As seen in the numerous rumours and leaks leading up to Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, there aren’t many changes to this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 when compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is easily overshadowed by the smaller and more accessible foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which has received more notable upgrades. This year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, focuses on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, and a new hinge design meant to reduce the sharp crease that’s visible on the outgoing Fold and Flip models. I got to spend about an hour with Samsung’s latest productivity powerhouse and here are my first impressions.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 brings many such refinements, which includes bringing down the weight of the device from the current 263g, to 253g. When folded, the new device is now slimmer by 2.4mm. This is possible thanks to the new hinge design. Samsung claims that apart from making the inner display’s fold look less prominent, the hinge is also more durable to shocks when dropped. The new device is also IPX8 rated like the previous model.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s design appears very similar to the previous model despite packing a new hinge

The two halves of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 now sit nearly flat against one another when folded, as there’s only a minor gap and is not as evident as on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The reduced gap means that its overall thickness when folded is also less, making the Galaxy Z Fold 5 feel slimmer to hold and not as chunky as the previous model.

During my brief hands-on time with the device, I found the hinge to have the same resistance as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 model. It’s still stiff enough to be held at an angle of your choosing and for use with the various Flex-mode related software features.

The rest of its design from the bezels around the 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED cover display, to the inner 7.6-inch QXGA Dynamic AMOLED flexible panel appear very similar to the previous model. Both displays seem identical to the previous model, but the main display has a higher peak brightness of up to 1,750 nits, which is about 30 percent brighter than the previous generation. This should make outdoor viewing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 a lot better than the previous model.

The crease on the main display is still quite noticeable on the Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which is a slightly customised version of the standard processor. Just like with the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung claims that the new chipset brings several noticeable improvements to the phone’s performance, image quality and battery life.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available in three storage variants, all of which come with 12GB of RAM. There’s a base model with 256GB of storage, one with 512 GB of storage, and a top-end model with 1TB of storage. Samsung says it has also included a bigger vapour cooling chamber which it claims will help provide sustained performance when playing demanding 3D games.

The gap between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s two halves has reduced but is still noticeable

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs Samsung’s One UI 5.1.1 with Android 13, and comes with some added features and improvements. It can now also open apps in floating windows that should help with multitasking. One can now use two fingers to copy and paste data between apps, by holding one finger on the item (in the Gallery app) and using the other to access the second app. Samsung now also lets users access up to four recent apps in its taskbar, located at the bottom of the main display.

Like the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the camera hardware on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 also remains similar to its predecessor. There’s a 50-megapixel primary camera, 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. Selfies are handled by two cameras — a 10-megapixel camera on the cover display and a 4-megapixel camera under the folding display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers the same cameras as the previous model

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by a 4,400mAh battery, which again is the same as before. It can be charged using a cable at 25W, or wirelessly at 15W.

Samsung has also announced a revised S Pen for the Galaxy Fold 5. It’s called the S Pen Fold Edition and it has a slimmer design which is 40 percent slimmer than the one used for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, the phone does not have a dedicated silo for it which means it will have to be carried separately or with the optional folio case.

Unlike the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 upgrades can mainly be described as refinements. Whether they add to the phone’s overall value and if it is worthy of an upgrade over the already excellent Galaxy Z Fold 4, is something we know after we have reviewed it.

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 First Impressions: Refining the Fold appeared first on Review Products.

Change can be good or bad, and while Motorola as a company has seen its fair share of change, the Razr series of phones which was first released in 2004, has also evolved quite a bit. Fans of the original RAZR V3, which mainly includes millennials (including myself), might find the not-so “edgy” design of the latest Razr 40 Ultra iconic but it still is a very important step in the evolution of the foldable smartphone. I’ve been using Motorola’s top-end and most premium smartphone in India for about two weeks and here’s why I think it is a game changer.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra price in India

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is priced at Rs 89,999 in India and it comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The phone is available in two finishes – Viva Magenta and Infinite Black. I received the Infinite Black unit for review. In the box, Motorola offers a 33W charger, transparent TPU hard case and a Type-A to Type-C USB cable for charging.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra design

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a rounded overall appearance which looks thin whether it’s folded (15.1mm) or open (6.99mm). I like that both halves of this foldable sit flat against one another with no gap between them. This also adds to its overall slim appearance when folded, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which is a lot thicker.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra uses Gorilla Glass Victus for its front and rear panels

Motorola has also done a good job with the phone’s two rear-facing cameras which almost sit flush with the cover display’s glass surface. This cover display itself is something to behold, and like the rear panel it is also made of Gorilla Glass Victus. Firstly, Motorola has done a fantastic job of embedding the two cameras into it with near perfect cutouts around each camera and the separate LED flash. Secondly, there’s the 3D curved-edge glass screen which wraps around the top edges of the metal frame, giving the Razr 40 Ultra a very polished and premium appearance.

