Introduction:
Today, I’m going to be sharing with you my experience after switching to the brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Now featuring a more durable hinge, we get brighter displays both on the outside and the inside, a new processor, and better battery life. After three weeks of using the Fold 5, I’ve got to say there’s a lot I really like but also some things that I don’t and things that I think you should know about before buying. But don’t worry, guys, this video is going to be covering everything you need to know. As always, I will leave all the purchase links down in the description.
So, the biggest feature of the Fold 5 is, of course, that two-in-one form factor where, unlike the Flip 5 which I looked at earlier this week, the Fold 5 turns from what is pretty much a normal-sized phone into a small tablet, yet it still fits in your pocket. This opens up a world of use cases simply not possible on a more typical phone, but more on that in a sec.
The glass and aluminum design feel premium in the hand. I especially like the matte glass on the back, particularly here in this cream color, as it does a great job of hiding and not showing fingerprints. The Fold 5 is also IPX8 water resistant, and this means you can safely use it out in the rain.
New Design:
And then, of course, one of the main upgrades that the Fold 5 gets compared to the previous Fold 4 is this new hinge, which now eliminates the visible gap when the phone is closed, as you can see. I really like this as not only does this look cleaner, it also means you get a thinner overall design, so it sits more comfortably in the pocket. Though, like with the Fold 5, similarly to the Flip 5, I still found that sometimes pocket lint and other dust can creep its way in between the two displays, which isn’t great. But I’ll touch more on my durability concerns as we go.
Still, aside from that, the hinge itself feels really good to open and close. I also found it has noticeably more resistance when compared to, for example, the Pixel Fold from Google, and this is something that I like. Somehow, it’s just a little bit more confidence-inspiring to have a stiffer hinge and also means it will more comfortably rest at any angle. Say you want to prop it up on a table to have it facing upwards, it just feels a little bit more secure on the Fold 5.
And I’ve got to say, there really is something special about the form factor of the Fold 5. You know, even now, after some weeks of using the phone, being able to use what is pretty much a normal phone on the front and then instantly open it to get, well, essentially a tablet that fits in your pocket is really something that’s quite incredible. Now, in my time with the Fold 5, I found myself using the cover screen just about 50% of the time, which means I use it just as much as the main screen. So, the cover screen here is really quite important.
So, what’s it like to use? Well, the 6.2-inch size is really quite great and ultimately you use it kind of like a normal phone, albeit a little bit more narrow. Apps run in full screen and do in a normal size. The keyboard itself, again, requires a little bit of getting used to at first, but otherwise, I can type on it quite comfortably. I also like how you can have different home screen layouts on the cover screen compared to the main screen, and this is actually a feature that I really enjoy on the Fold 5 and miss on the Pixel Fold.
Display & Features:
The cover screen itself also gets super bright at up to 1750 nits, which means you can easily see it in any light, say when walking outdoors and the sun is shining. Since it also has that really smooth 120 Hz refresh rate, you get a real flagship-quality level display on the front here; you don’t feel like you’re compromising. I think that is really important because, as I said, this is the display I use just about as much as the main display.
Now, briefly, I want to go back to the form factor of the cover screen, specifically the shape. Putting the Fold 5 side by side with the Pixel Fold, you can see there’s a pretty big difference in the size here. On the Fold 5, the cover screen is taller and also more narrow, and this, I think, makes the Fold 5 super comfortable to use and hold in the hand. At the same time, of course, the slightly wider display on the Pixel Fold will give you a little bit more room, but ultimately, after having used both, I vastly prefer the cover screen on the Fold 5. I still think it’s very usable, and it’s so comfortable to be able to easily reach across the display. At the same time, the thinner, more narrow profile just sits so comfortably in your pocket.
Now, of course, the biggest reason you’d get a Fold 5 is that main display, and this large 7.6-inch display on the Fold 5 is just such a joy to use. Like the cover screen, it is also 120 Hz, which means you get buttery smooth operations. It is also equally bright at 1750 nits, meaning you can use it outdoors without any problems. Text, finer details, all look really sharp and easily visible. As well as that, colors are nice and vibrant, and this really brings your content to life. When you’re talking about a screen this big, it just creates a more immersive experience in everything that you do.
When the display is open, the Fold 5 really feels like a proper tablet. It is also incredible for multitasking. I can easily run three or even four apps at once. For example, you can have a YouTube video playing while browsing the web on Chrome, taking notes, and then have a calculator off to the side, all running at the same time. I also really like Samsung’s addition of the dock because this makes it super easy to switch between apps and also add apps to the home screen.
Another great feature that I really appreciate about the Fold 5 is how easy it is and how smoothly you can change from using the outer cover screen to the bigger main display. To give you an example, let’s say someone sends me a link to an article via text. I open it starting on the cover screen, and then, say I want to read further, I can find a place to sit somewhere, then open up the Fold, and then instantly that article will be shown on the main screen. Of course, with bigger text showing more lines at a time, creating a much more comfortable experience when reading larger bodies of text.
