Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Full Review

Technology never ceases to amaze us, and Samsung is unquestionably at the forefront of innovation with its latest jewel: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This foldable smartphone offers a unique experience, combining refined design and high-flying performance.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest addition to the Korean giant’s foldable smartphones and its brother, the Z Flip 5. It promises to revolutionize the mobile experience with its giant screen that folds in half, its exclusive S Pen stylus, powerful camera, and its ultra-fast processor. In this article, we’ll look closer at the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to give you our full review.

Design And Display That Defy The Laws Of Physics

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks like a compact smartphone with a 6.2-inch external display when closed. It then reveals a massive 7.6-inch internal screen, which takes up almost the entire phone’s surface. The design of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is sleek and neat, with rounded edges and metallic finishes. The phone is available in five colors: black, cream, blue, silver, and cobalt. The last two are made to order.

The phone is also IPX8 certified, which means it can withstand submersion in water. When opened, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 reveals its main screen, a foldable 7.6-inch AMOLED with an impressive display area. This screen is protected by ultra-thin glass, giving it better scratch resistance than previous models.

It also incorporates a front camera under the screen, which is almost invisible when not in use. The main screen is compatible with the S Pen Fold Edition stylus sold separately, which allows you to write or draw on the screen. The Galaxy Z Fold 5’s internal screen is impressive in size and quality.

It offers an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz and a maximum brightness of 1750 nits. Colors are vivid, contrasts are high, and viewing angles are wide. The external screen is also of good quality, with a resolution of 2268 x 832 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It allows you to use the phone without opening it each time.

An Ergonomic Grip

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 features a sturdy and flexible teardrop hinge made of Aluminum Armor, which makes opening and closing the phone effortless. The handling of the Galaxy Z Fold5 is pleasant, despite its weight and thickness. The smartphone fits well in the hand when closed and offers good ergonomics when open.

The smartphone also has a Flex mode that allows you to put it on a flat surface and divide the screen into two parts to use two applications simultaneously. For example, watch a video on the top and read reviews on the bottom. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a smartphone that does not go unnoticed.

Thinner than its predecessor, it is 13.4 mm. It weighs 253 g, making it one of the heaviest smartphones on the market. But these figures are to be put into perspective because they hide a technical feat: the Galaxy Z Fold 5 can fold in half thanks to a sophisticated hinge that adjusts the opening angle. When closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks like a regular smartphone, with a 6.2-inch AMOLED display that takes up most of the front.

Surprising Performance And Decent Battery Life

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a high-end smartphone with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the most powerful on the market today. Depending on the version, it is accompanied by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB or 512 GB, or even 1 TB of internal storage.

These characteristics ensure exemplary fluidity in all situations, whether browsing the web, watching videos, playing 3D games, or using several applications simultaneously. The smartphone does not heat up excessively, even when under load.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 also offers a multitasking feature that allows you to display up to three applications simultaneously on the internal screen. Simply drag app icons from the right edge of the screen to the desired area. It is also possible to create pairs of apps that open together automatically. For example, open YouTube and Google Maps simultaneously to watch a video while following a route.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a 4400 mAh battery, which provides satisfactory autonomy despite the size of the screen. The phone lasts all day with moderate to heavy use and charges quickly with the 25W fast charger (sold separately). The phone also supports wireless and reverse charging, which allows other compatible devices to be charged by laying them on the back of the phone.

A Camera That Does Not Disappoint

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has five photo sensors: three at the back, one at the front, and one under the internal screen. The three rear sensors are a 50-megapixel wide-angle, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with x3 optical zoom. The front and under-screen sensors are 10 megapixels and 4 megapixels.

The quality of the photos taken with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is very good, especially with the main sensor, which offers detailed, bright, and true-to-life images. The night mode also allows you to capture dark scenes with good detail and color. The ultra-wide angle offers a wider field of view, but it suffers from edge distortion and loss of sharpness. The telephoto lens allows you to get closer to subjects without losing too much quality, but it is inefficient beyond the x2 optical zoom.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 also allows you to take selfies with the front sensor or the sensor under the screen. The first offers satisfactory results, with good rendering of faces and backgrounds. The second is less convincing, displaying visible grain and loss of detail. We must therefore favor the front sensor for selfies or use the rear module by closing the smartphone and using the external screen as a viewfinder.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 allows you to shoot in 4K at 60 frames per second, with effective stabilization and stereo sound. The pro video mode offers advanced options like sound control, focus peaking, or histogram. Director mode allows you to film with both front and rear cameras simultaneously to create original videos.

Our Verdict

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a foldable smartphone that offers a unique experience thanks to its giant screen, high performance, decent battery life, and versatile camera. It’s also water-resistant and compatible with the S Pen Fold Edition. It is aimed at users looking for an innovative product combining the advantages of a smartphone and a tablet.

Its downside is its high price, which makes it inaccessible to most purses. It is necessary to count between 1899 € and 2279 € depending on the storage capacity chosen. But not only that, the presence of a fold in the middle of the screen constitutes a real handicap for the Z Fold 5, which loses points against the competition with the same model.