Samsung finally revealed their 5th generation of foldable devices at Galaxy Unpacked event here in Seoul, South Korea. While Samsung is still the market leader in the foldable segment, we have seen quite a few devices from several other smartphone companies including Oppo, Motorola and Tecno in India. The Flip form factor has turned out to be more popular, mainly due to the lower cost to own a foldable phone. We got our hands on the Z Flip 5
The Galaxy Flip series is by far the most popular foldable smartphone till date and with the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung is looking to scale this segment even further as it faces some heat from the competition. I got to spend some time with the new devices before the Unpacked event, and here are my observations in this hands on review.
In terms of the design, the Z Flip 5 looks very similar to the Z Flip 4 on the outside until you notice the larger cover screen.
The dimensions and weight and hand feel are very familiar and no surprises here except for the fact that the phone feels thinner in the folded state.
Cover Screen gets a major facelift
The 3.4-inch cover screen (720×748 pixels, 306 PPI) is a big upgrade from the 1.9inch screen last year.
The external display also packs a proximity sensor and supports HBM (High Brightness Mode) with a peak brightness of 1600 nits.
In terms of the software, you now have access to widgets, and you can pinch the screen to activate the Multi Widget View. You can also access toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth from the cover screen. Android apps can’t be run on the cover screen yet.
The New Flex Hinge is here
The Flex Hinge is Samsung’s new integrated hinge module, which features a dual rail structure and promises lesser gap when the display is folded.
Due to the near zero gap in the display when folded, the phone is thinner at 15.1mm when folded.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
As expected, the Z Flip 5 is powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship offering – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy which is used in Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series.
There are some improvements in the camera department in terms of Nightography and AI-powered image signal processing. The larger cover screen does help with composing better images.
Samsung is promising 5 years of security updates and 4 generation of OS upgrades like on most of their flagship devices, which is worth mentioning.
The Galaxy Z Flip5 will be available in Mint, Graphite, Cream, Lavender colours and some colours such as Gray, Blue, Green, Yellow exclusively on Samsung’s online store.
While a major upgrade in all departments would have been nice to see, it looks like Samsung has decided to make some significant upgrades in select areas such as the screen, hinge and internals. Stay tuned to FoneArena for our full review of the Z Flip 5, but until then, if you have questions about the device, feel free to ask them in the comments below.
It starts at USD 999.99 (Rs. 82,010 approx.) for the 256GB version. India pricing will be revealed tomorrow morning.