Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review, we play rough, flip and never fold

Samsung’s fifth version, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes from a decent line of the Galaxy Z series.

Remember that this Z series was a series labeled for devices that would romance the idea of folding phones, promising a future of smart, compact devices that celebrated being creatively different.

The Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G were released in February 2020, bringing forward a device that folds vertically as opposed to the Galaxy Fold series.

The history says Samsung brought a device that had hybrid glass coating branded as Infinity Flex display.

Fast forward to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and we were introduced to devices that brought in Samsung’s outward fold design which featured a larger front screen, a higher refresh rate at 120Hz, minimal bezels, and improved cameras.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 came in a similar clamshell design with an aluminium frame, and a 6.7 display, folding into a space of 4.2 inches.

Once folded the Samsung logo shows up by the center of the hinge. We saw widgets arrive on the cover screen which enabled users to download widgets such as music weather, alarm, Samsung Health, and Bluetooth.

What’s the point of this?

The point is for you the user to spot the difference between the latest verses the old.

Samsung’s latest version is the Galaxy Flip 5 5G.

Ours came in a mint colour pallet and does one thing better than its predecessor which was to bring forward a larger Flex Window display which allows the user to have access to the device without unfolding it first.

Aesthetics

Samsung paid attention to the hinge gap, and it’s noticeable. Removing the gap has trimmed off at least 2mm when shut, that’s a massive change.

We opted to get a cover immediately as the mint colour on aluminum made it look slightly like a timeless station wagon which we didn’t understand.  More vibrant colours were our preference since Samsung is appealing to the stylish creative, with the now colour pallet in the form of more neutral colour arrays.  The other colours Lavender, cream, and graphite black seem pleasant but are not the strongest selling point, which means the user buys covers. Maybe that’s the point.

It’s an interestly safe bet when looking at the safe design that Samsung has maintained, yet the power button slash fingerprint sensor combo tells the user that they’re not in 2020 anymore.

We see a USB port at the bottom of the device next to the speaker with two interesting shifts for the external camera.

When closed the two camera lenses now lay horizontally as opposed to vertically, which makes sense if we look at the space opened for the Flex Window determined to be a selling point.

The Flix Window is larger than the predecessor, which is a notable step up, under a 60Hz OLED panel at 720×748 for decent pixels to view or read a message quickly.

The preloaded widgets and the mixture of clocks, including weather reports and favourite contact option were an interesting addition, but considering this is expected to be a solid selling point that differentiates the Galaxy Z Flip 5 from the Flip 4, we think more tweaks were necessary.

We like the ability to type on the external screen since we expected those preloaded text replies as feedback when the device is closed. This was impressive.

The inner screen sits at a 2640×1080 flexible AMOLED panel on an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate.

We see Samsung bringing forward a OneUI interface running on Android 13. This allows everything to run in harmony for a more natural experience on the otherwise large screen.

Folding feels comfortable with a slightly better crease since flip versions are constantly being graded on their crease.

We find slight improvements in the sense of Samsung’s Qualcomm prowess, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which makes the flip a little interesting.

It’s tiny with a punch and that always makes sense solidly reminding us all of that proverbial dynamite and packages phrase.

We appreciate the ability to split screens without the device winded on performance thanks to the Android 13’s responsiveness.

The battery sits at a seen before 3700mAh which should get you comfortably through the day, at just above normal use.

Camera

The camera’s sit at a 12MP wide angle with an f/18 aperture alongside a 12MP ultra-wide, with a wider field of view for those interesting shots.

This is nothing out of the ordinary considering its predecessor. The zoom options do squeeze out detail when pushed too far, but we think Samsung is aware and plans to better software in the next series update.

Samsung has upped its picture quality on night shots and it shows. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 takes evening shots without a flash and they look comfortably competitive.

It was the 10MP, let’s call it our webcam punchhole on the inner screen that had us curious in wanting to video call someone just to see the quality. It’s pretty standard but decent enough to impress people when you tell them you’re using your phone.

It’s an interesting offering to the market but delivers what we think Samsung had in mind. A device for the creative that fits comfortably into small confined pockets. Yes, you may get the slight bulge, but you have a second screen to play with, and quickly reply to messages.

We see a safe design but improved performance and the same-sized battery. We’re not entirely sold on the camera, but are sold on the aluminum finish, the inner 6.7-inch OLED display, and the outer 3.4-inch OLED answer to the market.

Memory sits at 8GB RAM with dimensions seeding at 165 x 72×6.9mm when it’s unfolded, and weighs just 187g when it’s folded comfortably in your hand.

It’s light makes a statement, and makes sense, and is a solid series update with some room to improve.

Also read: Rooibos enters virtual gaming market with Enshrouded