The Samsung galaxy z flip 5 came out on the 11th of August 2023. It is the latest edition of the flip series and it’s one of the most remarkable foldable phones you could find right now on the market. I purchased the phone in September and have been using it for about 3 months now and it has delivered beyond my expectations. The reason I got the z flip 5 early is because I know that until you use a device for an extended amount of time that when I could really understand the capabilities. It was during this I discovered some hidden feature that unlocks the Flex Window outer screen to run full apps.

Even though the z flip 5 isn’t the best in terms of foldable phone it still beats a lot of rivals. In this review I will discuss what I loved about the z flip 5 and what I think needs improvement.

Firstly I’ll discuss the design

The most significant alteration to the Flip 5’s design is its ability to close with no-gap, yet from a distance, its size and general form are so similar to the models from the previous generation and it may easily be confused for one. This no-gap design is the result of Samsung modifying the hinge to a new teardrop style that other manufacturers have been using for some time. Nevertheless, the Flip 5 manages to feel tough and solid, which is a great thing, while other flip phones from rivals like Motorola and oppo do not feel particularly sturdy and feel a bit shaky.

In addition, the Flip 5 is only slightly slimmer than the Flip 4, which is visibly no longer wedge-shaped. Samsung claims that the crease in the centre of the main screen has been shrunk, however we could not really spot the difference in real life, so the difference must be really minute.

Similar to its predecessor, the Flip 5 has an IPX8 water resistance rating. Also, Dusty conditions are the traditional enemy of all folding phones, the rating for the dust resistance is “X”, this rating indicates that there is no extra dust proofing, thus you still need to exercise extra caution when using it.

In terms of the material, Samsung uses Armour Aluminium for the phone’s frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the front and rear. Additionally, the Flip has flat sides, which has advantages and disadvantages.

Secondly Display

The Flip 5’s front “Flex Screen” has undergone a complete transformation and increased significantly, occupying most of the front of the device aside from a camera cutout, but the phone’s main screen stays unchanged. The front screen measures 3.4 inches, which is considerably bigger than the previous 1.9-inch display Samsung used before but smaller than the 3.6-inch screen of the Motorola Razr Plus. It is noteworthy that it operates at 60Hz, which is a bit strange considering the rival Razr’s monitor allows a higher refresh rate.

The screen has a lot of additional features, but not exactly everything. A variety of widgets have been built by Samsung just for it, and there is an additional option that lets you run some basic messaging apps and Google Maps, YouTube, Netflix, and other necessary programmes. However, at the moment, the selection is rather small.

The Camera

If you are like me and was expecting some big camera modification in the Galaxy Z Flip 5, FORGET IT but it still take exceptional pictures. The phone has the same dual main camera setup as before, with an ultra-wide and a wide angle shooter with identical sensor sizes. Due to space constraints, the majority of contemporary flip phones have two cameras; yet, we had hoped for at least a minor upgrade. Samsung claims that the image processing has improved, despite the hardware being unchanged.

Although there are very small colour processing adjustments and somewhat better photographs when looking at the main camera, the majority of the photos still have the same appearance. Again, the modifications are rather moderate from the previous generation, but in low light you can see the differences a bit clearer and get a similar boost in sharpness.

Similar slight changes will be seen in the ultra-wide camera, which are more noticeable at night but hardly noticeable during the day. Better digital zoom is something we did not anticipate, but Samsung has made some processing adjustments that actually display more detail.

Battery

Although Samsung did not increase the battery capacity of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it managed to outlast its predecessor by almost an hour, lasting 9 hours and 53 minutes in my test for web surfing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip powering the phone is mostly responsible for that. But I had hoped for it to be much longer. You can use it for a single day.

I think Samsung should include a telephoto lens and allow users to run programmes on the outer screen without using a third-party app. All things considered, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is among the best foldable phones available, and I like its sturdy build, larger cover display, and good cameras.