What’s interesting about this edge-to-edge cover display is that it also gives one half of the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra a customisable skin or finish, and all you need to do is change the wallpaper to change how it looks. Indeed, Motorola missed out on an LTPO panel on the front display as having a wallpaper constantly on (like on an iPhone 14 Pro), would have permanently changed the look of the top half of the device. While the display does support an always-on feature, it is only enabled  for a few seconds when you move the phone, before returning to its mirror-black appearance.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s hinge does not open to 180-degrees

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s rear panel has a matte finish which is very slippery. Thankfully, the frame and hinge have a glossy finish which makes this device a bit easier to grip. Most of the time, I just wasn’t confident enough to operate the phone with one hand simply because it was too slippery to hold. Opening it with one hand is a very risky manoeuvre, but it is possible to do it by first spacing out the top half from the bottom half and then flicking the top half out with a twisting gesture. It almost seems like this phone was meant to be operated this way, which brought back some long lost Razr V3 memories.

If you are okay with a bright colour, I would recommend going for the Viva Magenta finish as it gets a faux-leather textured back, which should make the phone easier to hold and operate.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s fingerprint reader is embedded into its power button, on the right side

Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra gets a IP52 rating which is one of the only foldables to offer dust protection, but water protection is rather basic. To recall, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes with an IPX8 rating, which is better when it comes to surviving splashes of water but has no protection against dust. Oppo’s Find N2 Flip on the other hand offers neither, officially anyway.

The new water-drop hinge used in the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra lessens the crease on the inner folding display, but it does not fold flat, so the phone always has this slightly concave appearance when open.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra specifications and software

In terms of core specifications, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra seems to be the obvious choice even when compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which until now offered the best specifications for foldable devices in this segment. The Razr 40 Ultra comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC which may seem a bit dated today, but still packs in enough power for gaming and daily app usage.

There’s 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, with no room for expandable memory. The additional storage over the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s base model with 128GB of storage (which retails at the same price), does make the Razr more attractive in terms of storage space. Oppo also offers 256GB of storage at the same price point with its Find N2 Flip, but with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor.

Communication standards include Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and support for several 5G bands. The phone has a single physical nano-SIM card slot, but also offers a secondary e-SIM functionality. Both SIMs can be used in dual-standby mode. There’s a USB 2.0 Type-C port at the bottom. The phone is powered by a 3,800mAh battery which can be charged using the 30W charger that comes in the box.

The Razr 40 Ultra’s Retro mode will remind users of the old Razr V3

We always liked Motorola’s approach to software, which has a near-stock Android appearance. With the Razr 40 Ultra, Motorola takes this experience to new heights with the addition of a second cover display.

The software is based on Android 13, and comes with a ton of customisation options which lets you choose from different built-in fonts, wallpapers and matching themes. Even the icons can be themed like on a Pixel smartphone. There’s minimal bloatware which mainly includes the Family Space, Moto, Moto Secure and the Moto Notifications apps.

Most foldables treat both inner and outer displays separately with customisations for the outer display usually hidden in the Settings app. Motorola does things differently and I like how I can change or customise the elements of the external display directly from that display itself, or from the inner display too. I also like how fluidly the outer display works, which is something both Samsung and Oppo’s current clamshell foldables fall short on.

It’s also possible to play regular casual games on the cover display in fullscreen

This external display on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra also reminds me of a Nintendo Gameboy Advance or a Playdate when playing games. Motorola has included a bunch of preinstalled mini games which are very addictive and entertaining, and have been designed to take advantage of the external display. It’s also possible to play regular casual games such as Subway Surfers on it without any problems.

Unlike any other vertical folding smartphone available in India, Motorola’s MyUX lets users view notifications and even run full apps on the external display. There are even per-app settings when transitioning from the external display to the internal one or vice versa, which is downright impressive and works beautifully with a majority of third-party apps that I used.

