The Galaxy Z Fold legacy is ready to move on to the next chapter, as Samsung unveiled the fifth-generation model at Unpacked in Seoul. It may be difficult to ignore that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks similar to the Folds that came before it, and yet, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Galaxy S23 series demonstrated as much earlier this year. But did the Galaxy Z Fold series reach its design peak, as the Galaxy S lineup arguably did? Or is Samsung simply playing it safe, seeing how it has little competition in the global foldable phone segment?
Time will tell, but there's no denying that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is more of a refinement of the existing formula than a revolutionary device. It takes what Samsung's learned thus far and improves upon it but doesn't stray from the established path. So, what are the best things about the new model? What things define it as a sequel to the Galaxy Z Fold 4? Here are its best features.
A new gapless hinge makes the thinnest Samsung foldable
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks almost the same as the Z Flip 4, it does bring one substantial design change in the form of an upgraded gapless hinge. If the hinge used by the previous Z Fold models left a gap between the two folding halves, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 hinge does not.
The new hinge, i.e., “Flex Hinge,” makes the Galaxy Z Fold 5 look more modern and also contributes to slimming down the device. In fact, with a 13.4mm profile, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the thinnest commercial foldable phone Samsung's ever made, and that statement includes both the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip lineups.
Great build quality with water-resistance
As the world's most popular foldable phone brand, Samsung is responsible for setting the standard in terms of build quality. Customers want resilient phones that can last for years, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is among the better-built foldable phones on the market.
Samsung says its new Flex Hinge “provides the protection consumers expect.” The Galaxy Z Fold 5 hinge has a dual rail structure that diffuses external impacts, the company claims.
In addition, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has an IPX8 water-resistance rating, an Armor Aluminum frame, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for the cover screen. All this without abandoning wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare.
A brighter foldable display
One of the most welcomed hardware upgrades introduced by the Galaxy Z Fold 5 consists of a brighter foldable display, which is bound to improve the user experience for everyone. The brightness is now 30% higher.
For a quick comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 released last year has a foldable panel that can reach 1200 nits of brightness (peak), while the new 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X foldable panel employed by the Galaxy Z Fold 5 can top 1,750 nits.
The upgraded foldable display ensures better outdoor visibility and should provide a comfortable experience even under bright sunlight.
Improved productivity and multitasking through One UI 5.1.1
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 introduces One UI 5.1.1. It's not as much of a substantial update as One UI 6.0 should be, but One UI 5.1.1 still has some really cool tricks up its sleeve, according to Samsung's presentation.
One UI 5.1.1 is all about improving multitasking and productivity. The new firmware brings an improved Taskbar that shows up to four recent apps. And a newly enhanced two-handed drag-and-drop feature lets users interact with two different apps at the same time.
For example, Galaxy Z Fold 5 users can tap and hold an image in Samsung Gallery with one finger, open Samsung Notes with another, and drag-drop the image on top of the note-taking app.
These improvements make the Galaxy Z Fold 5 the ultimate mobile productivity powerhouse.
Higher performance and good old Flex Mode features
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 ensures better performance than the previous generation foldable phone through the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, whose worth was proven by the Galaxy S23 series. Samsung uses the chip for the Z Fold 5 worldwide, so you will have a premium experience no matter where you are.
And last but not least, although Flex Mode isn't a new feature, it remains one of the best things that sets the Galaxy Z Fold series apart from foldable phones offered by other brands. Flex Mode is a software feature enabled by the Flex Hinge. Thanks to the hinge, the book-like foldable can stay open at various angles, and when it does, apps match the form factor through Flex Mode.
For instance, when holding the Z Fold 5 open at a ~90-120-degree angle, users can watch videos on the upper half of the screen and have media controls on the lower half. Or they can use the upper half as a camera viewfinder while controlling the camera through a dedicated UI on the screen's lower half.
Flex Mode maximizes the potential of the hinged design and creates new and clever use cases. So, although it's not a new concept for a Samsung foldable phone, Flex Mode still deserves to be mentioned as one of the stand-out Galaxy Z Fold 5 features.
