Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series of smartphones shook up the smartphone game by reintroducing the idea of foldable phones to an environment defined by rectangular form factors with functions that take advantage of its flexibility.
That effort continues with the new Galaxy Z Flip5 unveiled during Wednesday’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, but this latest generation enters a market where Samsung isn’t the only player anymore. Thanks to releases from former flip phone kings Motorola and Chinese tech firm Oppo, The Flip has competition, and the updates coming in the Galaxy Z Flip5 signal that Samsung is ready to take on challengers.
The Flip5 features a new flex hinge design that slims it so the phone closes completely flat. The redesign also means less moving parts within the mechanism, which Samsung says makes the hinge more durable as compared to older models.
The mechanical update comes with a processor upgrade as well. Tha Flip5 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip developed in partnership with Qualcomm exclusively for Samsung devices. The same chip powers the Galaxy S23 series of smartphones released earlier this year.
That bump in processing power should come in handy with the updates to the phone’s various displays and media capabilities. The Flip series has always anchored itself as a flexible option for photography and video, and many of those functions carry over into the latest model. Hands-free photo and video capture with the device’s 10MP selfie camera and 12MP Wide and Ultrawide back cameras returns, and Samsung’s continued focus on camera development is on display here too, with the company stating that the Flip5 captures better video with more authentic skin tones across the board.
The most change between last year and now shows itself in the redesigned Flex Window on the outside of the phone. The Flex Window display is the largest it has ever been, expanding to a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED display that is fully customizable with photos and videos. Navigation is improved for the convenient widget domain, but the Flip5 introduces the ability to open some apps via the Flex Window and Dual Preview allows users to let photo subjects see image framing on the cover display in real-time for collaborative photography.
With all the changes, there are some aspects of the Flip5 that aren’t altered much from the previous generation. Unfolded, the Flip5 features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, which is the same size as the Flip4 but with better image quality. Battery size and memory remain the same as well, with the Flip5 featuring 8GB RAM.
Samsung did away with the 128GB model, making the entry storage amount 256GB with a 512GB storage available at a higher price, and the company stated that the Flip5 features more recycled materials within the device.
The Galaxy Z Flip5 is available for preorder now ahead of its August 11 launch starting at $999.99 and comes in graphite, mint, cream and lavender. Ordering directly from Samsung nets users four additional exclusive colors: blue, gray, yellow and green.