Every year, people are excited to see the improvements in the Galaxy Z series, as it offers a unique form factor with its foldable design. This time, we had the opportunity to review the expensive smartphone from the series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5. Let’s see what updates they have made to this year’s Fold.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 Specifications
| OS: | One UI 5.1.1, Android 13 |
|---|---|
| Processor: | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy |
| Display: | Cover Screen – 6.2″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Inner Screen – 7.6″ Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz HDR10+ |
| Wireless Connections: | 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| Memory: | 12GB+256GB 12GB+512GB 12GB+1TB |
| Connectors: | USB Type-C, OTG |
| Cameras: | Rear Camera: Main – 50MP, f/1.8 Ultrawide – 12MP, f/2.2 Telephoto – 10MP, f/2.4 Cover Front Camera: 10MP, f/2.2 Inner Front Camera: 4MP, f/1.8, under display |
| SIM Card Slots: | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM), eSIM |
| Battery: | 4,400mAh 25W Wired Charging 15W Wireless Charging |
| Price: | 12GB+256GB – Php 98,990 12GB+512GB – Php 105,990 12GB+1TB – Php 119,990 |
The Design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 now finally doesn’t have any gaps when folded. Aside from updating its hinge to be able to have no gaps when folded, they also made it lighter and thinner. It now measures 13.4mm thick when closed, and weighs 253 grams which are 10 grams lighter than its previous generation. But this time, many brands have also taken the foldable market and some made their foldable phone much lighter and thinner than the Z Fold5.
Other than the hinge redesign, there are no other visible changes. The unit we are reviewing is the Phantom Black. It is also available in other colors like Cream and Icy Blue. Additionally, there are also Samsung.com exclusive colors which are Gray and Blue.
Galaxy Z Fold5’s durability got an upgrade as it is now using a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for its front display and back plate. The IP rating still remains at IPX8 water resistant which means it can submerge to water up to 1.5m for 30 minutes.
When you open it, you’ll find the volume rocker and power button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner, on the right side. The left side houses the SIM tray that accommodates two nano SIMs but it also supports eSIM. The speakers are located at the top and bottom of the left side, while the USB-C port and microphone hole are situated on the bottom right.
The Display and Speaker
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 didn’t change anything to its tried and tested displays that we saw on their last year’s model. The cover screen is a 6.2-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display which has a 2316×904 screen resolution and a 23.1:9 aspect ratio. Unfolding it will reveal the 7.6-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display which has a 2176×1812 screen resolution and a 5:6 aspect ratio. Both are capable of HDR10+ streaming that means you can enjoy your favorite Netflix shows on any of the screens.
Either of the two displays produces great vivid colors and inky blacks. You can select in the display setting the color modes which are Vivid and Natural. Also there is an option of selecting the white balance to be either warm or cold.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 has two stereo speakers which are placed on the left side when unfolded. The sound quality is great to my liking as it is loud and crisp with some bass and decent high frequencies.
The Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy which is exclusive to Samsung. It has an overclocked CPU 3.36 GHz compared to non OC of 3.2 GHz and the Adreno 740 that is clocked at 719 MHz compared to 680 GHz to a regular version.
The Galaxy Z Fold5 is paired with a 12GB of RAM and has three storage options available – 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
Here are the benchmarks results that we got from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 runs One UI 5.1.1, based on Android 13. If you’re a Samsung user, it will be familiar to you, albeit slightly different from the regular One UI version. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold5 supports DeX mode.
Using it day to day was a wonderful experience. You can unfold the phone for a bigger screen when needed, especially for tasks like running two apps simultaneously. It’s really a smartphone for people who want it to have a better working experience with their smartphone. However, for casual scrolling on social media or quick replies, I found myself using the cover screen.
App optimization for the larger screen isn’t perfect, but, Samsung allows you to adjust app aspect ratios to improve the experience. Overall, it was smooth and easy to use, making learning the ropes a breeze.
Regarding gaming capabilities, some apps like Asphalt 9 and Mobile Legends are already optimized for the large screen. However, games like Wild Rift don’t fully utilize the big screen and require setting a supported aspect ratio for optimal enjoyment. Overall, the gaming experience was good, with no stuttering or lag issues, even when playing on the highest graphics settings in both the cover screen and big screen.
Regarding thermal performance, we conducted a CPU stress test in both folded and unfolded scenarios. We observed that when folded, the CPU throttled to 63% of its maximum performance, whereas when unfolded, it reached 80%. This difference is likely due to the smaller cooling surface when the device is folded.
The Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 retains its camera configuration. The rear camera consists of a triple camera setup which are the 50 megapixels main camera, 12 megapixels ultrawide camera and a 10 megapixels 3x Telephoto camera. For the front screen there is a 10 megapixel on its cover screen and 4 megapixel under display camera for the big screen.
Taking pictures with the rear main camera, it is pixel-binned to 12 megapixels which is common to Samsung and you can use its full megapixels when you select its 50 megapixels 3:4 aspect ratio. On daylight shots, the details are crisp and with the colors that are a little bit saturated. When taking photos under a poorly lit environment, it automatically detects shooting in night mode and it produces good detail with colors that are accurate.
The ultrawide camera is alright as it almost emulates the main camera picture quality. For the telephoto camera, it upscales the pictures it took to make it a 12 megapixels. The colors are decent, details are great and noise cannot be seen on a daylight scene but it tends to over process the image when it is night mode.
Ultrawide Camera Sample
Telephoto Camera Sample
Selfies using the cover screen is good as it produces a natural skin tone color and the details are sharp. However, the under display camera is not good for taking pictures as it gets hazy but it is intended for video calls.
The Galaxy Z Fold5 boasts improved video capabilities. The main camera now records 8K at 30fps, up from 24fps on the Fold4. The telephoto camera shoots at 4K/60fps, while the ultrawide option is limited to 720p/30fps, and it reappears in ultra-steady mode at 2K/30fps. It’s a bit strange that we need to go through this process to use the ultrawide mode in videos.
The Battery
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 retains its 4400mAh battery, capable of lasting 12 hours with regular use. In our benchmark tests for both the cover screen and big screen at 50% brightness, the cover screen lasted 13 hours and 27 minutes, while the big screen endured for 9 hours and 8 minutes. For extended use, you can conserve battery by lowering the refresh rate and using only the cover screen.
You can charge the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 both wired and wirelessly, but there’s no included charging brick in the box, only the cable. Wired charging operates at 25W, while wireless charging is at 15W. It takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to go from 0% to 100% battery when charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is a truly remarkable smartphone for productivity. This year’s model continues the trend of refining the device, making it even better. However, for those who already have the Galaxy Z Fold4, it might not be a significant upgrade. This new version is more appealing to those looking to transition from a standard smartphone to the best productivity phone in the Philippine market. It’s worth noting that we still have concerns about the durability of the inner screen, as some of our friends experienced problems with it within a year.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is available at Php 98,990 for the 12GB+256GB, Php 105,990 for the 12GB+512GB, and Php 119,990 for the 12GB+1TB. You can purchase it through Lazada, Shopee, and the Samsung online store.