But this brings me to the less attractive aspect of the main display and also my biggest long-term durability concern. Now, I’ve said this before in my previous Flip 5 review, but the same applies here, and that has to do with the crease. Knowing that the crease will always be the weak point of this phone, I’ve seen countless examples of Galaxy Folds, even last year’s Galaxy Fold 4, with permanent damage forming in between, so the middle of the display right by the crease, sometimes after just less than a year of normal use. Now, to be fair, my Flip 5 has held up really well so far and shows no signs of damage, but of course, it has only been three weeks. While I do sincerely hope that this hinge will improve the longevity further, I’m going to have to wait and see how this holds up over time, so be sure to stay tuned.
Camera Analysis:
Now let’s talk about the cameras. The Fold 5 actually has five cameras, but I’m going to be focusing on the three here on the back. We get a 50-megapixel wide lens, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens. This is actually the same setup as on the previous Fold 4, but thanks to the newer processor inside, we do get better image processing.
Let’s take a look at some examples of photos and videos shot on the Fold 5. In general, I found the color profile to be a bit more on the vibrant side, and this makes photos really pop. Check out the blue skies in this photo or the neon lights in this lounge. Photos are also nice and crisp with a high level of detail. In this photo of me, you can see both details in my hair as well as the fabric of my shirt; both remain nice and sharp.
The Fold 5 also packs really good dynamic range. You can see both details in the dark concrete of this building as well as the blue skies up above; both are well lit and evenly exposed. I was also impressed with the ultra-wide lens, which keeps things sharp, almost as sharp as the main lens, and keeps a consistent color profile. You can easily switch between the two lenses and not have them looking completely different.
One of the big advantages of this Fold form factor is that you can actually use the main camera as a selfie camera. You can turn the phone over and then use the cover screen as a viewfinder, and this will give you much better quality selfies as opposed to using the selfie cameras either on the inside or on the cover screen. You can see side-by-side selfies using the main camera really look quite good. There’s more detail and also more depth, so I definitely recommend shooting this way if you can.
In low light, the Fold 5 delivers stunning results, creating light where there is none while also adding minimal noise. When it comes to video quality, I found this to be strong too, in fact, not far off from the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Specifically on the Fold 5, you can, of course, film yourself using the cover screen to frame the shot to get the best quality. I found the video quality to be sharp, stabilization is good, and it adapts smoothly to changes in exposure.
Overall, I would say the camera system on the Fold 5 is flagship level and delivers in most areas. However, it’s still not as good as the significantly lower-priced Galaxy S23 Ultra or iPhone 14 Pro Max. Yes, these are very different phones that certainly don’t fold, but this is important to consider.
Performance:
The Fold 5 uses the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that is actually optimized for Galaxy. This is the same chip that we found in the S23 line as well as in the Flip 5, and I gotta say, this chip is just as good on the Fold 5. Samsung’s One UI version 5.1 on top of Android 13 runs really well. Day-to-day performance is snappy, and even in heavier tasks, whether that be gaming, photo editing, or running four apps at once, as you can see here, the Fold 5 never really seems to be pushed to the limit and keeps up really well. What can I say other than you get flagship performance with this phone, as I would definitely expect for this price.
When you combine the optimized processor with One UI 5.1, the software experience on the Fold 5 feels really polished, with day-to-day reliability and smooth operation that is actually not far off what you get from the iPhone over on the Apple side. I must say, it is really amongst the best of what you get on Android. Additionally, Samsung also promises up to four years of software updates and five years of security updates. Again, not as good as the iPhone’s 6 to 7 years, but Android manufacturers are catching up, and Samsung here is really setting the example, which is great to see.
The new processor inside is not just powerful but also efficient. I was actually quite impressed by the battery life on the Fold 5. The 4400 milliamp-hour battery lasted me around six to seven hours of screen-on time. Again, that’s with roughly 50% spent on the cover screen and 50% on the main display. I would say with light to moderate use, it can last a full working day plus evening, whereas with moderate to heavy use, it lasts a full working day. When you do need to top up, the Fold 5 can fast charge from zero to fifty percent in 30 minutes and now also supports faster wireless charging of up to 15 watts.
Final Thoughts:
Okay, so who is the Fold 5 for? Well, I think if you’re looking for a true two-in-one device that, on the go, will function like a pretty typical flagship smartphone but can then also instantly transform into a tablet for a pretty incredible multitasking and video-watching experience, of the few options that are out there right now, I would say that the Fold 5 is the most polished and refined folding phone out right now and is the one that I would recommend.
That said, if you do choose to go with this folding form factor, there are still some long-term durability compromises that come with this type of phone, at least for the time being. Of course, I’m referring in particular to the main display and the crease that sits in the middle. To put it simply, the Fold 5 won’t last as long as, say, an S23 Ultra and an iPad or an iPhone 14 Pro Max and a Galaxy tablet. But, of course, none of these devices can do what the Fold 5 can.
Other than that, with the Fold 5, you get top-level performance, a great software experience and software longevity. You also get a good camera system, decent battery life, and, of course, that incredible albeit slightly less durable tablet-sized display on the inside. There really is no denying that this is one of the most impressive and innovative phones out right now.