Samsung’s current foldable products are at the peak of innovation, as evidenced by the iterative updates since last year. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it does mean there’s nothing to get excited about. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, launched in July this year, is no exception. In addition to the usual upgrades like updated processors, Samsung also used an improved hinge mechanism, which helps reduce the weight and thickness of the phone. This isn’t a game changer by any means, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Needless to say, current owners of a Galaxy Z Fold 4 can easily skip this generation and wait for next year’s model.
But if you have an older Fold phone, is the Galaxy Z Fold 5 worth upgrading? This is our review after a great month.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 price in India
Surprisingly, the starting price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the same as last year’s model (which is still officially on sale in India). rupee. 1,54,999 gives you 256GB storage and 12GB RAM. There are two other variants with the same amount of RAM but higher storage capacity. The 512GB variant is priced at Rs. 1,64,999, while the 1TB variant is priced at Rs. 1,84,999. Considering you can’t expand storage, it’s nice to have this option. For most users, I think the basic version should be enough. Available in Ice Blue, Phantom Black and Cream.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 does not come with the Samsung S Pen, which must be purchased separately. If you’re going to do this, it’s best to buy an S Pen case, which has a small docking station for the stylus on the back.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor, but if you look closely, you’ll notice small changes like the placement and color of the LED flash are some of the ways to differentiate the two. It remains one of the best horizontal folding phones thanks to shatterproof glass on the front and back and an aluminum frame. The new hinge also allows the two halves to be nearly flush with each other when folded, reducing gaps. The phone has an IPX8 waterproof rating.
The two displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are very similar to the Fold 4, but the peak brightness of the folded display is different, currently 1,750 nits, while the peak brightness of the folding display is 1,200 nits. The display sizes of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are the same as before, including a 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED outer display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 7.6-inch QXGA+ main display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 launches in new ice blue color
Both displays have good readability in direct sunlight and produce vibrant colors. The external monitor is great for completing simple tasks quickly, but it’s still a bit narrow for comfortable typing. Inward-folding monitors are best for using multiple apps at the same time or for casual activities like gaming and watching videos. The crease is still very noticeable and can be seen at diagonal angles, but it’s hard to discern when you’re looking directly at the display.
Apart from the SIM eject tool and USB Type-C cable, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 doesn’t come bundled with many accessories. For a smartphone like this, it does make sense to spend a little more on an S Pen case, which can provide extra protection for your stylus.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs and software
Like the S23 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 also uses the customized Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “Galaxy Mobile Platform” SoC. It is a powerful and energy-efficient processor that provides good performance. The battery capacity is the same as last year, 4,400mAh, and still only supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
In terms of software, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13, and Samsung promises four major Android operating system upgrades and five years of security updates. Many software tricks from the Fold 4 have been carried over, such as Flex mode in apps like Google Meet or YouTube, and the ability to use three apps at the same time. There are some new features, though, such as the ability to display up to four recently used apps in the taskbar. Since the default setting is still two apps, this feature must be enabled manually from the Settings app.
The S Pen protective case for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a must-buy accessory
You can also use two hands to drag and drop when you’re not in split screen mode with two apps open. How it works is that you long press on an image or item you want to copy to another app, when you press the item you can use your other hand to open the full size version of the second app and finally drop the selected item There.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 performance and battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a true blue flagship that doesn’t skip a beat even when you push it. Plenty of RAM and a powerful SoC ensure that no matter what application you’re using, there’s always enough power to run it. Half of the phone with the SoC gets a warning during gaming or any stressful task, but the other half always remains calm. Whether it’s multitasking or gaming, the performance is excellent.
The S Pen works great too, but unfortunately it’s not supported on the external screen, which means you have to open the phone to take notes or do anything with it. It’s also worth remembering that the S Pen from regular S-series phones (like the S23 Ultra) won’t work here, as the Z Fold 5 only supports a special “S Pen for Fold” version of the stylus.
Flex mode is useful in supported apps when you fold your phone in half
Benchmark numbers are solid, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 scoring 14,13,684 in AnTuTu, topping some graphics tests in GFXBench, and returning 120 fps in the T-Rex test suite.
Although the battery capacity is the same as last year’s model, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers more than a day of battery life even with moderate to heavy use. In the battery cycle test on the main folding display, it lasted 19 hours and 53 minutes, which is very good.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera
There are no changes to the camera hardware. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is equipped with three rear cameras: a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom (up to 30x total zoom). There’s a 10-megapixel selfie lens on the outer screen and a 4-megapixel under-screen camera on the foldable display. The latter is best used for video calls only, as the quality of the photos taken is below average. Samsung could have gone with a bigger sensor and better optical zoom like it did with the S23 Ultra, but that would have resulted in a thicker phone, which isn’t what you want in a foldable phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 daylight camera sample (click to see larger image)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 telephoto camera sample (click to see larger image)
Considering the hardware, I think the Galaxy Z Fold 5 does a great job with both still images and video. Photos taken during the day have good clarity and color, and HDR is handled well. Telephoto performance is also quite good, although finer details start to break down at zoom levels above 20x. There are commonly used shooting modes to choose from, and the subject shot in portrait mode has good separation from the background. Even in low light, the phone balances shadows and highlights well. Night mode works great when it counts.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera sample (click to see larger image)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 low-light selfie using the main camera (click to see larger image)
The ultra-wide-angle and external selfie cameras are also good. During the day, the ultra-wide-angle lens does a good job of smoothing out barrel distortion, but in low-light conditions, images can appear grainy around the edges, even in Night mode. The selfie camera quality is decent when you’re in a hurry, but for best results, I recommend using the rear camera for selfies whenever possible. Video recorded during daytime shots looks good and is stable and smooth. Low-light videos are also good as long as there’s enough ambient light.
judgment
Rs 1.5 lakh is a lot of money for a smartphone, which is why you should take some time to consider practicality before buying the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. It’s easily the best phone for productivity junkies or mobile gaming enthusiasts, and if you’re sure you’ll take advantage of the form factor and accept the quirks of using a smartphone like this, I totally recommend it.
But for many users, this may not be the easiest to live with. Folding and unfolding your phone can quickly become a chore, and those who buy it just for novelty or show-off may regret their decision months later. If you still want to spend that kind of money but want something a little easier to use, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the next best option. It also supports the S Pen and has a better camera. Alternatively, you can take a look at the new iPhone 15 Pro Max. We are testing it and should have conclusions soon.
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