A significant aspect of the excitement in reviewing a foldable phone is witnessing the initial reactions of family, friends, and those around us. These unfiltered, puzzled responses are a rare gem in today’s tech landscape. In this regard, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 has breathed new life into these personal interactions.
While a larger, more vibrant external display is the headline upgrade of the Z Flip 5, it’s the areas where Samsung opted for refinement rather than radical change that truly set the device apart. This keeps the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the forefront of foldable technology, and it remains the top choice for most users.
At first glance, the new Z Flip 5 might seem like an evolution of its predecessor, the Z Flip 4. However, rest assured that the three significant improvements in the updated model significantly impact how you utilize and enjoy the foldable experience.
A Look at the Flex Window
With the Z Flip 5, Samsung has made a significant improvement by replacing last year’s modest 1.9-inch screen with a superior, more luminous 3.4-inch square display. This upgraded panel offers the convenience of watching YouTube videos, a clearer view for framing subjects in flex mode selfies, and the ability to effortlessly engage with notifications without straining your eyes or needing to fully open the phone for typing.
The Z Flip 5’s sleek, refined design gives it a more sophisticated feel as a premium pocket companion rather than a mere folding novelty. Interacting with the Flex Window closely resembles the experience on a Samsung Galaxy Watch. Depending on the direction you swipe from the home screen, you can access the notification panel, quick toggles, and a range of widgets with ease.
The Gapless Experience
The Z Flip 5 of this year introduces an innovative gapless hinge design, ensuring that the upper and lower sections of the inner display fold together seamlessly, leaving minimal to no space in between. This refined aesthetic not only looks better but also has practical benefits. The absence of a gap at the center reduces the chances of dust and debris infiltrating the delicate inner display, thus minimizing the risk of physical damage.
According to Samsung, despite retaining its IPX8 rating, the Z Flip 5 boasts enhanced durability. This improvement should make it more resilient, capable of withstanding trips to sandy beaches and other dusty environments more effectively than its predecessors.
Unmatched Performance
The Z Flip 5 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the same powerhouse that debuted in Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra. This means that the phone effortlessly handles the usual array of apps and games, ensuring a lightning-fast performance. Whether you prefer split-screen multitasking or Picture-in-Picture (PiP), the experience is seamlessly smooth.
Given the unique design of dual-screen flip phones, I’ve found myself using the camera app and the flex mode media player more frequently than usual. Throughout my week of testing the Z Flip 5, I haven’t encountered any significant hiccups or app crashes. This stability persisted even during instances when I switched between emailing and Slack, all while keeping my security camera feed open in PiP mode.
Unlike the Z Fold 5, the Z Flip is designed with a more widespread user base in mind. This includes parents seeking a self-supporting device for capturing effortless family photos and videos, fitness enthusiasts who prioritize pocket convenience, and Gen Z individuals who desire a device that symbolically closes off their digital world.
Through the introduction of a larger external display, enhanced processing capabilities, and an improved durability, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 effectively addresses many of the issues that affected its previous iteration. This makes it the standout choice among flip-style phones available today. Notably, Samsung has also doubled the base storage of the Z Flip this year, elevating it from 128GB to 256GB. As someone who often captures additional photos “just in case,” this upgrade is particularly welcome in the new model.