Instagram running in full-screen mode (left) on the external display versus default view (right) which avoids the cameras

While the two floating cameras in the cover display do give the Razr 40 Ultra a futuristic look, they do get in the way of apps. To avoid this Motorola lets the user choose whether they want to view any app in fullscreen or the default view which cuts out the two cameras leaving behind a rectangular display (like on the previous Razr 2022) for apps. While this is still a minimal view, it is impressive as to how much work I could get done on it, because these are indeed full-blown apps running on the cover display.

However, there are restrictions when using note-taking apps like Evernote or the like, where you simply cannot select text from a note on the external display, because the keyboard pops up, blocking your view and selection.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra performance

When it comes to benchmarks, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra performs as expected for a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered device. The phone scored 9,76,130 points in AnTuTu and 1,826 and 4,703 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests, respectively.

Gaming performance was surprisingly good for a foldable device. The phone does get warm after five minutes of playing Call of Duty: Mobile at ‘Very High’ graphics and framerates (with all settings enabled), but I did not notice any drop in performance while gaming.

The only app that really managed to heat up the device was the camera. Using the camera app for just five minutes was enough to get this device uncomfortably hot. What makes things worse is that once the device reaches this peak temperature, performance of the camera app takes a hit, with sluggish behaviour when capturing images and stutters in video recordings that would otherwise (under the right conditions), record smoothly.

The dual speaker setup sounded quite immersive, both when gaming and watching movies. I did find the left speaker slightly louder than the right one (when held horizontally).

The main display on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is a pOLED panel with a full-HD+ resolution and offers a 165Hz maximum refresh rate and a 360Hz touch sampling rate. The 22:9 aspect ratio main display measuring 6.9 inches diagonally and feels sufficiently broad (when held vertically) for viewing content and reading text. It is sufficiently bright outdoors but the colours seem a bit jarring at the default ‘Saturated’ colour setting. I preferred the ‘Natural’ setting as it was closer to accurate. The new hinge also makes the display crease barely noticeable.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s main inner display is sharp and vibrant

One detail I did notice is that the display frequently drops to 1Hz which is good for battery life, but seemed to be capped at 120Hz most of the time. The only instance when you can force the display to 165Hz is in games, using Motorola’s Gametime tools. Motorola claims that the main display supports HDR content but this was only supported in the YouTube app as Netflix did not recognise the same.

In terms of durability, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s folding display does not feel as tough as Samsung’s ultra-thin glass on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, but is still better than the Find N2 Flip which was quite delicate. In my two weeks of usage which also included plenty of gaming, I only managed to get one minor dent on the Razr 40 Ultra’s display, which was barely visible.

The external display has a 1:1 aspect ratio, measures 3.6 inches diagonally, and has an impressive resolution of 1,066 x 1,056 pixels with a crispy 413ppi that is the same as the internal display. It offers a 144Hz refresh rate which dynamically changes depending on the content being viewed. In my experience, it generally refreshes between 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz, and only touches 120Hz when playing high-end games like Call of Duty: Mobile. While the reflective nature of the outer display makes it slightly duller than the internal one, it still gets sufficiently bright outdoors.

Call of Duty: Mobile works just fine on the cover display. Switching between both displays is also possible when gaming

Battery life is impressively good for a phone that is this slim. Given how useful the outer display is, I also ended up opening the phone less frequently. The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra lasted 18 hours and 27 minutes in our video loop test with the display’s refresh rate set to High. With casual use, the phone can easily last a whole day and a bit more. I often ended a day with around 25-30 percent left even after 45 minutes of intense gaming, which seemed to be the only major source of battery drain (after the camera) which did not seem optimised enough.

You also have to remember that this phone (with its adaptive battery optimisation) needs a break-in period of about three days before it can start delivering the above mentioned figures. The external display can also be a lifesaver in situations when you are low on battery as it takes up less power and you can get almost everything done on it.

Charging the device is also sufficiently fast with the phone managing a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, and completing the charge in an hour and nine minutes. While wireless charging is available, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra only charges up at 5W making the charging process quite slow compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s 15W charging capability.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra cameras

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has two rear-facing cameras embedded into its cover display. This includes a 12-megapixel primary camera with OIS and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide which has a 108-degree field of view (FOV) and can also capture macro photos. Selfies are handled by a 32-megapixel camera which is embedded into the inner folding display. Both the front and rear camera systems are capable of capturing video at 4K 60fps.

