EUR1167,–
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
128 GB, Black Titanium, 6.30", SIM + eSIM, 48 Mpx, 5G
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 review – a high-performance foldable
13/9/2023
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
The Galaxy Z Flip5 finally closes flush and sports a large outer display. It’s a strong performer, but I’m still not completely satisfied.
The most apparent change on the Galaxy Z Flip5 is the large, 3.4-inch outer display. It means a lot more can be displayed than in the predecessor, where the screen measured just 1.9 inches. The fact the phone can now be closed flush is another step in the right direction. However, Samsung could still stand to iron out the crease.
Design – improvements in the external display and folding mechanism
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is quite handy when folded, but it’s still a tad too wide for my liking. In the previous model, the outer display was just a narrow stripe. Now, an AMOLED touchscreen takes up nearly one full side of the folded phone, allowing me to swipe through my calendar, the weather and my call history over a 3.4-inch diagonal.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The outer display is handy for much more than just that. For example, for taking selfies with the main camera. And if I get a text message, I can reply to it directly on the screen; open the message and a small keyboard appears that’s easy to operate with my little fingers. The Spotify widget is also cool. It turns the phone into a small MP3 player.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Source: Michelle Brändle
You can expand on the widgets – but there’s not an endless number of them. Currently, for example, there’s Google Maps, Messenger, Netflix and YouTube. Samsung has stated it plans to continuously adapt more apps to the Flip. If you don’t want to wait, you can also experiment with a Launcher. Unfortunately, the Instagram and Pokémon Go adaptations I tested didn’t fit into the square format, so the image was cut off.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Another important innovation on the Flip5 is the hinge. Samsung has managed to make its foldables close flush with the latest generation. What’s beneficial to the folding mechanism, however, leaves its mark on the crease – it’s quite striking, both in tactile and visual terms. The upside is that, like its predecessor, the Flip5 is waterproof according to IPX8, meaning it can survive 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of fresh water.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Source: Michelle Brändle
Ignoring the crease, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5’s 6.7-inch internal AMOLED display is a win. It boasts strong contrasts and a dark black at a resolution of 1080 × 2640 pixels. Opened, the Flip5 measures 71.9 × 165 × 6.9 millimetres, which is within the standard range for non-foldable phones. It tips the scales at a pleasantly light 187 grammes. Unfortunately, I can’t open the phone one-handed. The hinge doesn’t glide open quite smoothly enough.
Hardware – stronger than the competition’s
The installed Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is adapted to Samsung devices and is already installed in the Galaxy S23 series. The performance computing core is clocked slightly higher than in the regular chipset, which makes itself known in benchmark tests. Below is a comparison with two flip phones, namely the Oppo Find N2 Flip (missing in the GPU comparison) and Motorola Razr Edge 40 Ultra. Because foldables have the reputation of tailing behind flagships, I’ve included the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in the comparison.
The latest flagship SoC (System-on-a-Chip) benefits the Flip5. In Geekbench 6, it beats the competition in the single- and multi-core tests. You can feel this in everyday use. Apps load quickly and everything feels smooth, even with multiple apps open. The GPU is also powerful. The Flip5 does get warm during gaming and then throttles down a bit, but this hasn’t resulted in any restrictions.
With the Flip5, you can choose between 256 GB and 512 GB of internal memory coupled with 8 GB of RAM. That’s plenty. You can use the phone with a SIM card and eSIM. The 3,700 mAh battery is small compared to other new smartphones. Mind you, I still manage to get through the day with around 12 hours of battery life (four to five hours of which are screen time). That’s not outstanding, but it’s enough. The Flip5 charges in about 1.5 hours with my 25-watt power adapter (the phone doesn’t come with an adapter).
Cameras – not first-rate
The compact Galaxy Z Flip5 is equipped with one main camera and one ultra-wide-angle camera. Like the predecessor, the cameras each have a resolution of 12 megapixels, but differ in their apertures (f/1.8 vs. f/2.2). The selfie camera on the inside delivers 10-megapixel shots. Samsung put its focus on the main camera, which is also great for taking selfies thanks to the external display. What’s more, the folding mechanism, allows you to easily set up the phone for group photos.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Generally, Samsung’s software creates a vibrant colour overlay and sharpens the photos quite strongly. Some like this, but for me it’s a tad too much. The Flip5 has a bit of trouble with bright surfaces, which leads to the subject looking very flat. But do feel free to make up your own mind based on the shots below.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Source: Michelle Brändle
The ultra-wide-angle camera offers the same quality as the main camera. With it, I can capture longer graffiti chains in a single shot. In scenes like this, the bright colours are fitting. The high contrast between sunlight and shadow is also no problem for the camera.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Source: Michelle Brändle
Selfies fall into the same category, given I can use the main camera for them. Portrait mode struggles with my hair and puts the leaves to my left in focus, even though they’re behind me. Overall, this has an irritating effect.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The Flip5 has no optical zoom. You can zoom up to 10x digitally, but the results are unusable. The 2x zoom is still okay, but 4x is already too much. The image becomes flat and the edges blurred.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Source: Michelle Brändle
Software – solid and smooth, but not round the clock
The Samsung Galaxy Flip5 comes with the latest Android 13 and Samsung One UI 5. Samsung promises to deliver Android updates for four years and security patches for five, which I think is decent.
Besides all the gimmicks and possibilities on the outer display, the main display should also perform well when gaming and watching movies. While the AMOLED is of good quality, the fold in the centre proves annoying, especially when watching series and movies – even when looking at it from the front. What’s more, the speaker is below average. I’ll be reaching for my headphones.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The Flip5 works well for playing my usual games – Asphalt 9 and Souls load and run quickly and smoothly. The phone is pleasantly light throughout longer gaming sessions. However, there’s no room for a generous cooling system. If I game for a longer period, the Flip5 gets warm and slows down.
The lowdown: an improvement, but not yet it
With the Galaxy Z Flip5, Samsung has alleviated some of its predecessor’s weak points. The large outer display is great. I can finally send a quick message, check the weather and control my music without having to flip open the phone. The water protection rating and flush closure are two further strong suits. But the powerful performance of the overclocked chipset is the real cherry on top. And the battery does at least just manage to last a full day.
Still, I’m partially dissatisfied – mainly because of the crease. The hinge could also move more smoothly. I find the photos a touch too unnaturally vibrant and over-sharpened. Finally, the Flip5 gets hot quite quickly.
Samsung hasn’t managed to dethrone my current foldable favourite; I’d still choose the Oppo Find N2 Flip over the Flip5, despite its weaker performance. It handles better and the crease isn’t bothersome. Oh, and you can get it for under 900 francs/euros. Unfortunately, no foldable phone is perfect. So, if you want to join the foldable gang, you should think carefully about which compromises you’re willing to make. If you have enough patience, I advise putting off your purchase until foldables get even better.
Header image: Michelle Brändle
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.
