Samsung this evening unpacked (get it?) a brand new flagship folding phone, one it reckons is more portable than ever. It’s called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and its biggest selling point, at least as far as the company is concerned, is that it’s basically a PC that fits into your pocket.
The Fold 5 is lighter, thinner, and brighter than its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s also $3,149 for the 1TB model – $2,599 if you can settle for 256GB and $2,799 for 512GB.
According to Samsung head of product Nathan Rigger, the changes in the latest iteration of the company’s flipping/folding phones are around its “pursuit for perfection”. He said when launching the first phone that folded, Samsung held the belief that this was a future form factor of the smartphone, adding, “that belief is as strong as ever”.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The ‘reimagined’ folding phone is centred on this idea of portable multitasking, with Rigger adding, “at Samsung, we believe that you can have a powerful large screen that you should be able to take with you anywhere and be able to use whenever you need it.”
Stand out features
When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks around the size of a ‘normal’ phone; opened, it’s two of ’em side by side. This year, however, the Fold is 10 grams lighter than the current Fold 4 – 36 grams lighter than the first Fold phone. It’s also thinner, thanks to its new hinge technology – 2.4mm thinner than the Fold 4. And, it’s also brighter than its predecessor – the peak brightness is now in line with the S23 Ultra.
“On this device, you’re getting our very best mobile display technology on a larger screen,” Rigger added.
Samsung wants you to play games on this thing, do work on this thing, and do all the things on this thing.
There are a few features getting a refresh this year, one is the Taskbar. When you open up the Fold, today what it will do is based on your usage, it’ll recommend apps at the bottom that it thinks you’re likely to open (based on time of the day/your location) (extra bracket to say that if you didn’t know that, it may seem quite wild) but Samsung’s upped that feature – now, it will behave more like your PC toolbar. You can drag and drop say a photo into an app that’s in the Taskbar – basically, a PC-like experience is what Samsung is giving you with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 keeps the S Pen, but this year the pen is smaller, with the phone case also getting a redesign to give it a slot for the pen that sits flush with the case. It ends up being 50 per cent slimmer than the Fold 4 in a case. (S Pen doesn’t ship with the device, FYI).
Just like with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Fold 5 gets a hinge redesign. This year, Samsung’s opted for a waterdrop design, it’s rated IPX8 (water resistant), boasts Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and rear) (about 20 per cent more durable) and that goes for the main display, too, aircraft grade aluminium “really a premium, premium experience using premium materials”.
The camera is the same as it was last year, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 optimised for Samsung Galaxy will make the photos look a lot better – software’s a hellova thing, eh?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Specs
In addition to the above, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has:
- Main Display: 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Infinity Flex Display (2176 x 1812)
- Cover Display: 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2316 x 904)
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Dimensions: 129.9 x 154.9 x 6.1mm (unfolded), 67.1 x 154.9 x 13.4mm (folded to hinge)
- Weight: 253g
- Camera (rear): Ultra Wide 12MP, Wide 50MP, Telephoto 10MP
- Camera (cover): 10MP selfie cam
- Camera (under display): 4MP
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
- Memory: 12GB RAM
- Storage: 1TB, 512GB, 265GB
- Battery: 4,400mAh dual battery
- OS: Android 13
- Colours: Icy Blue, Black, Cream.
Australian pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will cost:
- RRP $2,599 for 256GB
- RRP $2,799 for 512GB
- RRP $3,149 for 1TB.
The S Pen Fold 5 Edition is $109.
Head over here for our wrap-up of all the Galaxy Z Fold 5 preorder plans available now, and here’s where you can find the cheapest prices.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be available for pre-order in Australia from July 26, with general availability starting August 18.
Samsung also has a deal going called ‘love it or swap it’ which will allow you to swap the Galaxy Z Fold (of Galaxy Z Flip) within 30 days for a Galaxy S23 Ultra (or Galaxy S23+ if it’s the Flip) for $1 if you aren’t sold on a phone with a crease.
Samsung also used Galaxy Unpacked to unleash its new Galaxy Z Flip 5, Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic, and the Galaxy Tab S9, S9+, and S9 Ultra.
Asha Barbaschow travelled to Seoul as a guest of Samsung Australia.