Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: Which foldable is best?

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 boasts big improvements compared to its predecessor, the Z Flip 4, but how does it compare to the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra?

Samsung has made big strides with the Galaxy Z Flip 5‘s design compared to its predecessor, sporting a new hinge that provides a gapless close for the first time, a new large cover display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy power and more.

However, Motorola has come out all guns blazing with its foldable entry for 2023, the top-end Razr 40 Ultra. It not only sports a larger, faster cover display than the Z Flip 5 with more advanced functionality, but it has a larger foldable display with a less visible crease and more.

We’ve thoroughly reviewed both the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, and here are some of the biggest differences between the two to help you decide which is best for your needs. 

You can do more with the Razr 40 Ultra’s cover screen

When it comes to these two foldable devices, the battle centres around their cover screens. Both showcase large external displays, newly introduced this year in their respective lineups. However, their implementations differ slightly, with Motorola seemingly holding the upper hand.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 features a sizable 3.4-inch AMOLED cover display. Yet, this display doesn’t extend to all four corners of the external panel. Instead, it takes on a shape reminiscent of an upside-down folder, with the twin cameras nestled within the resulting gap.

A simple double-tap activates the screen, allowing users to swipe through various Samsung-designed widgets, including calendar, weather, voice recording, favourite contacts, and more. Furthermore, the device offers quick reply support with full QWERTY keyboard functionality, enabling users to respond to incoming texts without the need to unfold the device—an undoubtedly useful feature.

So then, why is the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s cover screen better? It’s not only larger and faster than Samsung’s option at an increased 3.6 inches and 120Hz, but it stretches much farther across the exterior panel, completely encompassing the twin cameras for a high-tech look. These twin cameras can sometimes get in the way depending on what you’re doing on the external display, mind.

The Razr can also reply to incoming messages via a full QWERTY keyboard, and it also has a bunch of widgets designed for the external display, just like the Flip 5. 

The key difference is with app support; you can run any app you want on the Razr 40 Ultra’s cover display. They don’t all look great but a surprisingly vast number of apps worked just fine during our review period, allowing quick access to smart home apps, messaging apps and whatever else you want.

On the other hand, Samsung has only very limited support for apps on the Flip 5’s external display – and the option to turn it on is hidden away within the Labs section of the Settings app. From the Settings app, you can toggle on support for Messages, WhatsApp, YouTube, Netflix and Google Maps, but that’s about it. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is more powerful

One area where the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 excels is performance – not only compared to the Razr 40 Ultra but most smartphones on the market at the moment. 

That’s because at the heart of the foldable lies the custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy exclusive to Samsung devices. Compared to the regular 8 Gen 2 in most flagships, the Galaxy variant has slightly boosted CPU clock speeds and an additional GPU core to really squeeze the most out of the chipset. 

That’s paired with 8GB of RAM and either 256- or 512GB of UFS 4.0, which, when combined with the snappy 120Hz display, provides a rapid experience with nary a hint of stutter or lag in sight. It can handle gaming easily, though as with most foldables, it can get quite hot in longer sessions of high-end games like Call of Duty Mobile or Genshin Impact. 

On the flip side, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is equipped with the year-old Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. This chipset deserves recognition for significantly enhancing battery efficiency when compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from early 2022. However, signs of its ageing are beginning to surface – especially evident when examining benchmark results.

That’s paired with 12GB of RAM and, unlike the Z Flip 5, only comes with 256GB of older UFS 3.1 storage, with no larger storage options available or a microSD card slot to expand it yourself down the road. 

However, in real-world conditions, you’re likely to notice a difference in performance, with the Razr 40 Ultra feeling just as smooth and responsive as the Z Flip 5 in everyday use.  

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a larger, faster display

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra not only has the larger cover display of the two, but a larger foldable display too. Unfold the Razr 40 Ultra and you’ll find a whopping 6.9-inch AMOLED display with a super smooth 165Hz refresh rate and LTPO tech that allows it to drop down to as little as 1Hz to save battery life. 

That’s impressive, but our reviewer did note that 165Hz was exclusive to games, with no way to force it throughout the OS for day-to-day scrolling. Otherwise, he loved the tall display and celebrated just how much of an improvement there is to the inner crease compared to other foldables, with only a slight, shallow dip in the display. 

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a slightly shorter and narrower 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate that, like the Razr 40 Ultra, also supports LTPO tech. Our reviewer praised the overall quality of the display, with vivid colours and deep blacks that AMOLED tech is known for, though the crease is more noticeable than that of the Razr, with a slightly deeper central recess. 

They both cost the same amount of money

As long as you can accept the premium price tag of the foldables, there isn’t any difference in price between them, removing one potential barrier from your buying decision. 

They both start at £1049 with 256GB of storage as standard, and both are available to buy right now from retailers worldwide.