Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review
In the realm of flip phone technology, Samsung planted its flag in the ground early as one of the first industry trendsetters. Each Z Flip handset has brought something new to the table, which brings us to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Our comprehensive review of the Z Flip 5 dives into its design, visuals, performance, and more. Let’s see how Samsung raised the Flip 5 above its competitors, and produced one of the most complete flip phone packages on the market.
If you’re interested in the Galaxy Z Flip 5, order today from four vibrant colours and up to 512GB storage space.
Design
The top-performing flip phones often have one key thing in common: a focus on improving the clamshell design. This originates from the earliest flip phones, which featured very prominent hinges and were overall, far less seamless.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 represents one of the best iterations of the clamshell form factor. When the handset is folded, there’s no longer a gap between the top and bottom panels, helping the entire handset look, and feel, more premium. The gapless design is possible due to the teardrop hinge system, and it has the additional effect of almost entirely removing the crease that hampered so many early flip phones.
The foldable nature of flip phone screens requires manufacturers to apply plastic to protect them. This has resulted in some flip handsets having a squishy, soft-feeling texture when tapping or pressing the screen. Thankfully, the Z Flip 5 avoids this by incorporating a slightly tougher plastic, leaving the display feeling sturdy to the touch.
These improvements to the Z Flip 5’s foldability are a crucial piece of the puzzle. The premium level of quality doesn’t stop at form factor, however. Samsung opted for a sleek rear panel in place of the Flip 4’s satin finish, and it works beautifully in conjunction with the phone’s aluminium frame.
Given how compact the Z Flip 5 is when folded (15.1mm, about half an inch) it’s crucial that the phone’s vitals are well protected. The screens are shielded by highly durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so there’s no fear of scratches when taking it in and out of your pocket. Furthermore, there’s also IPX8 resistance against 1m of water submersion; the Z Flip 5 is indeed a tough nut to crack.
Display
Functionality is key to how flip phones stand out amongst traditional smartphones. It’s impressive, then, that the Z Flip 5 makes such huge strides forward with its cover screen. One of the most significant additions to the Z Flip 5 is its much larger Flex Window cover screen. Gone is the Flip 4’s 1.9” display; in its place is a 3.4” beauty.
There’s no understating how impactful this is to the overall phone experience. By including more screen real estate, you’re not just getting a better-looking display, but also increased space for useful widgets like weather, news and Google Maps, all without unfolding the phone.
How you can use the Z Flip 5 has also evolved. Whilst before it would have been difficult to use the Flip 4 as an alarm clock for example, the 3.4” screen makes it possible to position the Z Flip 5 at an angle and clearly see the on-screen info when you wake up. This level of functionality shapes the Z Flip 5 into something completely unique in the Samsung space, executed with even greater quality than previous handsets.
Opening up the Z Flip 5, you’re treated to a crisp 6.7” Dynamic AMOLED display. The ‘dynamic’ in question comes from the screen’s 120Hz refresh rate; a crucial ingredient that ensures the Z Flip 5 consistently feels smooth to use when scrolling, watching videos or playing games.
Despite the obvious difference in screen size, there’s a pleasant consistency when moving from the folded screen to the traditional unfolded display. Whichever one you’re using, the visual experience is vibrant and superb.
Performance & software
Make no mistake about it: the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is one of the fastest flip phones available. This is largely down to the lightning-fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, which is exclusive to Samsung devices.
When put against visually demanding games and swapping between apps, this processor didn’t break a sweat. By running the CPU at a faster speed, the Z Flip 5 can maintain a consistently smooth performance, even when the action intensifies or multiple apps are running simultaneously. An extra GPU core is the icing on the cake, and helps the Z Flip 5 run games at higher settings with minimal lag or stutter.
Another noteworthy highlight of the Z Flip 5 is fantastic audio output. Its stereo setup is backed up by spatial audio for rich, three-dimensional sound, and is particularly noticeable when watching action-heavy films. There’s also Dolby Atmos support if you connect via a pair of headphones or earbuds.
On the operating system side of things, the Z Flip 5 has Android 13 running under the hood, bringing with it the deep personalisation features that defined this iteration. The custom Android 13 skin that is used here – OneUI 5.1 – will be extremely familiar to those who have used a Samsung device previously, yet is simple enough that anyone can begin using it with ease.
Cameras
Fans of the Z Flip 4’s camera setup will be right at home with the Z Flip 5, as Samsung have maintained a very similar array here; the magic comes from how you use it.
The main cameras on offer are a 12MP ultrawide and 12MP wide-angle lens. Both are capable of taking highly detailed photos in low-light and bright conditions, with little in the way of oversaturation. Night-time images really showcase what the Z Flip 5 can do in the photography space, due to some impressive ISP (image signal processing) technology. Even in almost pitch-black conditions, photos looked crisp and clear.
In folded mode, you can really put the Z Flip 5 through its paces and use it in unique ways. To take selfies for example, you can fold the phone over and use the front cover screen to preview your photo. Having a much larger display than its predecessor, you can see significantly more detail before taking the shot. Group selfie photos are a joy to capture, too; simply tilt the Z Flip 5 at 90 degrees, place it on a flat surface, and away you go.
Battery
Battery life on the Z Flip 5 is very much on par with its predecessor. Powering it is a 3700mAh battery, which is capable of lasting just under a full day’s use after some gaming and video streaming.
Given that the battery has a larger cover screen to provide power for, heavy users who want to use their phone consistently might find they reach single digits before day’s end.
However, this is offset by some impressive 25W fast charging, enabling the Z Flip 5 to reach 50% battery again in about 25 minutes.
Summary
Powerful, premium and versatile: these three words emphatically sum up the Galaxy Z Flip 5. By maintaining the features of past models that excelled, whilst simultaneously pushing forward with enhanced display technology and processing power, you’re getting a flip phone that never compromises in its mission to deliver a truly unique smartphone experience.
Interested in picking up the Galaxy Z Flip 5? Following our review, make sure you know how to move your Android data across and be ready to enjoy your shiny new handset.