The new Galaxy Z Fold5 is here to take up the mantle of Samsung’s trademark foldable, productivity-focused smartphone offering.
The tech giant revealed the new Fold5 Wednesday, introducing the smartphone world to a significantly slimmer version of the adaptable device. That is accomplished thanks to a redesigned hinge that allows the Fold5 to fold completely shut for the first time, knocking nearly an inch off of the device’s thickness when folded. Samsung also shared that the new hinge includes less moving parts which it believes will make the hinge more durable over time.
Samsung’s tablet-esque foldable gets a boost in processing power thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, which will certainly come in handy when using the device’s 10MP selfie cover camera, 4MP front camera or its rear camera array (50MP Wide, 12MP Ultrawide and 10MP Telephoto).
Both the 7.6-inch internal and 6.2-inch cover displays remain largely unchanged outside of the internal display getting a noticeable bump in brightness. In terms of functionality, the Fold5 keeps many of the multitasking tools the line is known for with minimal upgrades. The taskbar can now hold four apps and two-handed drag-and-drop makes moving information between windows and apps easier. Samsung also stated that the device has been optimized for streaming video, which could come in handy for collaboration or taking a YouTube break from all of that productivity.
The S Pen that comes packed in with the Fold5 also got a noticeable reduction in size and less latency.
Outside of that, there isn’t much new about the Fold5. The battery is the same size. It still comes with 12MB RAM of memory. The Fold5 doesn’t represent a sizable leap forward on the face, but it does set Samsung up well against Google’s competing Pixel Fold. This marks the first time Samsung introduced a new Fold series model with competent competition present in its market, which will likely keep the company on its toes going forward, but big swings weren’t completely needed to face its first fight in the market it created in the first place, though the starting price of $1799.99 still stings the wallet.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is available for preorder now before hitting store shelves on August 11. The 256GB storage model starts at $1,799.99 with 512GB and 1TB models available as well. The Fold5 comes in icy blue, phantom black and cream with blue and gray available exclusively through Samsung’s official website.