Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: Everything you need to know

Samsung has unveiled the latest version of its flip-format smartphone, the Z Flip 5. With a larger outer display than ever before, not to mention an updated hinge and improved chipset, the new foldable is poised to rival recent releases from the likes of Oppo and Motorola.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 – or read why we think Samsung might be reclaiming the flip phone throne.

When is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on sale? 

Samsung revealed the new Z Flip 5 at a Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul on 26 July 2023 alongside the Z Fold 5, Watch 6, and Tab S9.

The Z Flip went on sale on 11 August and is available to buy directly from Samsung.

Check out our full article on where to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

How much does the Galaxy Z Flip 5 cost?

Samsung has done its best to keep the Z Flip 5’s pricing close to the previous gen – even considering the fact that it now starts from a higher 256GB storage size.

The phone starts from $999/£1,049. In the US, that means you’re now getting 256GB for the same price the company used to charge for 128GB. In the UK the starting price has gone up, but it’s still a little cheaper than last year’s 256GB model.

There’s also a more capacious 512GB model of the new phone, which is $1,119/£1,149 – again, a little cheaper than the older equivalent.

As for rivals, the Z Flip 5 is more expensive than the £849 Oppo Find N2 Flip whichever way you slice it, though it’s an exact match for the $999/£1,049 Motorola Razr+/Razr 40 Ultra.

Naturally, early buyers will benefit from pre-order bonuses. In this case the main one is a free storage upgrade – so you can get the 512GB model for the price of the 256GB version – though you’ll also get a free year of Disney+.

What new features are in the Z Flip 5?

The immediate draw of the Z Flip 5 is obviously the significantly larger outer display – officially named the ‘Flex Window’.

The 3.4in 60Hz AMOLED panel is nothing like the dinky 1.9in rectangle found on Samsung’s older flip, filling almost all the phone’s front when closed, with a slanted design that drops a little lower on the side of the phone without the two cameras.

It’s a similar size but different design to the top-end Motorola Razr’s screen, which instead wraps around its two cameras. Samsung’s solution is less eye-catching but arguably more elegant, and is far larger than the portrait panel outside Oppo’s flip phone.

Naturally that big screen unlocks some extra functionality too. In addition to the usual widgets and notifications, you can actually run full apps on this outer display. Only some of them though – unlike Motorola’s anything-goes approach, Samsung will only let you use a compact, curated list of supported apps, including YouTube, WhatsApp, and Spotify at launch.

The idea is that each has had its UI tweaked to suit the square-ish screen, so should run without problems. Motorola’s approach gives you much more freedom, but at the price that not every app will work well.

Getting beyond the new display, Samsung has also overhauled the hinge. The Z Flip 5 now folds fully flat, forming a solid block when closed with no visible gap between the two halves. That should improve durability, and it just looks better too, while clocking in slimmer than before as well.

Speaking of durability, the combination of an Aluminium Armour frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 coating should mean the phone is fairly drop-resistant. Its IPX8 rating means it has good protection from water, but isn’t officially rated for any protection from dust and dirt.

Finally, it’ll be officially available in Graphite, Cream, Mint, and Lavender finishes. Order online from the Samsung store and you get more options though: Blue, Green, Grey, and Yellow.

Turning to the phone’s innards, the big change is the jump to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. More specifically, the phone uses the modified 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy that debuted in this year’s Galaxy S23 phones, with slightly higher clocked speeds – meaning this is among the most powerful Android phones around.

The chip is combined with a fixed 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and your choice of 256GB or 512GB storage.

The phone’s main display is pretty much unchanged – it’s once again a 6.7in FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel, though is capable of scaling that refresh rate from 1-120Hz to conserve power.

It’s all powered by the same 3700mAh battery as before – no upgrade here sadly – with wireless charging and 25W wired speeds.

The cameras are another area where things haven’t really changed. The phone uses the exact same 12Mp, f/1.8 OIS main camera and 12Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide cameras as before. The 10Mp selfie camera is also nearly identical, though at least offers a marginally faster f/2.2 aperture this time around.

As for software, the phone will ship with Android 13 running Samsung’s One UI on top, and will enjoy the company’s usual promise of five years of software support.

If you’re tempted, then before you buy be sure to check out our current favourites in the best smartphone, best foldable, and best Samsung phone charts.