Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 First Impressions: A Bigger, Bolder Cover Display Takes Center Stage
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 was a game changer, turning the once fashion-forward foldable into a genuinely practical smartphone with impressive camera upgrades and battery life. Now, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 pushes the boundaries even further, introducing a larger cover display with a unique widget-based interface, a new processor, and refined cameras. I had the opportunity to experience the Flip 5 at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, and here are my initial impressions.
A Familiar Design with a Bold Twist
The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s overall design remains largely familiar, retaining its sleek clamshell form factor and IPX8 water resistance rating. However, a closer look reveals a significant difference – a considerably larger front display encased in expanded glass. This impressive 3.4-inch, Super AMOLED 60Hz display boasts a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels (306ppi), and its unique folder-icon shape awakens with a tap.
The cover display’s design on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 marks a departure from Motorola’s aggressive approach. The Flip 5’s cover display features thick bezels on the top, left, and right sides, with a cutout at the bottom that neatly avoids the LED flash and dual cameras.
Inner Display: Familiar Yet Compact
While the main display hasn’t undergone a major overhaul, it remains a captivating 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 22:9 aspect ratio. Although browsing content vertically might feel slightly cramped, the display’s aspect ratio keeps the phone’s footprint compact, especially when compared to other foldables like the Oppo Find N2 Flip. The phone retains its previous weight (187g) but is now 2mm slimmer when folded thanks to the new hinge mechanism.
Enhanced Durability and Zero-Gap Design
Samsung claims that the new hinge is noticeably more durable, offering improved resistance against drops and shocks. This new hinge also enables a zero-gap design when folded shut, effectively minimizing the display crease.
Performance and Storage: A Boost for Power Users
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, a customized version of the standard chipset similar to the Galaxy S23 series. This upgraded chipset promises enhanced image quality and battery life. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 also features two storage variants, offering an 8GB RAM and 256GB storage option and an expanded 512GB storage model, a significant upgrade from the previous model’s 128GB base storage.
Camera: Refined Lenses, Familiar Performance
Staying true to the trend set by the Galaxy S23 series, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 features the same camera hardware as its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 4. A 12-megapixel primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS boasts an 83-degree field of view (FOV), while a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera offers a wider 123-degree FOV. Selfies are handled by a 10-megapixel camera.
Battery: Unchanged Capacity with Familiar Charging Options
The phone retains its 3,700mAh battery capacity, along with the previously supported 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Software: A Revolution on the Cover Display
The real game-changer is the software, specifically on the cover display. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs One UI 5.1.1 with Android 13, and its Flex Window goes beyond a simple display expansion, offering a wealth of functionality.
Flex Window: A Widget-Driven Interface
As anticipated in previous leaks, the Flex Window is a widget-based interface. Most native apps have dedicated widgets, although Google apps were not readily apparent during my brief hands-on time.
You can place calls from the call log widget, check the weather, even reply to notifications using a full keyboard, a significant improvement over the voice-input-only response system of the previous model. While the cover display does not run full apps like the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, a decision that seems like a missed opportunity for Samsung, we’ll reserve our final judgment for a full review.
The Flex Window also includes quick toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more, with Samsung Pay support. Samsung has also added the ability to display boarding passes directly from the cover display, eliminating the need to unfold the phone. A unique feature worth noting is the Multi-Widget view, which utilizes a pinch gesture to provide a zoomed-out view of all active widgets on the cover display.
Conclusion: Focus on Practicality and Performance
The success of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 hinges on the practicality of its new cover display and its ability to reduce the need to unfold the main display. Our attention is also drawn to the new chipset, which gives Samsung a natural performance edge over its competitors. However, we need more time to assess any improvements in imaging quality and battery life. Stay tuned for our comprehensive review.
Disclosure: Samsung sponsored the correspondent’s flights and hotel for the trip to Seoul, South Korea.
