Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review – The foldable segment’s bar raised

• Samsung recently launched its foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 in India.
• The device has been priced starting at ₹1,54,999 and is available in three variants.
• Here’s my review of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 that will help you decide whether to buy the device or not.

Samsung leads the foldable phones segment and for good reason. The company was the first to introduce a foldable device and has been making improvements to foldable technology for years. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the company’s latest foldable smartphone and it features its most refined design yet.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 was launched along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the company’s more affordable foldable smartphone. From being gimmicky and highly delicate to robust, sturdy and water resistant, the Korean giant has made some major leaps in making its foldable smartphones more practical.

I have been using the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for a few weeks now, and here is my detailed review of the latest flagship offering from the Korean smartphone maker.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has been priced at ₹1,54,999 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, ₹1,64,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant and ₹1,84,999 for the 12GB RAM + 1TB internal storage variant. The device is available in Icy Blue, Phantom Black and Cream colour options. Samsung is also selling two exclusive colours on its website – Blue and Gray.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available from Amazon India, Samsung Online Store and the company’s authorised stores across the country.

In the box

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
• USB Type-C cable
• SIM ejector
• Documentation

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold pros and cons

Pros

• Improved battery performance
• Design – improved hinge, better displays

Cons

• 25W wired and 15W wireless charging
• Price

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 at first look. However, the device comes with some important changes.


The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is sleeker when compared to the Z Fold 4. It measures 13.4 mm when folded, down from the Z Fold 4’s 15.8 mm. Not just this, the weight has also been reduced from 263 grams to 253 grams. This has been made possible due to its new hinge.


The Galaxy Z Fold 5 now folds flat, unlike its predecessor. What this means is that there is no gap between the two halves when the device is folded.


Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes with a glass back with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. It features a triple camera setup at the back with a single cutout that houses the three cameras. The rest of the back is bare.


The only branding you can see on the device is on the hinge. It comes with an Armor Aluminium frame that is highly durable and gives a premium feel while holding.


The placement of buttons has not changed. The right side features the volume rockers and the power button, which comes with the fingerprint sensor integrated. The left side features the SIM tray and the antenna lines. On top, you get the speaker grille and three microphones.


At the bottom, you get the USB Type-C port, a speaker grille and a microphone.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is rated IPX8 for water resistance, which means it can handle being underwater up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. However, I wouldn’t recommend testing this if you do decide to purchase the foldable.


Coming to the display, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 features a large 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate on the inside. This display is equipped with ultra-thin glass material.


On the outside, it features a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.


Both the displays are vibrant and are quite bright – you don’t have to worry about outdoor visibility. The crease is still here but unless you are specifically looking for it, the crease is barely visible in day-to-day use.

Software and performance

Coming to software, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs on Android 13 with OneUI 5.1 on top. The device will get four Android updates and five years of security updates, which should be more than enough.

Samsung’s OneUI is among the best, especially if you consider the company’s flagship smartphones. However, not much has changed since the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Samsung continues to offer its pop-up windows and split-screen mode on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which allow you to easily use multiple applications, especially when using the larger inner display.

I did not have any issues multitasking on the device. The device also comes wit S Pen support, which is not included in the device and needs to be purchased separately.

Coming to performance, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, which is currently the most powerful chipset available for Android devices. The customised variant of the chipset, which has been specifically designed for Samsung devices runs at 3.36GHz

The processor is coupled with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. As expected, the device is easily able to handle whatever you throw at it with ease.

I tried popular games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India and Asphalt 9 on the device, and not only do they load very quickly, the performance is quite smooth, even at the highest graphics.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by a 4,400mAh battery coupled with 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Samsung has not made any changes in the battery department. Offering 25W charging at a time when flagships from other companies are offering much faster charging is bad, especially when the company’s own S23 series offers 45W charging.

Camera

Coming to the optics, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 features a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and a 10MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture, 3x optical zoom and 30x space zoom. The camera setup is the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 – which may disappoint some users.


The Galaxy Z Fold 5 captures good images with its rear camera. It is able to capture good images with very little noise and great detail in daylight conditions. Thanks to OIS, you don’t have to worry about blurry images.


The portrait images captured with the device come out great, with good edge detection and details.


The telephoto lens on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is limited to 3x optical zoom, the device offers up to 30x digital zoom, which the company calls Space Zoom.


The images captured in low-light conditions turned out decent, with some noise and change in colour.

On the front, the device features two different selfie cameras – a 10MP unit on the outer display and a 4MP unit on the inner display. While the 10MP camera is able to capture decent selfies, the 4MP unit is more of a demo for its under-display camera technology.

It is to be noted that you can also use the rear camera setup to capture selfies by opening the display and using the outer display. With this, you are able to use the triple camera setup with OIS for capturing images and videos.

Verdict

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a feature-packed smartphone that is well-built and ticks all the boxes if you are an enthusiast looking for a premium smartphone. It is a good device that not only allows you to consume content in a larger display, it also boosts productivity.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is the price. Starting at ₹1,54,999, it is not a device that everyone may be comfortable splurging on. One thing we can say is that it is currently the best foldable smartphone in the market and if you are looking to purchase a foldable smartphone, you can grab this.

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