Samsung has just announced the fifth-generation Galaxy Z Fold here in Seoul, South Korea. And we were able to spend about an hour using the device yesterday. Obviously, that’s not enough time to give you a full review (that’s coming though), but it is enough time to give you our first impressions from that short time.
From the outside, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks like a very minor update from the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and that’s because it’s another iterative update for the Fold lineup. Which makes you think, we might be due for something big next year.
The new hinge
The big change this year with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the new hinge. It’s now thinner and lighter, allowing the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to fold completely flat. Something that was not possible in previous versions – which seemed kind of odd, as other OEMs have been doing this for a few years now. But now, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 (and Flip 5 for that matter) are able to fold completely flat. That will help with dust and water resistance as well.
With this new hinge, Samsung was able to shave about 4% off of its weight. That doesn’t sound like a lot, especially when the new Fold 5 is still 252 grams. But every little gram shaven off does help. Since these book-style foldables are still fairly heavy.
The hinge does seem to be even easier to open, then the previous models. Though that could be a placebo effect, since I’ve been using the Pixel Fold recently, which has a very different style hinge. However, while it is easier to open, it’s still very strong and can sit in Flex Mode in just about any angle.
The best part? Is does still fold flat. Unlike the Pixel Fold which only does about 179 degrees. That’s really not an issue, but so many have complained about it recently, I needed to check that out.
Much of the same
As mentioned already, there’s not a whole lot that’s new with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 this year. The biggest changes here on the hardware front, is with the displays, however. The main, 7.6-inch display is now a whole lot brighter. It’s rated for 1750 nits peak brightness. That makes it as bright as the Galaxy S23 Ultra that was announced earlier this year. That’s a big deal on a foldable like this, where it’s covered in a plastic screen protector. Because, plastic is naturally very reflective, making it tougher to see when outdoors.
Now, while we did spend a bit of time with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, in a pretty bright environment, we can’t yet say how good or bad the brightness is here. But so far, things are looking good.
Another change with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is that everything is now sharper. The frame is now more flat, and while the sides look like they’d be sharp, they actually aren’t. The camera bumps are also more sharp, and a bit larger than before. This gives you a somewhat different feel in the hand, compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but not enough to really notice.
Samsung kept the same skinny front display on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, as expected. Since the actual size of the phone hasn’t really changed, other than by a few millimeters here and there.
The company also made the S Pen a bit thinner this year, for the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This was an interesting change, but a needed one. This change allows the S Pen case to fit more flush on the phone. Previously, on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, there was a bump on the back for the S Pen. Now with the thicker camera lenses, it’s all pretty flush with the S Pen. Making it more streamlined.
Improved software
As I’ve mentioned already, I’ve been using the Pixel Fold for the past month or so, and after doing that, it’s clear how far ahead Samsung is in software. While the software here isn’t a whole lot different from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 when it launched last year, there are some improvements here that make it a whole lot better than the Pixel Fold.
For one, Samsung has improved the taskbar at the bottom of the display. It’s an enhanced taskbar making multi-tasking a bit better and easier. Keep in mind that pop-up windows are still available here, something that the Pixel Fold lacks. Samsung also forces apps to open in full screen, compared to the Pixel Fold, which does not.
There’s likely to be even bigger changes for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 when One UI 6 comes out later this year, which will be based on Android 14. Rumor has it that the beta could be launching later today. So there’s that.
Should you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5?
While it’s still too early to give our final verdict here, if you are a buyer of any of the previous Galaxy Z Fold models, then you’ll feel right at home here. It’s very familiar for a lot of people, which is good to see from Samsung. Now those that are looking to switch to a foldable, you might want to wait for our full review in a couple of weeks.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 did open up today. And you can get your pre-order in by clicking here. Pricing starts at $1,799, and that’s before any type of promo from your carrier or retailer of choice.
