Samsung’s flip phone doesn’t break the mould for its fifth generation, still squeezing a big-screen smartphone into a much more compact folded form. But a collection of small, meaningful changes remove more of the compromises of the still-developing tech, making it feel like a more mature product.

Pros: a great large screen that folds in half, big cover screen, folds fully shut, IPX8 water-resistant, decent camera, good software with five years of updates, nano sim and esim, fun.

Cons: less durable than a regular phone, no telephoto camera, battery life a day but short of best, expensive.

Can a colossal new cover screen make what was an already fab foldable even better?

Sublime design and capable cover screen, Flagship-tier performance, Streamlined software makes good use of flip form factor

Cameras haven’t stepped up in a meaningful way, Battery life is just fine, and charging speeds could be better, No 128GB option means higher price barrier

With the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung has debuted a new larger cover display which makes it easier to handle notifications, check the weather, control media and more, without opening the phone.

Huge Cover Screen is a welcome addition, Still one of the few foldables rated at IPX8 for water resistance, Good battery life, Great software support from Samsung, Good camera, but a step down from other flagships, New hinge allows it to fold flat, no gap, Base storage doubled to 256GB

Not all apps run on the Flex Window, The crease is still fairly large, Still no telephoto camera

The Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 run on Samsung's One UI 5.1.1 skin on top of Android 13. Although we much prefer Google and Moto’s simple, lightweight, and close-to-stock Android user experience, One UI 5.1.1 delivers a comprehensive set of features that cater to a broader range of users.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 still feels somewhat like an experiment, in that the fact that the device folds up is the big selling point. So much so, that Samsung is a little lax on things like camera quality.

Relatively durable, Great performance, Sleek design, Good interior display

So-so camera, Battery is only fine

Here we are, staring at the fifth generation of Samsung’s Galaxy Z series of foldables and still asking the same question: Are phones with flexible displays ready for the mainstream?

I will forever have a soft spot for the Galaxy Flip. It’s the device that made me believe that foldables could, indeed, be a viable path forward for the smartphone industry. Respect to the Fold for the tough path it blazed to become the first commercially viable entry, but the Flip flipped the...

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 builds on the last-gen model with a serious of helpful upgrades. How much better is it?

Relatively durable, Great performance, Sleek design, Good interior display

So-so camera, Battery is only fine

Samsung's flip phone finally gets a bigger cover screen, making that $1,000 price easier to swallow.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a big improvement on the Z Flip 4 with a larger cover display, improved performance and a gapless fold, but with increased competition in 2023, it’s not quite as tempting an option as it once was.

Premium look with no gap when folded, Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, Much more useful 3.4-inch cover display, You want a foldable that doesn’t compromise on power: The custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is incredibly powerful, delivering some of the best benchmarks we’ve seen from...

Same 12MP cameras as Z Flip 4, Middling battery life, even for a foldable, Cover display software is surprisingly limited, You want a foldable with great cameras: The dual 12MP lenses are fine in well-lit conditions, but they don’t quite hold up in low-light scenarios – even compared to the best...