Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: still worth it in 2024?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 must be an ideal foldable flip cellphone. Why? The pitch from Samsung is a fairly easy one. It saved every part that labored so properly for final 12 months’s Flip, made the duvet display screen rather more helpful, added a brand new processor, and created a hinge that lets the Flip 5 fold fully flat when it’s shut. And, sure, the worth is strictly the identical.

So, is the Z Flip 5 good? It’s actually shut, however not fairly. That is the perfect Galaxy Z Flip Samsung has ever made, and it’s in all probability the folding flip cellphone most individuals should purchase. It’s additionally a cellphone I’ve totally loved utilizing — even when a few issues about it have been a bit irritating alongside the way in which.

About our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 evaluation

This evaluation of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 was first printed on August 3, 2023, after I (Joe Maring) used the cellphone for every week within the U.S., related to T-Cellular’s 5G community. It was up to date on August 12 to account for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 changing into extensively obtainable for buy.

Digital Traits’ senior author Andy Boxall then revisited the Galaxy Z Flip 5 on the finish of October 2023, after utilizing the cellphone for 10 days within the U.Okay. to see how the cellphone had modified and if it was nonetheless one we advocate. You could find his feedback in a devoted part immediately beneath. Andy then went again to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 for a number of weeks in June 2024, and the evaluation has been up to date all through. For a more in-depth take a look at our evaluation course of, see our information on how we test phones.

Revisiting the Galaxy Z Flip 5

I bought a Galaxy Z Flip 5 over a Galaxy Z Fold 5 as a result of I felt there was extra motive to take action when it comes to technological development and innovation. The larger, extra helpful cowl display screen was the first motive, and I haven’t been dissatisfied by it in any respect — however I additionally haven’t discovered it to be transformative. It’s very helpful for sure apps, however not for all, regardless of there being a method to use practically any app on it. It’s good for messaging apps and navigation, however I’m by no means going to observe YouTube on it.

That’s how I felt in October 2023, however issues took an surprising flip once I went again to the Z Flip 5 once more in 2024. I found using the outer screen too fiddly and time-consuming, even for the fundamentals, and I merely left the cellphone open when it wasn’t in my pocket or bag. Basically, I used the Z Flip 5 as if it didn’t “flip” in any respect, ignoring the one factor that makes the cellphone particular. Regardless of this, I still like the convenience of a clamshell folding cellphone, and it’s refreshing to not actually discover that I’m carrying round a 6.7-inch cellphone.

I’ve continued to seek out the battery a disappointment, although. With average use (roughly three hours of display screen time per day), plus a bit of gaming, the battery is all the way down to round 25% by late night. It could possibly’t handle two days of use in any respect, and even mild use in 2024 sees the battery completed by the center of the second day. The Z Flip 5 lags behind non-folding telephones of the same measurement and worth, particularly with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 proving so environment friendly. Relating to the digicam, I discovered it does perform better than the one on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and I do just like the photographs it takes, Nonetheless, it does lack an optical zoom, which is changing into extra commonplace, and I do miss it.

The construct high quality is nice, plus the hinge stays quiet and easy after many months. I chose one of Samsung’s exclusive colors — matte blue — which dissatisfied me by unexpectedly together with authorized textual content on the again and has then gone on to choose up an ugly scuff as properly. I’d advocate simply shopping for one of many customary colours, which don’t have authorized textual content on the again. The shiny end ought to keep away from scratches and scuffs higher, too. That mentioned, I’m nonetheless happy I went for the Z Flip 5 over the Z Fold 5, largely because of how straightforward it’s to stay with from each a efficiency and comfort perspective.

Our unique evaluation of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 continues beneath.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: design and hinge

Sure, the duvet display screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is an enormous deal, however there’s one other essential replace that’s not fairly as apparent — and that’s Samsung’s new hinge. Samsung calls it the “Flex Hinge,” and in comparison with hinges on earlier Z Flips, the Flip 5 is ready to fold fully flat when it’s folded shut, so no extra ugly hole. Not solely is it extra aesthetically pleasing, nevertheless it additionally makes the Flip 5 a bit thinner than the Flip 4 when shut — going from 17.1mm at its thickest to simply 15.1mm.

