LATEST GALAXY Z FOLD 5 NEWS
Introduction
Samsung announced its fifth Galaxy Z Fold model in the series at the second annual Galaxy Unpacked event of 2023. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 marks half a decade of innovations in the growing foldable market space, even though its smaller sibling, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, appears to have stolen the spotlight this year.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an incremental upgrade of the 2022 model. It refines the formula rather than redefining it, and it seems to be more of an upgrade for Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Fold 3 users rather than something Galaxy Z Fold 4 owners need.
Design
On the face of it, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 doesn't look all that different from its predecessor. The 2022 and 2023 models seem almost identical from the back, with the only obvious difference consisting of a relocated LED flash.
Nevertheless, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 employs a new waterdrop-style hinge, and this has a couple of positive ramifications.
Firstly, the Galaxy Z Fold can finally fold almost entirely flat without leaving visible gaps between the two folding halves.
Secondly, this new hinge design has allowed Samsung to make the display crease less visible.
And thirdly, thanks to this hinge, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the thinnest foldable phone Samsung's ever produced. Even compared to the Galaxy Z Flip series. The new Fold 5 has a 13.4mm profile.
The S Pen is still an optional accessory that doesn't have a dedicated slot, but the S Pen case is now slimmer.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 was announced in three standard color options including Icy Blue, Phantom Black, and Cream, along with two online-exclusive colors: Gray and Blue with a black frame.
Regardless of which color you may choose, the foldable flagship phone has water-resistance thanks to an IPX8 rating. The device has an armor aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for the back and cover screen.
Specifications
Samsung's 2023 foldable flagship phone introduces the usual yearly changes expected from a new model, such as the latest chipset and storage standard.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “for Galaxy” chip from Qualcomm, which boasts higher primary CPU core and GPU frequencies compared to the standard chip.
The new foldable phone also has UFS 4.0 storage instead of UFS 3.1. Memory configurations include 12GB of RAM paired with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage.
The dual-battery system consists of a 4,400mAh combo with 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The latter allows users to recharge their accessories, such as Galaxy Buds and smartwatches, by lending the foldable phone's battery charge.
Display
In terms of display technology, Samsung brings few upgrades, primarily to the foldable screen, which is now brighter and can reach 1,750 nits of brightness instead of 1,200 nits.
The foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel has a ~1-120Hz refresh rate, a 7.6-inch diagonal, and a resolution of 2176 x 1812.
The cover screen is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.2-inch panel with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Its aspect ratio is the same as before at 23.1:9.
Camera
One area that hasn't changed much (or at all) compared to last year is the camera hardware. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a 50MP primary camera with Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS, a 10MP telephoto unit with PDAF, OIS and 3x zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide shooter.
In addition, the Fold 5 carries a 10MP cover screen selfie camera and a 4MP UDC (Under-Display Camera) hidden behind the foldable panel.
Nevertheless, even if the camera hardware is the same, Samsung introduced a bunch of improvements to the mobile photography, videography, and editing experiences thanks to the customized “for Galaxy” chip and more advanced AI and image processing technologies.
Software and features
In terms of software, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 ships with One UI 5.1.1, which should be the final step before the One UI 6.0 update.
One UI 5.1.1 improves the big-screen device experience through an improved taskbar and a new option that might redefine multitasking. It allows users to tap and hold on a file with one finger and use the phone's UI with another finger.
For example, users can tap and hold an image in the Gallery app with one finger, open the Notes app with the other hand, then drag-drop the image in the Notes app.
Availability and price
Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 5 on July 26, 2023. And unlike in previous years, the Unpacked launch event took place in South Korea.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 began on the same day. The phone went on sale for $1,799, the same as the Z Fold 5, although it was slightly more expensive in some markets, such as the UK and a few other countries across the European continent.
