Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review
-
- Battery Score
4
- Camera Score
3.5
- Design Score
4
- Performance Score
4.5
- Battery Score
4
Summary
Our verdict: The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an incredible folding phone, but not a whole lot sets it apart from its predecessor. Plus, it’s just too expensive for a typical smartphone user.
- Thinner and lighter than Galaxy Z Fold 4
- New Flex hinge allows the phone to fold flat
- Longer battery life
- Better multitasking capabilities
- Too expensive
- Not dust-resistant
- S-Pen should have been included at this price point
- Slow charging at only 25W
Details
Pricing & Availability
| RRP | $2,499 |
| Launch date | 2023-07 |
Would we recommend the Galaxy Z Fold 5?
No doubt the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the best foldable you can buy, as long as you can stomach the high price.
It's similar to holding a phone and a tablet, making it extremely versatile and the perfect companion for power users. Expect top-tier performance thanks to the Snapdragon Gen 2 chipset and a solid battery life.
But despite all the things you could love about the Z Fold, it's not an easy handset to recommend to everyday smartphone users. Samsung does right by pitching it as a 3-in-1 – it's a phone, tablet, PC, all-in-one phone that you can put in your pocket.
This is another way of saying if you're not a power user, the Zold Fold 5 is probably not for you. The fad of a foldable does wear off fast if you don't need its features.
The good stuff: Software and performance
Qualcomm's Snapdragon Gen 2 chipset makes the Z Fold 5 one of the most powerful Android phones available right now.
The gist: it's very fast.
The foldable's 2 screens and productivity software take things to a new level by using split-screen to run multiple apps simultaneously. The integrated taskbar is also quite nifty. You can choose 12 apps to add for easy access.
Image: Samsung
If you're using an app on the cover screen and unfold the phone, the app will continue running on the inner screen.
If you're working on the inner screen and decide to fold your phone, Samsung allows you to select specific apps to continue working on the cover screen.
Honestly, there's so much productivity the foldable can accomplish that it'll take a few months to make sense of it all. If I played around with charts instead of writing words for a living, this might be more my cup of tea.
The good stuff: New hinge, sturdy and light
Samsung's almost knocked it out of the park with the Z Fold 5's impressive zero-gap hinge and less noticeable crease.
Did the crease bother me when I was playing Call of Duty or watching a movie? Not in the least.
Now don't get me wrong. It's a big phone, and my relatively small hands had trouble adjusting to the foldable. But it's still lighter and thinner than the previous model and more durable thanks to the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The weight difference between the Z Fold 5 and Z Fold 4 is evident too. You don't feel like you're lugging around a smartphone.
Image: Samsung
What we don't love: The cameras
The Z Fold series continues its trend of subpar cameras for the price point. To be fair, they're good, just not great. Sometimes, the shots end up oversaturated.
Image: Mariam Gabaji/Finder
You get 3 main cameras, including a 3x telephoto lens. There's the usual selfie camera on the outside screen and a 4MP in-display camera (hidden under the folding screen), which is only good enough for video calls.
Image: Mariam Gabaji/Finder
Did I enjoy taking photos with a tablet-like smartphone? Not particularly.
Image: Mariam Gabaji/Finder
What we don't love: It's still not dust-resistant
The Z Fold 5 has maintained the same dustproof and waterproof rating as its predecessor.
It's still not dustproof or dust-resistant, but it is water-resistant.
Now the Z Fold 5 isn't fragile enough to get knocked down by a little bit of dust but it's still susceptible to the forces of nature. All of this is to say, don't go to the beach and get careless.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Features and specs
Have a proper read-through of the Z Fold 5's specs and features before committing to the foldable. Novelty wears off quickly, and you might find yourself getting ready to trade in for another phone in less than a year.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 price in Australia
The Z Fold 5 has a starting price tag of $2,499 for the 256GB storage variant and goes up to $3,149 for 1TB.
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 model | Australian RRP | |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 256GB | $2,499 | |
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 512GB | $2,799 | |
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 1TB | $3,149 |
Galaxy Z Fold 5 colours
You can get the Z Fold 5 in Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream (Samsung.com exclusive) Grey and Blue.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera
The Z Fold 5 has a 5-camera set-up. It features a 10MP selfie camera, a 4MP under-display camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP wide-angle camera and a 10MP telephoto camera.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 screen size
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a 7.6-inch display main screen and a 6.2-inch display cover screen.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 battery and charging time
The Z Fold 5 features a 4,400mAh (typical) dual battery and 25W wired charging. You should see the phone reach 50% charge in around 30 minutes.
Is the Galaxy Z Fold 5 waterproof?
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has an IPX8 water resistance rating and can survive submerged in fresh water at a depth of 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.
What is the difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 5?
The short answer is the Z Fold 5 is very similar to the previous model but comes with a few refinements.
We've also put together a table of specs so you can see the difference or similarities between the 2 phones.
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 | Galaxy Z Fold 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display main screen | 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display (2176 x 1812, 21.6:18), 374ppi 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) | 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (21.6:18) 2176 x 1812 374 ppi HDR10+ certified Up to 120Hz refresh rate |
| Display cover screen | 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display (2316 x 904, 23.1:9), 402ppi 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (48~120Hz) | 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (23.1:9) 2316 x 904 402 ppi 120Hz refresh rate |
| Physical dimensions | 67.1 x 154.9 x 13.4mm (folded) 129.9x 154.9 x 6.1mm (unfolded) | 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8mm (folded) 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm (unfolded) |
| Camera | 10MP selfie camera 4MP under-display camera 12MP ultra-wide camera 50MP wide-angle camera 10MP telephoto camera | 10MP selfie camera 4MP under-display camera 12MP ultra-wide camera 50MP wide-angle camera 10MP telephoto camera |
| Memory | 12GB | 12GB |
| Battery | 4,400mAh (typical) dual battery | 4,400mAh (typical) dual battery |
| Water resistance | IPX8 | IPX8 |
| OS | Android 13 | Android 12 |
| Colours | Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Grey, Blue, Cream (Samsung exclusive) | Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy (Samsung exclusive) |
All opinions expressed in this review are based on the author's own experience with the phone. Use this review for informational purposes only.
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How to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 outright
Mariam Finder
Editor I Tech and utilities expert
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