Though the hole on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 by no means bothered me personally, having the Flip 5 eradicate it’s nonetheless nice to see. It makes the cellphone really feel a bit extra full, and whereas a distinction of 2mm in thickness doesn’t sound drastic, it does make the Z Flip really feel extra pocketable than ever earlier than. It additionally stops mud and lint from amassing beneath the 2 folded sections fairly so simply.

There’s one thing else you’ll discover in regards to the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s hinge, and that’s the way it feels a bit looser in comparison with earlier generations; Samsung admits as much on its website! However don’t take this to be a foul factor. The Z Flip 4 at all times felt a bit stiff to open, even after weeks of use. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 feels a lot smoother from day one, and even with out the hole, I discover the cellphone very straightforward to open and shut. And the perfect half is that the smoother motion doesn’t make the hinge really feel any much less sturdy. (You may nonetheless prop the hinge up at nearly any angle.)

It’s additionally value mentioning that the Z Flip 5’s hinge feels noticeably higher designed than the one on the Motorola Razr Plus. Motorola’s flip cellphone makes extra noise when being opened, and should you gently rub the 2 halves collectively when closed, you may really feel and listen to them transferring towards one another. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 displays no such quirks, and whereas it stays to be seen how both cellphone holds up after months of normal use, I wouldn’t be shocked if Samsung’s cellphone withstands the check of time extra reliably.

That consensus additionally boils all the way down to the remainder of the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s design. Coming from the Razr Plus, there are such a lot of little issues that simply really feel higher on the Z Flip 5. The ability and quantity buttons are sturdy and don’t wiggle once you push on them. The vibration motor (whereas not unimaginable) feels nicer and doesn’t make an disagreeable sound. The audio system sound louder and fuller. The IPX8 rating, whereas not helpful for dust-proofing, permits the Z Flip 5 to outlive water splashes and submersion simply in addition to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro.

These are all little issues on their very own, however once you add all of them up — mixed with Samsung’s excellent new hinge — it leads to the Galaxy Z Flip 5 being essentially the most well-constructed flip cellphone foldable I’ve used up to now.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: cowl display screen

Okay, okay — now we are able to speak in regards to the Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen. The brief story is that it’s a really huge improve and might do absolutely anything you’d like. The longer story is … properly, it’s a bit extra sophisticated. Specs-wise, the Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen is a Tremendous AMOLED panel and measures 3.4 inches. The decision is 720 x 748, it has a 60Hz refresh charge, and it’s coated with Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

On a technical stage, it pales compared to the 1056 x 1066 decision and 144Hz refresh charge of the Razr Plus cowl display screen. The Z Flip 5 nonetheless seems sharp sufficient to my eyes, and I don’t discover the 60Hz refresh charge as a lot as I believed I might. I wouldn’t say I’ve been sad with the standard of the duvet display screen (it’s extraordinarily colourful and will get tremendous brilliant), however Samsung definitely may have accomplished much more right here. Technical stuff apart, the meat of the dialog lies within the software program of the Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen begins together with your clock face. There are six classes of faces to select from, together with Featured, Gallery, Informative, Graphical, Easy, and Colours. There are a number of kinds for every class, and each might be custom-made to your precise liking. I’ve been utilizing one of many Informative kinds, which reveals me the time, climate, date, battery, and notification icons suddenly — it’s improbable.

From there, you may have a number of foremost methods to work together with the duvet display screen:

• Swipe down to open your Fast Settings.
• Swipe up to entry your cost playing cards in Samsung Pay.
• Swipe proper to view your whole notifications.
• Swipe left to cycle by your widgets.

If this sounds much like the way you work together with a Samsung Galaxy Watch, that’s on objective. Samsung wished the Flip 5’s cowl display screen to imitate how you employ its smartwatches, and I feel that was the best name. This interface is clear, easy, and very easy to understand after only a few seconds of swiping round.

Widgets are a core a part of the Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen. There’s quite a bit to select from proper out of the field, together with a calendar, climate forecast, timer, alarm, stopwatch, latest calls, direct dial, steps, day by day exercise, and a finance watchlist. It’s a bigger choice than the “panels” you get on the Motorola Razr Plus, and so they’re a lot better designed, too — displaying extra data and dealing extra reliably, at the very least in my expertise.

