Summary
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review.. I was certain that Motorola’s Razr Plus was the greatest flip phone money could buy until about a month ago. However, I had a change of heart after two weeks of using the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, which also begins at $1,000 (£1,049, AU$1,649).
The larger cover screen on Samsung’s latest flip phone, which goes on sale this Friday, almost fills the front of the gadget when closed. Although it may not seem like much, it greatly increases the Z Flip’s usefulness without requiring opening.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review
In the past, foldable phones have seemed like a solution to an unsolvable issue. That may still be the case, but it’s difficult to appreciate the added convenience unless you’ve used a gadget that can send messages, take pictures, and reply to alerts all on a little package.
It is worthy of praise because Motorola’s new Razr Plus increased the standard for what a flip phone should be in 2023. However, for the majority of consumers looking to purchase a flip phone, the Z Flip 5 is the better option due to a few characteristics. Compared to what Motorola provides, the phone seems more robust in terms of design and build quality, has better software, and is supported by an extra year of Android versions.
This does not imply that Samsung accomplishes everything perfectly. The Z Flip 5 still commands a hefty price at $1,000 for a phone without a telephoto lens. Similar to earlier Z Flips, the ease of having a gadget that fits in your pocket more readily comes at a cost. Although the Z Flip’s mobility remains its primary selling point, Samsung hopes that the Flip 5 will persuade consumers to give foldables another look. And what a fantastic start it is.
Galaxy Z Flip 5’s smaller screen gets a big upgrade
It’s difficult to miss the bigger new front screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which Samsung refers it as the Flex Window. With a 3.4-inch screen, it is smaller than the Razr Plus but much larger than the tiny 1.9-inch screen on the front of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. 3.6-inch display for the cover.
With the Z Flip 5 closed, I was able to do a lot more because of the larger front screen. The UI on the little screen is mainly intended to run widgets, not entire programs, as I said in my post about my first thoughts. Widgets provide the kinds of information you might anticipate seeing on a tiny screen, such pinned contacts and applications, the weather, your calendar, and alarms.
I can slide from left to right to see my notifications on the main lock screen, or I can swipe from right to left to cycle between different widgets. It feels a lot like a smartwatch, with a little dot on the left side of the screen to show you if you have any unread alerts.
Additionally, the Z Flip 5 has an ingenious pinch-to-show feature that displays thumbnails of all of my widgets at once. This feature is useful for rapidly accessing a certain screen without having to swipe again. It has a very Apple-esque feel to it, and it serves as an excellent illustration of how Samsung is approaching navigation and UI design in a unique way for a screen this size.
However, Samsung only supports a limited number of applications on the cover screen by default, whereas almost all of the apps I’ve used on the Razr Plus work seamlessly on the device’s external display. To access a wider range of applications on the cover screen of the Z Flip 5, I had to install the Good Lock software from the Galaxy Store.
Nevertheless, a lot of the applications that make sense for the cover screen are already supported natively by the Z Flip 5, including WhatsApp, the camera app, and Google Maps. I was able to view album art and playback controls from the Z Flip 5’s front screen when I played music with the phone open, despite Spotify not appearing as a suitable app.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 Looks Chic With Its New Cover Display
While on vacation in South Korea, I used the Galaxy Z Flip 5 most of the time. While exploring Seoul, there were a few applications that would have been really helpful to have on the front display. One such example is Google Translate. Some of my interactions may have gone more smoothly if I could have opened the app faster from the cover screen. It would have been convenient to peruse news headlines or social media feeds quickly when using the Seoul Metro with the gadget closed, since I often grab the train grips with one hand.
I didn’t utilize the Good Lock software to put Slack, Google Translate, and other applications to the cover screen until after I got back from my vacation. These applications performed remarkably well, despite the fact that they aren’t really designed for the cover screen. My only complaint is that I have to swipe between two different widgets on the cover screen in order to access my applications since they are shown on a separate widget.
It’s also important to note that, unlike the Razr Plus, applications on the Z Flip 5’s main screen do not automatically switch to the cover screen when the phone is closed. Rather, it only functions in reverse, with programs shifting from the cover screen to the main screen upon device opening.
In any case, Samsung’s implementation of the Flex Window is a positive beginning. It’s simple to use and straightforward, and Samsung has a lot of room to grow with it.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 gets a new hinge
Samsung’s new foldable phone also has an upgraded hinge that allows the device to close completely with no gap when shut. This is another area where Samsung is playing catch-up; Motorola and Google both launched foldable phones in June that have no gap when closed.
Samsung also says the new hinge should make the Z Flip 5 more durable since it has fewer moving parts, and the hinge’s structure should also improve shock absorption. There’s still a visible crease running across the phone’s 6.7-inch main display, but it feels a slightly flatter to the touch compared to the Z Flip 4.
Motorola’s Razr Plus looks thinner than the Z Flip 5, but Samsung’s phone has a sturdier feel. I’ve only used the Razr Plus for a couple of weeks, but I already notice that it doesn’t always unfold completely straight. I haven’t used the Z Flip 5 for very long yet, so it’s impossible to know how it will hold up over time.
That also raises a larger question about long-term durability for foldable phones. Although foldable phone designs have improved over the last four years, it’s worth remembering that these devices come with a higher risk of damage compared to traditional smartphones. They’re also not dust-resistant like standard, non-folding devices. Both the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 4 have an IPX8 ingress protection rating, meaning they’re water-resistant but not dust-resistant.
Galaxy Z Flip 5’s camera is slightly better than the Z Flip 4
Samsung obviously put a lot of effort on the cover screen and hinge of the Z Flip 5. With the exception of a new coating that should lessen lens flare, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s camera is almost unchanged from the one from the previous year. In other words, the Z Flip 5 has a 10-megapixel selfie camera in addition to 12-megapixel wide and ultrawide sensors.
Samsung is depending on the device’s new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy CPU to do the heavy work when it comes to enhancing picture quality rather than replacing the camera sensor. Samsung has been marketing the Z Flip as the perfect camera because of its versatility, so it’s a little surprising to see no hardware update. But most users will be satisfied with the sharpness and color of the images captured with the Z Flip 5.
And when you contrast images with those shot with the Z Flip 4, you can definitely see the difference. I noticed that images shot with the Z Flip 5 compared to the Z Flip 4 had sharper details and stronger colors.
Results with the Razr Plus and Galaxy Z Flip 5 vary based on the circumstance. There were moments when the Z Flip 5’s images seemed more colorful and lively than those from the Razr.
View the images below to discover how the cameras on the Z Flip 5 and Razr Z Flip 4 stack up. Even though the variations are subtle, they become more apparent when you examine these full-size photographs on a laptop screen.
