Samsung last month unpacked (sorry I keep doing this, the joke is right there for the making) two foldables – the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5. But despite both being from the same ‘folding’ family, and both running Samsung’s version of Android, the phones offer quite different propositions.
We thought we’d compare both the Z Flip 5 and the Z Fold 5 to one another to help you decide which phone with a crease you should get, if you’re on the fence. Unlike our comparison of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max to the Google Pixel 7 Pro, we’re not pinning these two phones together, no no, it’s more a guide to break down the things that may be important to you.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Z Fold 5
The guts
| Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Galaxy Z Fold 5 | |
| Main screen display | 6.7-inch FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display (2640 x 1080, 22:9) | 7.6-inch QXGA+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display (2176 x 1812, 21.6:18) |
| Cover screen display | 3.4-inch Super AMOLED Display (720 x 748) | 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display (2316 x 904) |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz (main screen), 60Hz (cover screen) | 120Hz (adaptive) (main screen), 48~120Hz (cover screen) |
| Dimensions (folded) | 71.9 x 85.1 x 15.1mm | 67.1 x 154.9 x 13.4mm |
| Dimensions (unfolded) | 71.9 x 165.1 x 6.9mm | 129.9x 154.9 x 6.1mm |
| Weight | 187g | 253g |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy |
| Memory | 8GB with 512GB internal storage, 8GB with 256GB internal storage | 12GB with 1TB internal storage, 12GB with 512GB internal storage, 12GB with 256GB internal storage |
| Battery | 3,700mAh (typical) dual battery | 4,400mAh (typical) dual battery |
The looks
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 opens like a book, and the Z Flip 5 opens like a clamshell, an homage to the old-school Motorola Razr. The Fold is a little more premium-looking, while the Flip is a little on the fun side. In fact, the entire proposition of the Fold is that it’s a productivity powerhouse – that the phone is perfect for working from (Microsoft Office and Samsung Notes has for example been optimised for the Fold), doing some mobile gaming on, and to be honest, doing everything you otherwise would on a tablet that’s also a phone. It also works with the S Pen (sold separately).
The Flip, meanwhile, is targeted towards those who make content for social media (don’t make me say the ‘i’ word), and take a lot of photos. It’s less about reinventing the wheel and more about taking some cool features the S23 range has and making it fold and look cute. It’s also skewed towards a younger demographic. Which brings us to the price.
The price
| Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Galaxy Z Fold 5 | |
| 256GB | $1,649 | $2,599 |
| 512GB | $1,849 | $2,799 |
| 1TB | N/A | $3,149 |
| Extras | N/A | S Pen ($109) |
Folding doesn’t come cheap, but even for the 512GB Flip you’ll get change from $2,000.
The camera
Samsung chose not to upgrade the cameras in either of the Z Fold or Flip 5 this year, instead, the photo improvements all come from software.
| Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Galaxy Z Fold 5 | |
| Rear camera (main) | Ultra Wide 12 MP Wide 12 MP | Ultra Wide 12MP Wide 50MP Telephoto 10MP |
| Cover camera | see above | 10MP |
| Under display | 10MP | 4MP |
But how does that look? Like this.
Standard, wide, completely untouched and camera used straight out of the box. The colours on the Flip are softer, and if we ignore the fact the Fold clearly isn’t straight, you can see it delivers a richer, more crisp pic, albeit a very dark one. It wasn’t sunny out, but I do feel the Fold makes things darker than they were IRL.
Portrait mode, thanks to my model Trixie. The depth in the Fold’s camera is very clear here.
Same cat, but this time selfie mode (remember, the Flip has a better selfie cam than the Fold).
Let’s go close, testing macro. There’s an obvious winner, but the Flip isn’t too bad – it’s better than the non-Pro iPhones are at up-close snaps.
Night mode is quite disappointing on both in this scene.
And lastly, zoom.
The battery life
The Z Fold 5 has a better battery life over the Flip 5, but, again, it’s made for you to work/game from, which will pull more from the battery than snapping photos on the Flip will.
On every phone/gadget we can, we play all 3 hours of Avengers: Endgame, getting a gauge for how good the battery is against other devices. On best quality, full volume, brightness all the way up, by the end of the first hour, from 100 per cent full, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 had 86 per cent battery left. Hour two it was at 70 per cent, and by the third, 55 per cent. This same test with the Fold saw 92 per cent battery left after the first hour, 84 per cent by the second, and by the third, 76 per cent. For comparison, Google Pixel 7 had 79 per cent left after we did the same test and the iPhone 14 had 54 per cent.
What else?
Samsung considers the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to be ‘immersive’, and the Flip to not be. That’s a good way to think about it – with the Fold, you can expect to be using it for hours doing whatever, but the Flip you’ll just be doing normal phone things on a phone that flips. There are far more customisation options on the Flip than there is the Fold – actually, there’s not much room for personality on the Fold at all.
So, which one should you get? The Galaxy Z Flip 5 or the Fold 5?
Both phones serve completely different users. But if your heart is on a phone that folds and you’re unsure what one to buy, ask yourself this question: Is it for fun or is it for productivity? If the answer is fun, the Z Flip 5 is the folding Galaxy for you; if it’s productivity, then the Fold’s the answer.
Our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review can be found here, and the Z Flip 5 review is here. Head over here for our wrap-up of all the Galaxy Z Fold 5 preorder plans available now, and the Z Flip 5 preorder plans available now. Here’s where you can find the cheapest plans for both phones.