Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5, as well as the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch6 / Watch6 Classic at a major unpacked event today. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 has gotten more powerful and smarter. But overall it’s more of an update than an evolution. Since the Galaxy Z Fold4 is the best-selling foldable in the world, the Koreans are probably doing something right with it.
Samsung has addressed the main criticism of the Galaxy Z Fold4 – the Galaxy Z Fold5 now folds completely flat thanks to a new hinge design. Samsung calls the whole thing a “Flex Hinge” – a double rail structure that absorbs external shocks. The new hinge also allows for a more flexible flex mode. You can position the Samsung smartphone at almost any angle to take self-timer photos or switch to split-screen mode. The Galaxy Z Fold5 is also thinner and 10g lighter than its predecessor thanks to the new hinge.
Nothing has changed in the materials. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 also uses an Armor aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the external display and back panel. It’s also waterproof to the same IPX8 standard as its predecessor.
New hinge, old displays
Both the cover display and the main display have retained their respective specifications. On the outside there is still 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology with a resolution of 2,316 x 904 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz (48-120 Hz). Inside, the foldable 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel has a resolution of 2,176 x 1,812 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz (1~120 Hz). However, the main screen has become 30% brighter and now peaks at 1,750 nits.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, just like in the Galaxy S23 series. But there is a revised cooling system. The cameras, on the other hand, were never the focus of Samsung’s foldables. And this hasn’t changed with the latest model either. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold4, there doesn’t seem to be much difference. There are two selfie cameras. The first is a 10-megapixel front camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and 1.22μm pixels. The second is a 4-megapixel under-display camera with an aperture of f/1.8 and 2.0μm pixels below the main display. On the back, the wide-angle camera resolves 50 megapixels with an f/1.8 aperture (1.0 μm pixels). There is also a 12 megapixel ultra wide camera with f/2.2 and 1.12 μm pixels. Finally, like the other cameras, the 10 megapixel 3x telephoto with f/2.4 and 1.0 μm pixels is also unchanged.
The battery has also retained the same capacity of 4,400 mAh and continues to charge with 25 watts by cable and 15 watts wirelessly. This means that 50% of the capacity ends up in the battery after a charging time of 30 minutes. Samsung has also overhauled the multitasking capabilities of the Galaxy Z Fold5. The taskbar now contains up to four recent apps for quick switching back and forth. Two-handed drag-and-drop makes it easier to move content between apps. For example, you can select an image in the gallery, open the notes app with another finger and drop it there.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 prices
There’s also a new S Pen Fold Edition that’s slimmer and more compact than before. You can combine it with the Slim S Pen Case, which is only slightly larger than a normal case.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is available for pre-order in select markets starting today and will go on sale from August 11th. Color options are Icy Blue, Phantom Black, and Cream. Prices are €1,900/£1,749/$1,800 for 12/256GB and €2,020/£1,849/$1,920 for 12/512GB. The top model with 12GB RAM and 1TB storage costs €2,260/£2,049/$2,160.