Samsung additionally neatly makes use of the small part of the show that extends additional into the bottom-left nook. When you’ve got a timer, stopwatch, or audio ongoing, you’ll see it as a small pop-up there. However we nonetheless haven’t talked about one important factor: apps on the duvet display screen. It’s potential to use apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover screen, however getting every part to work the way you wish to is a chore. You primarily have two methods of utilizing apps on the Flip 5’s cowl display screen:

The simple approach: Faucet a toggle within the Labs part of the Settings app, and also you get entry to 6 functions Samsung has curated for the duvet display screen. These embrace Google Messages, Samsung Messages, WhatsApp, Google Maps, YouTube, and Netflix.

The arduous approach: If you wish to run any app put in on the Flip 5 on the duvet display screen, it’s essential install the Good Lock app from the Galaxy Store. Then it’s a must to open Good Lock and set up one thing known as “MultiStar”. Then it’s a must to open MultiStar. After which it’s a must to faucet three different buttons and choose which apps you wish to use on the duvet display screen earlier than it really works.

Good Lock is an official Samsung software and never some random third-party rubbish, however it’s horribly designed. Samsung additionally doesn’t clearly clarify this course of anyplace when establishing the Z Flip 5 — you simply need to know exactly what to obtain and the place to look. It’s not user-friendly, not intuitive, and far more sophisticated than it must be.

The upside? After you undergo all of this trouble, apps run fairly properly on the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen. As soon as Good Lock is put in and configured, you get a “Launcher” widget that reveals the entire apps you’ve chosen to make use of on the duvet display screen.

I exploit apps on the Z Flip 5 for a similar issues I exploit the Razr Plus’s cowl display screen for — replying to Telegram messages, scanning my Starbucks barcode when ordering espresso, catching up on emails in Outlook, and so on. Issues are barely extra condensed on the Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen in comparison with the Razr Plus’s, however the expertise is basically the identical for the functions I exploit.

You may open an app on the duvet display screen and proceed it on the principle show should you open the Flip 5, nevertheless it doesn’t work in the other way. Equally, there’s no method to multitask on the Flip 5’s cowl display screen. On the Razr Plus, you may swipe on the underside of the display screen to cycle between apps you’ve not too long ago used. However due to the hacky strategy to apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung affords no such choice.

After some tweaking and setup, the expertise of utilizing apps on the Z Flip 5’s cowl display screen is kind of fulfilling. However attending to that time is much more difficult than it must be — and one thing that much less skilled customers will probably be deterred from fully. I’m glad all of those instruments are right here and that the duvet display screen is able to a lot, however the total consumer expertise wants plenty of work.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: show and crease

Though the duvet display screen is new and thrilling, we additionally want to speak in regards to the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s foremost show. Fortunately, it’s superb! That shouldn’t come as a shock, because it’s nearly an identical to the show used on the Flip 4 final 12 months. You’re getting a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X show with a 2640 x 1080 decision and a 120Hz refresh charge.

In typical Samsung trend, the show on the Flip 5 is beautiful. Colours are very saturated and pop proper off the display screen, making every part from movies to your Settings app look excellent. The 120Hz refresh charge is predictably nice, too, permitting your whole swiping/scrolling to really feel as easy as potential.

There’s one show improve this 12 months, and it’s a bounce from 1,200 nits of brightness on the Flip 4 to 1,750 nits on the Flip 5. We’ve had plenty of very sunny days in Michigan currently, and the added show brightness has been drastically appreciated. I by no means had too troublesome of a time seeing the Flip 4’s display screen open air, however the Flip 5 has given me zero points in anyway.

If I’ve one grievance in regards to the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s show, it’s that the crease — at the very least to my eyes and contact — hasn’t modified a lot in any respect in comparison with the Flip 4. It doesn’t severely impression day-to-day use, however coming to the Flip 5 instantly after utilizing the Motorola Razr Plus for therefore lengthy, Samsung’s crease is a lot extra pronounced.

