The Galaxy Z Flip remains the most popular foldable phone series in the world, and today, Samsung one-upped its accomplishments by unveiling the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 at Unpacked in Seoul. Created to push the flip phone series into a new era, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 hides a few new tricks up its sleeve and employs fresh design ideas.
The President and Head of the Mobile eXperience Business, TM Roh, said Samsung is “revolutionizing the mobile industry with foldables by setting the standard and continually refining the experience.” And if there's one word that characterizes the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it is indeed “refinement.”
A new hinge and a beautiful large cover screen
For the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung uses a gapless hinge design for the first time in the flip phone's history. It literally closes the gap between the phone's two folding halves and contributes to a slimmer profile.
While the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4 had a thickness of 15.9mm (excluding the camera module), the Galaxy Z Flip 5 measures 15.1mm when folded shut.
Although the upgraded hinge is a welcomed addition, the new cover screen is no doubt the primary talking point of the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Upgraded from a 1.9-inch to a 3.4-inch panel, the new “Flex Window,” as Samsung calls it, enables new use cases and personalization options.
The larger AMOLED cover screen introduces new widgets and a Multi Widget View. It also allows users to access quick settings, chat and call logs, use Quick Reply through a full QWERTY keyboard, and bring up Samsung Wallet features like QR codes and coupons, membership cards, passes, digital keys, and more.
The 3.4-inch Flex Window works like a charm with the new Flex Mode hinge and offers an improved Dual Preview experience when taking photos. It also enables users to review images, adjust colors, or delete pics without having to flip open the device.
Speaking of cameras, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is equipped with a 10MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture, 1.22-micron pixels, and an 85-degree FOV. Next to the cover screen reside two cameras. The wide sensor has a 12MP resolution, an f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel Auto Focus, Optical Image Stabilization, 1.8-micron pixels, and an 83-degree field-of-view. The accompanying 12MP ultra-wide camera has an f/2.2 aperture, 1.12-micron pixels, and a 123-degree FOV.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 specifications and a new version of One UI
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has an IPX8 water resistance, an Armor Aluminum frame, and covers the back panel and Flex Window in Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Samsung also claims the enhanced Flex Hinge features a dual rail structure that diffuses external impacts.
As far as raw hardware specs go, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is equipped with a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED cover screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 720 x 748. On the opposite side, the phone features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X foldable display with a resolution of 2640 x 1080 and an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz.
The phone is enabled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of storage. It's powered by a 3,700mAh dual battery with 25W fast charging, wireless charging, and Wireless PowerShare capabilities.
Other specs include one nano-SIM slot and one eSIM, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Samsung Knox with Knox Vault, and Android 13. However, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 introduces One UI 5.1.1, which appears to be primarily designed to improve productivity and multitasking, especially for large-screen devices. It will be interesting to see in greater detail what One UI 5.1.1 brings new to the foldable flip phone experience.
The ultimate “pocketable self-expression tool”
Samsung calls the Galaxy Z Flip 5 “the ultimate pocketable self-expression tool without compromise.” And that's partly because of how the new cover screen syncs up with other devices and accessories.
Samsung's new Flipsuit Case for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a changeable NFC card, and Samsung says users can match their Flex Window design and case design for self-expression.
And for future Galaxy Watch 6 users, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 provides more customization options through the Flex Window, which can now display graphical clocks that match the face design of the smartwatch.
Samsung offers the Galaxy Z Flip 5 on pre-order terms in many markets ahead of its August 11 on-shelf release. The phone is available in Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender colors. It also boasts a few online-exclusive colors, including Gray, Blue, Green, and Yellow.
