that you lose some flexibility when using Flex mode. I can’t speak on durability right now; it’s just way too soon. Both the hinges on my Flip 3 and Flip 4 still work perfectly fine, so I don’t expect the Z Flip 5 to be any less durable.
3.4-inch Cover Display
The 3.4-inch Flex View cover display is the biggest change this year. The folder-shaped design threw me off a bit at first, but it does give the phone a very distinctive and unique look, which I think is very important these days. This larger cover display really makes the phone feel complete now, and Samsung deserves a lot of credit for how well the software works with it. I thought this pinch gesture was awkward at first, but with a little practice, I’m handling this thing like a boss now.
The new widgets all look great; they display way more information at a glance, and you can tell they weren’t just thrown together at the last minute. I’m a big fan of the Samsung Health one, and the Galaxy Buds widget is seriously clutch if you own their earbuds too. And hey, the music player looks so much better; I mean, just check out how cool this timeline animation is. You also get a variety of customizable clock faces to choose from. I’m a sucker for these informative ones, but if you’re not, there are plenty of simple ones to choose from, or you could even use your own photo too.
Cover Display Apps
The cover display is technically only capable of running widgets, which might sound disappointing. However, with the help of a Samsung app called Good Lock, you can actually run any app you want. That’s a game-changer and completely changes how I think people will use this phone. It took a few days for me to get used to everything, but I literally use the cover display more than the main display now.
Good Lock even has these arcade-style games that run amazingly well on here and are great for a bit of stress relief from time to time. It boggles my mind that Samsung wouldn’t just make these features native and ready to go out of the box. One of the biggest complaints from people who didn’t really get the whole flip phone concept is that they needed to open the phone every time they want to use it. Well, Good Lock completely solves that. Common things like responding to messages, scrolling through social media, navigating Google Maps, or accessing your smart home controls can all be done on the cover display now, which is pretty awesome.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 still only a 3.4-inch display. So while you can do things like watch a movie or play an actual mobile game like Call of Duty on it, it’s not exactly an amazing experience on the smaller screen. Most apps also aren’t optimized for this awkward size, so be prepared for overlapping buttons and the occasional bug. If you have large fingers, you might also find that the keyboard can feel slightly cramped to type comfortably on. Limitations aside, I’m personally still loving the added functionality.
Main Display and Crease
As for the Full Main display, Z Flip 5 has same panel as last year, Z Flip 4. The crease is by far the most controversial thing about it; side by side with the three and four, I’m gonna be honest, it’s not very different. Even with the new waterdrop-styled hinge, you’ll still feel it, and you’ll still see light bounce off of it, especially at an angle. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s a folding screen; it’s gonna have a crease of some sort. When you look at it directly with the screen on, it pretty much disappears and isn’t something I think too much about. But everyone’s different, so definitely check it out in person first.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 Performance
| Phones | Single-Core Score | Multi-Core Score |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Z Flip 3 | 835 | 2840 |
| Galaxy Z Flip 4 | 1524 | 4190 |
| Galaxy Z Flip 5 | 1974 | 5064 |
| Galaxy S23 Ultra | 1965 | 5085 |
When it comes to performance, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside, which is the exact same chip you’ll find in Samsung’s top-of-the-line Galaxy S23 Ultra. Its benchmark numbers go toe-to-toe with the Ultra, which is a nice jump from the Z Flip 4 and a fairly massive one if you’re coming from the Flip 3. Day-to-day performance is amazing, as you’d expect, but as usual, benchmarks don’t tell the whole story.
Even though they score the same, this phone isn’t going to be able to hang with the S23 Ultra in terms of gaming, for example. Don’t get me wrong; you can definitely game on here, but you’ll experience lower frame rates and more heat, likely because the S23 Ultra has a much better cooling system. I don’t think anyone buying this phone is hardcore gaming on it, but if you are, just know that there are better options out there.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 Battery Life
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with a 3700 milliamp-hour battery, identical to last year’s. I ran my typical battery drain test, and if you’re coming from a Flip 3, you’re going to see a massive jump in battery life. If you’re coming from a Flip 4, it’s definitely not as drastic, but there are still improvements in a couple of areas. If you record a lot of 4K video, I found that the 5 is a little more efficient, and standby battery drain seems to be slightly better as well.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been using the cover display a whole lot more, and that alone will lead to battery savings. To put things into perspective, running Google Maps for 30 minutes on the cover display drained 40 percent less battery compared to if I had used the main display. Watching a YouTube video on the cover display drained 50 percent less battery compared to the main display. You also still have the option to use the phone in the “light performance” mode, which I highly recommend. You may notice a dip in performance, but the extra battery is totally worth it.
To power up, expect to plug it in for just under an hour and a half to get a full charge, and around two hours if you want to use a wireless charger. It’s definitely not the fastest charging phone, but at least it supports Quick Charge, which gets you 50 percent in around 30 minutes.
Audio and Features
Rounding out the other aspects of the phone, the stereo speakers sound almost identical to last year’s. The very reliable side-mounted fingerprint scanner is still here and remains my favorite spot for it. If you care about haptics, the haptics on the Flip series have never really been my favorite. They do the job, but they feel a little too springy and bouncy for me.
Software-wise, Z Flip 5 feel familiar if you’re coming from any other Samsung device. Unfortunately, the phone does not support DeX. However, there are a couple of small updates to Flex mode. Now, you have the ability to customize the toolbar with a long press, and while playing media, they’ve added these 10-second buttons to quickly skip or rewind.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 Camera
When it comes to cameras, I did a quick comparison between all three phones just to see how they stack up. There are definitely some changes to the processing, but because it’s essentially the same camera hardware with a new lens coating this year to cut down on glare, don’t expect a massive jump in photos or videos. With that being said, the camera system is perfectly capable and can definitely capture some stunning photos. However, it can also be frustrating at times, especially in low light or with moving subjects. I also sometimes miss the versatility of having a telephoto lens for better zoom, but it’s not the end of the world.
That bigger cover display makes a huge difference when it comes to taking pictures of yourself, friends, and family. And, of course, the ability to prop it up and use it as its own tripod is still one of the coolest and most helpful use cases for the folding design.
Final Thought
So, the big question is, is Galaxy Z Flip 5 worth the upgrade? If you’re coming from an older Flip, if you own the Flip 3, I’d say it’s definitely worth it. That jump in battery life alone is game-changing. Now, if you own the Z Flip 4, normally I’d say upgrading every year is silly and not really worth it, but the Flip 5 and its new cover display just change the experience so much that I think it actually might be worth considering.
At the end of the day, this type of phone isn’t for everyone, even though Samsung might want it to be. There are still plenty of questions over durability, and some of you might not tolerate the crease. In terms of the camera, it does lag behind phones with similar pricing. Personally, I’m still a fan, and I always get asked why I like it so much. Well, it’s pretty simple. I’m just sick and tired of carrying around a massive phone, and this solves that.