I usually don’t even discover the Razr Plus’s crease when touching its foremost show, however there’s no mistaking it on the Z Flip 5. When firms like Motorola, Oppo, and others have discovered methods to significantly reduce their crease depth, it’s disappointing that Samsung doesn’t appear desperate to observe go well with.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: cameras

If you happen to used a Galaxy Z Flip 4, the digicam setup on the Flip 5 shall be instantly acquainted, however our separate check comparing the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 4 cameras does present some real enhancements. The Flip 5 is supplied with a 12MP foremost digicam with f/1.8 aperture and optical picture stabilization. There’s additionally a 12MP ultrawide digicam with a 123-degree area of view, plus a 10MP selfie digicam on the principle show. In different phrases, it’s nearly an identical to the digicam system on final 12 months’s Z Flip.

To Samsung’s credit score, there are a few enhancements on the Z Flip 5 over final 12 months’s cameras. An upgraded picture sign processor within the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ought to translate to raised colour copy throughout the board. The principle and ultrawide cameras even have a brand new “clear lens coating” to forestall lens flares, and the selfie digicam has a barely improved f/2.2 aperture (in comparison with f/2.4 on the Z Flip 4).

In my testing, photographs taken with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 have — unsurprisingly — regarded similar to the Flip 4. That’s to say photographs are colourful, have superb dynamic vary, and are simply as dependable whether or not you’re open air in brilliant daylight or in a dimly lit room.

Do photographs typically look too saturated and never 100% correct to the true world? Sure, however I feel latest Samsung telephones have struck a pleasant stability right here. That further pop interprets to extra vibrant and fascinating photographs, and most of the time, I’ve been very proud of the pictures I’ve taken with the Flip 5. It’s a cellphone I can snap a photograph with and really feel assured in regards to the finish consequence — one thing I completely couldn’t say in regards to the Motorola Razr Plus.

I’m nonetheless ready for the day when Samsung finds a approach so as to add a telephoto digicam to a Z Flip, and significant upgrades to the principle and ultrawide cameras are lengthy overdue. However in that very same breath, there’s no denying Samsung has a stable pair of cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. They’re straightforward to shoot with, ship crowd-pleasing outcomes, and are among the many greatest you will get on a flip cellphone foldable in the present day.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: efficiency and software program

Efficiency-wise, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has the identical “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy” chip we noticed within the Galaxy S23 household earlier this 12 months — plus 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. As anticipated, that interprets to improbable efficiency on the Z Flip 5. Nothing slows this cellphone down. From a number of Google Chrome tabs, streaming 4K movies, or attempting to stage up in Marvel Snap once I must be working, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has by no means felt gradual to me. The cellphone can get a contact heat once you’re actually pushing it with extended gaming classes or livid multitasking, nevertheless it by no means will get so heat that it’s worrying or uncomfortable.

In relation to software program, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 ships with Android 13 and Samsung’s customized One UI 5.1.1 interface. If you happen to’ve used a Samsung cellphone throughout the final couple of years, you’ll be proper at residence on the Flip 5. One UI continues to be One UI, for higher or worse, and it’s not modified a lot in any respect right here.

One UI is chock-full of additional options not present in “inventory” Android, and a few of them might be extraordinarily helpful. I really like having the ability to add customized app shortcuts and widgets to the lock display screen. Samsung’s always-on show function is extremely customizable, and it even carries over to the duvet display screen on the Flip 5.

I additionally recognize how a lot management Samsung provides you over the ability button, permitting you to show it right into a digicam launcher or a shortcut to open any app you need. Plus, Samsung’s app optimization continues to be unmatched for folding flip telephones. Within the YouTube app, for instance, half-folding the cellphone pushes the video to the highest portion of the display screen whilst you get optimized video playback controls beneath.

However for each further function I exploit in One UI, there are half a dozen others that I’ve zero use for — whether or not that’s Bixby, working apps in pop-up home windows, or the Edge panels menu that I at all times open once I don’t imply to. I definitely don’t hate Samsung’s strategy to Android software program, and I recognize the corporate providing so many settings/instruments to play with. However, at the very least for me personally, I desire the easier software program strategy we see with Google Pixel and Motorola smartphones.

