Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Everything there is to know right now
Samsung has just revealed its latest foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5. While it’s very much an incremental update, the clamshell foldable boasts a few key new features that allow it to better compete with the likes of the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra and Oppo Find N2 Flip.
Sporting a new large external display with plenty of room for apps and widgets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, a new hinge mechanism that provides a gapless fold and an all-around thinner design, Samsung Z Flip 5 sounds like a tempting option for those on the hunt for a foldable in 2023.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, from release date and pricing to the key new features of the clamshell foldable.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 be released?
As confirmed by Samsung, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be released on 11 August 2023, though pre-orders are already live for those keen to get their hands on the new foldable.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 cost?
This one might be a little disappointing as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 costs more than its older sibling, coming in at £1,049 – an increase of £50 that brings it in line with Motorola’s competing Razr 40 Ultra.
To try and compensate for the higher starting price tag, Samsung has done away with the 128GB model, with the Z Flip 5 coming with either 256- or 512GB of UFO 4.0 storage. The Z Flip 4 with 256GB of storage came in at £1,059, so technically, there’s a £10 discount. It just sucks that there’s no sub-£1000 variant for those that don’t need quite so much storage.
As usual, Samsung is offering a pre-order deal for keen fans that provides an upgrade to the 512GB model at no extra cost. However, it’ll also likely be available to pre-order from carriers like EE and O2 and sites like Carphone Warehouse.
What’s new with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5?
The big standout new feature of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is, of course, the large external display. Gone is the small narrow 1.9-inch display, replaced by a larger panel that’s shaped a bit like an upside-down folder, taking up much of the space on the exterior panel.
More specifically, it’s a 3.4-inch exterior display, making it slightly smaller than the 3.6-inch panel from the Razr 40 Ultra, and it doesn’t embed the twin cameras within the display either. Still, small design differences aside, the exterior display functions in the same way.
It allows you to not only read and reply to messages and WhatsApps, but Samsung has included a bunch of widgets designed for the external display, from calendar to clock and more. It also allows you to take selfies using the rear cameras, with a pretty large preview allowing you to get your pose just right. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s good to see it here.
Elsewhere, improvements to the teardrop hinge mechanism allow the Z Flip 5 to fold completely flat like other clamshell foldables, but those hoping for a knock-on improvement to the crease will be disappointed. The main 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz display looks near-identical to its predecessor.
It is thinner, however, measuring 6.9mm thick when unfolded and 15.1mm thick when folded – a reduction of 2mm.
It looks like the rumoured dust resistance didn’t make the cut either, with the Z Flip 5 offering the same IPX8 water resistance as its predecessor. It’s still among the best water resistance around for foldables, but a bit of dust could still bring it all falling down.
Twin 12MP snappers have made a return for this year’s model, though Samsung claims that an improved main sensor reduces the amount of lens flare present in images. That’s flanked by an identical 10MP selfie snapper embedded within that inner display.
It also takes advantage of Samsung’s partnership with Qualcomm, sporting the same exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy as the flagship S23 series, boasting a slightly higher clocked CPU and an additional GPU core for even better performance than most other flagships on the market. That’s paired with 8GB of RAM and, as noted earlier, either 256- or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
Elsewhere, it’s pretty much business as usual with the Z Flip 5; it runs Android 13 with OneUI 5.1, battery life remains consistent with an identical 3,700mAh battery and, rather annoyingly, it’s still capped at that rather slow 25W charging with no charger included in the box.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 specs
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
