Table of Contents
As I’m sure you’ve heard about by now, Samsung’s newest fifth-generation foldable has just come out recently. We have to be honest; unlike its comrade the Galaxy Z Flip5, there really aren’t any differences that really jumped out between the Galaxy Z Fold5 and its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold4—if anything, it’s just as much an incremental upgrade to the Fold4 as the Fold4 is to the Fold3.
Then again, considering the emphasis Samsung has been putting on the Galaxy Z Flip5, we probably shouldn’t be so surprised. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is still a pretty solid multi-productivity powerhouse, building on the very solid foundation of its predecessors. Whether or not it is worth the upgrade does remain to be seen, so here's the breakdown.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 Specifications
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy
- Display: 7.6” HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (Main Screen), 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (Cover Screen)
- Memory: 12GB RAM + 256GB/512GB/1TB ROM
- Rear Camera: Triple camera, 50MP Wide Angle with OIS, F1.8 + 12MP Ultra Wide F2.2 + 10MP Telephoto F2.4
- Front Camera: 10MP Selfie Camera (Cover), 4MP (Under-display camera)
- Battery: 4,400mAh dual battery, 25W wireless, 15W wired
- Operating System: Android 13, One UI 5.1.1
Build & Design
Once again, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is a little too narrow when folded, and a little too large when unfolded—at least for me. Unlike before, this isn’t my first foray into foldable smartphones anymore, so let’s just start off this review by saying that I truly believe Samsung can do a little better in the dimensions of the phone.
While the unfolded 7.6” mini-tablet-esque screen is pleasant, the cover screen, which is expected to be used like a regular phone, is too narrow, especially when it comes to typing. And while Samsung Labs has managed to force virtually every single app to conform to the strange dimensions on the Galaxy Z Fold5, whether folded or unfolded, it still doesn’t solve the problem that some apps and games just don’t look nice, if it even works properly, on the too-narrow or too-wide screen.
Now on the to good parts. If there’s one thing Samsung did great in this year’s foldable lineup, it’s the hinges. With its new dual-rail hinges, the Galaxy Z Fold5 manages a seamless close this year, with virtually no gap in between the screens when the device is folded. This makes for a slimmer phone—by two millimetres, if anyone’s measuring—and overall better durability as it minimizes the chances of foreign objects getting in between and damaging the screens.
Display
Size aside, the screens on the Galaxy Z Fold5 are quite stunning. They’re much brighter than before, clocking up a peak brightness of 1750 nits to match this year’s flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. That’s more than enough brightness to really view the screen even under the midday sun, allowing you to enjoy the vibrant colours of the OLED screen anywhere, anytime.
Despite the improvement on the hinge, the screen itself still does have a crease. Truth be told, it’s not really visible until the light hits it just so or if you purposely run your finger across it, but just like every other foldable phone, it’s hard not to notice it once it grabs your attention.
Then again, unlike the clamshell phone, the 7.6” screen is large enough that I rarely find myself swiping across the crease, so it isn’t that hard to ignore, really.
I’ve mentioned before that the tall and skinny cover screen doesn’t quite replicate a standard smartphone experience, but then again, with a foldable phone like this, you can’t really expect to get a Candybar phone experience. I did love the brilliance of the screens, even if the black bezel around the cover screen put me off a little at first.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 shares the same camera setup as the Galaxy Z Fold4. Exactly the same, to the dot: a 50MP main camera with OIS and Dual Pixel AF, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto lens. The selfie cameras are also exactly the same, with 10MP on the cover screen under-display camera and 4MP on the main screen.
I would like to say that the upgraded processor improved image quality on the Galaxy Z Fold5, but I have to be honest, I do not see a difference in the camera results when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold4. The pictures are just as clear, just as detailed, and just as vivid as the Galaxy Z Fold4.
Not to say that they’re bad—the Galaxy Z Fold4 had a pretty great camera setup as it were, and Samsung apparently thought the same, but having literally no change at all just adds to the question of whether the Galaxy Z Flip5 is worth the upgrade. And if you’re just looking at the camera specs, the answer’s maybe a no, if you’re already holding a Galaxy Z Fold4.
Software & Performance
Powered by the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy processor, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is just about as powerful as they come, sharing the same chipset as the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra. It also has 12GB RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage, which makes it a great device for on-the-go work.
On the inside, you get a 7.6” mini-tablet that can hold up to 4 floating windows of different apps at the same time, very useful for when your ADHD brain can’t just focus on one thing. In fact, it’s designed for this very purpose: multitasking and productivity. The taskbar feature is still present and very much useful.
If last year’s foldable was an almost-laptop, then the Galaxy Z Fold5 takes it a step further, allowing you to use it as an actual laptop, complete with a cursor and a trackpad.
One of the most interesting features that caught my eye this time around is the trackpad feature. When put in Flex Mode—or whatever Samsung wants to call it—you can call up a trackpad on the bottom half of the screen, effectively allowing you to use the phone as a mini-laptop. If you’re still keeping count, that makes it three devices that you can have in your pocket: a smartphone, a tablet, and a laptop!
Overall, I did not experience any lags or buffering issues when going ham with the multitasking features. Not even when having a game open on one side of the screen and Chrome on the other did the phone hesitate. It did get a little warm after long hours of usage, but nothing too severe, and the temperature did not affect performance.
Battery
The Galaxy Z Fold5’s battery has the same capacity as its predecessor, but thanks to software optimizations, its battery life actually lasted a little longer based on our tests. With regular use (social media browsing, watching Youtube, casual gaming), the foldable phone held up for the entire day on a full charge, plus about 8 hours of standby overnight.
It’s still not the best battery life we’ve seen, but it’s good enough, all things considered. The Z Fold5 also charges pretty quickly, getting from 12% to full charge in just a little over an hour.
Related articles
