Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 review

Introduction

What do you improve on a phone that's already the default option in its class and competition is either very region-limited or, if widely available, just not popular enough to be a serious threat? Well, not a lot, Samsung says with its Galaxy Z Flip5.

The latest-gen foldables from the Korean company tread carefully, but the Flip does still feel like the more meaningful generational step up. That's mostly due to the fact that the clamshell is treated to a much-needed cover screen upgrade, the new larger unit greatly improving usefulness (with some caveats). The other major development is in the hinge design, so the Flip5 finally folds flat, as opposed to forming an edge. And that's mostly it.

Sure, the Flip5 comes with a new chipset - the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 goes without saying. The base storage has been doubled to 256GB, which is also a most welcome change. Minor tweaks can be spotted in the camera system, but it remains essentially the same. Similarly, the internal display may have gotten a brightness boost, but that too is hardly a groundbreaking update.

But perhaps expectations for disruptive changes are unrealistic, and the Z Flip5 brings just the right amount of differences and improvements to make it a worthy successor. That's what we'll be trying to find out on the following pages.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 specs at a glance:

• Body: 165.1x71.9x6.9mm, 187g; Plastic front (opened), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.7" Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1080x2640px resolution, 22:9 aspect ratio, 425ppi; Cover display: Super AMOLED, 3.4", 720x748px, 306 ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 13, One UI 5.1.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1.12µm.
• Front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1.22µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+; Front camera: 4K@30fps.
• Battery: 3700mAh; 25W wired, 50% in 30 min (advertised), 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 6e; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers; Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified).

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 unboxing

The Z Flip5's retail package packs no surprises. The half-height black box features a small stylized likeness of the handset, color-matched to the actual unit inside.

The list of accessories included is predictably short, too. After the removal of the charger from the box with the S21 generation, Galaxies typically ship with just a USB-C cable and nothing else. Well, that, and a SIM eject pin, of course. But let's shift our focus where it belongs - on to the handset.