With the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the latest version of its high-end foldable phone, Samsung lays claim to having the most versatile phone on the market in many ways. Although it really hasn't changed much from last year's Galaxy Z Fold 4, it's a bit sleeker and lighter and maintains the ability to open up and become a small tablet. In a number of ways, it's the most versatile phone I've ever seen.
With folded dimensions of 6.10 by 2.64 by 0.53 inches (HWD) and weighing 8.9 ounces, it’s thinner and lighter than last year’s model, albeit still a big phone. What makes it thinner is a redesigned hinge—the Z Fold 5 folds flat, as opposed to the wedge-shaped look you got with the previous models. While the change in thickness (the Z Fold 4 was 0.62 inches deep) doesn’t sound like much, it’s quite noticeable.
For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra weighs 8.25 ounces, while the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max weighs 8.5 ounces, so it’s not that much heavier than other flagship phones. On thickness, the S23 Ultra is 0.35 inches, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 0.31 inches. So while the Z Fold 5 is thinner than the Z Fold 4, it’s still notably thicker than a non-foldable phone, which is to be expected.
When folded you get a 6.2-inch, 2,316-by-904 pixel display with a 120Hz refresh rate that looks great, even in very bright sunlight. It’s still a more vertical display than you’ll see on most smartphones, but I found it worked quite well for most things—if you want to look up something quickly, send a quick text, or answer a phone call.
Still, the point of the Z Fold and other similar devices is the larger screen you get when you open it up. In the case of the Z Fold 5, this now measures 6.10 by 5.11 by 0.24 inches (HWD) and gives you a 7.6-inch, 2,176-by-1,812 pixel display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. You can see a slight crease in the display where the hinge is, but it’s less noticeable than in the previous generation.
For many things, that bigger display makes a lot of difference. It’s much for reading long emails or browsing webpages (especially with multiple tabs); of course, it’s much better for watching video content, joining video meetings, or even playing games.
With Android 13 and Samsung’s additions, it also worked well running two applications side by side, such as email and web browsing, so you can, for example, check the menu of a restaurant on their website while typing an email or sending a text about it. It’s easier to do this on the 7.6-inch screen than on a smaller phone display. You can do the same thing with many productivity applications, including the Microsoft Office suite. (Theoretically, you can run up to three apps at a time, although I didn’t think the screen was quite big enough for this to be useful.)
In short, you can use it like a small tablet. It’s not the same as carrying a full-size tablet, but it’s certainly more convenient than carrying both.
Of course, the Z Fold 5 has the other features you’d expect in this line. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 for Galaxy processor, just like the Galaxy S23 phones, with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage. It supports both Samsung Knox security and the unique Dex software that gives you a more desktop-like feel if you connect to a larger monitor (via HDMI or wirelessly). It supports Samsung’s S-Pen, but unlike the S23 Ultra, it does not come with one. It has a Qualcomm 5G modem, and I saw speeds up to 407 Mbps down and 60 Mbps up on the T-Mobile network. It includes a 4,400 mAh battery with fast charging, and I found it easily lasted all day in my usage.
The camera selection is pretty much the same as last year. The main camera has a 50MP sensor, with f/1.8 aperture, that did a very nice job, including being very good at night shots. It also has a 10MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom. Pictures were quite good, although the zoom doesn’t match up to the Galaxy S22 Ultra or S23 Ultra, with their 10X optical zoom. Samsung claims up to 30X digital zoom, though really anything over 10x is asking for trouble. For instance, taking photos at a concert didn’t work nearly as well as on the S22 and S23 Ultra. The Z Fold 5 has a front-facing 10MP camera, which seemed quite reasonable, and an under-screen 4MP camera which was okay, but not great. Overall, the cameras are good, but not as strong as that on the S23 Ultra. Given the higher price of the Z Fold, having better cameras would be nice.
There’s more competition in foldable displays now than there was a year ago. The Google Pixel Fold provides a good alternative, with a wider display when folded. But the Z Fold 5 is lighter, brighter, and includes several Samsung-specific enhancements, such as Knox, Dex, and S-Pen support.
Overall, foldable phones have pros and cons. The 7.6-inch display is very nice, and convenient if you like to always have a larger screen with you. But with a list price of $1,799, they are a more expensive option, and while you get nice cameras, you don’t get quite the features of the S23 Ultra. For those who want the biggest phones and prioritize the screen, and don’t mind the extra bulk, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 provides more than any other device I’ve seen.