That mentioned, there’s no denying how glorious Samsung’s software program replace coverage is. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is promised 4 years of main Android upgrades and 5 years of safety updates. Samsung’s replace coverage is likely one of the greatest within the enterprise — second solely to the seven years of updates Google affords for the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro. Whether or not you’re involved about new options or essential safety updates, Samsung has you coated.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: battery life

Identical to the Galaxy Z Flip 4 final 12 months, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 3,700 mAh battery to maintain it going all through the day. Additionally, identical to final 12 months, that interprets to fairly mediocre battery life. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is firmly a one-day smartphone and by no means goes past that. With 14-15 hours of complete uptime — plus a bit of over three hours of screen-on time (for the principle show) — I’ve simply been draining the battery to single digits. In different phrases, if I take the Flip 5 off the charger at 7 a.m., it’s not unusual to have lower than 10% battery by 9 p.m. that night.

That is with fairly average utilization — together with 30 to 40 minutes utilizing Twitter, round 10 minutes scrolling by TikTok and Instagram, frequent podcast listening, and a few hours spent on a 5G connection. I’ve ended some days with 20% to 30% battery earlier than bedtime, however that was provided that I restricted my display screen time to 2 hours or much less. My greatest day thus far included 17 hours and half-hour of complete use time, 2 hours and 24 minutes of screen-on time, and I nonetheless managed to finish the day with 26% remaining.

This isn’t excellent battery life, nevertheless it does look like enhancing a bit of bit extra with every day that I exploit the Flip 5. In relation to charging, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 sports activities 25W wired charging, 15W wi-fi charging, and 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging if you wish to use it to high up your smartwatch, wi-fi earbuds, or one other cellphone.

These are all high quality speeds and pretty customary for this type issue. The Z Flip 5 goes from 0 to 50% in about half-hour and takes a bit of over an hour to get a full recharge. It’s nothing that’ll knock your socks off just like the 80W charging on the OnePlus 11, nevertheless it will get the job accomplished.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: worth and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 begins at $1,000 with 256GB because the default choice. If you happen to want extra space for storing, you will get the 512GB model for $1,120. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is offered for quick buy. You may get it immediately from Samsung.com, retailers like Amazon and Finest Purchase, or by your wi-fi provider. Gives and offers on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 are widespread, so should you don’t wish to pay the total retail worth, you’ll simply must have a bit of endurance and the best deal will come alongside.

Yet one more factor to contemplate is the Galaxy Z Flip 6 shall be launched within the close to future, so except you discover a actually glorious deal or can’t look ahead to a brand new cellphone, it is going to be value seeing what Samsung does with the Z Flip 5’s sequel.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: verdict

After I reviewed the Motorola Razr Plus earlier this 12 months, I known as it “the folding cellphone I’ve been ready for. I additionally went on to jot down one other article hailing the Razr Plus as my favorite smartphone of 2023. I’ve talked about that cellphone quite a bit all through this evaluation, and that’s as a result of it’s the closest — and the one — competitor Samsung faces with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 (at the very least within the U.S.). For me, the Razr Plus nonetheless has a allure that Samsung doesn’t fairly grasp with the Flip 5.

Whether or not it’s the magenta leather-based again, the extra streamlined cowl display screen, or Motorola’s easier software program, the Razr Plus is a cellphone I personally desire utilizing a bit extra. However once I take a step again and take a look at the massive image — and take into consideration which folding cellphone most individuals ought to spend their $1,000 on — it’s difficult not to recommend the Galaxy Z Flip 5 over Motorola’s flip phone.

There are plenty of causes for this. Samsung’s hinge feels a lot better constructed, and for a folding cellphone, that’s an enormous deal. The Z Flip 5 additionally has a greater digicam expertise, a more moderen processor, longer software program help, and a nicer total construct. Sure, the duvet display screen is a ache to configure, however after getting it arrange the way in which you need, it does nearly every part you would ask for.

I’ll put it this manner: If you happen to’re out there for a $1,000 folding cellphone proper now, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the one you should purchase. I’ve my private preferences for Motorola’s flip cellphone, nevertheless it’s unattainable to disclaim that Samsung has the objectively higher product of the 2. There’s a motive Samsung is seen because the king of folding telephones, and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 ensures that received’t change any time quickly.

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