The dual displays enable a couple of tricks for the camera app. The rear cameras, when folded, can also be used for capturing selfies. These can be captured in a squarish 1:1 ratio or the usual 4:3 ratio as well. Next up, the cover display can also be used as a viewfinder, and lastly, the external display can also be propped up in tent mode to capture selfies or selfie videos, hands-free.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra daylight camera samples

In daylight, images from the primary camera have good details, but with slightly limited dynamic range. This is visible in the shadows and when you point the camera towards the direction of the light. Still, the camera’s HDR system handles darker areas better than the brighter areas, which often get clipped in odd lighting situations. Overall, the images have a slightly contrasted look. Colours are also saturated, but some may prefer this. I also noticed minor purple fringing in brighter scenes.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra low-light camera samples

In low light, photos look surprisingly good using Night mode. I preferred using it compared to the primary camera’s Auto mode as it delivered better dynamic range and managed to maintain sharpness despite longer exposure times. In street-lit scenes dynamic range is excellent, while finer details with grass and other foliage seems to be on the lower side. Colours too are quite good when compared to the Auto mode photos. However, dimly-lit scenes show visible noise in the darker areas.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra ultra-wide-angle camera samples

The ultra-wide angle camera does a fine job of capturing photos in daylight. These appear sufficiently sharp and with good colours and dynamic range. In fact the ultra-wide camera is a lot more consistent when it comes to colours, shot-to-shot, compared to the primary camera. Lens barrel distortion is under control as well. Details are also quite good. However, in low light, details take a hit and the camera struggles to focus even in street-lit situations leading to softer or out-of-focus images at times. Tapping the screen to lock focus before shooting results in better images.

The ultra-wide-angle camera also doubles up as a macro camera. It captures some really impressive photos with good colour and dynamic range and gets you really close to the action.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra selfie camera samples

Selfies come out looking sharp, clear and are well exposed with accurate edge-detection. However, the results are the exact opposite when shooting at night, with mostly flat textures that resemble an painting. I preferred using the primary camera for shooting selfies as the results were obviously better in all types of lighting conditions.

Shooting videos at 4K 30fps is the sweet spot with good details and stabilisation. However, the auto-exposure adjustment is a bit of a problem so it appears as though the video is flickering. Shooting at 4K 60fps made the videos appear a bit contrasted with less detail. The framerate was also not stable and kept fluctuating while shooting. The Razr 40 Ultra is also capable of recording HDR10+ video at 4K 30fps, but these aren’t stabilised and come out quite choppy among other problems.

Recording video in low light was not a good experience. 4K 30fps footage came out dark, contrasted and noisy. The stabilisation was not good either and there was also the same exposure-related problems I spotted when capturing daylight footage. 4K 60fps footage looked even darker and nosier, but showed a steadier framerate.

Verdict

Motorola has a real winner in its hands with the Razr 40 Ultra. It attempts to innovate in a market segment that is loaded with cutting-edge technology and manages to pull it off without any noticeable gimmicks. Its cover display is by far the best we have currently, although that could quickly change. The fluid display and software optimisation also makes this cover display one of the most practical user experiences of its segment. It has a capable set of cameras and also offers a macro mode.

Of course, the Razr 40 Ultra is not without flaws. The heating issue when using the camera app is the primary one. But at Rs. 89,999, it is still hard to find a foldable which is oozing with so many features, and looks slick while pulling it all off. The new flagship Razr should appeal to a lot of premium Android users who are looking for something new and refreshing in a smartphone.

The post Motorola Razr 40 Ultra Review: A True Game-Changer appeared first on Review Products.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 was a big upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 3. It managed to turn, what was a more fashion-forward foldable, into a very useful and practical smartphone with major improvements to its cameras and battery life. With the new Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung has added even more features to the mix. There’s now a bigger cover display with its own widget-based interface, a new processor and improvements to the cameras. I got to spend some time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the Galaxy Unpacked launch event, and here are my first impressions.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s overall design has not changed by much and it still offers an IPX8 rating for water proofing. However, look closely and you’ll quickly notice the expanded glass on the front that manages to hide a large 3.4-inch, Super AMOLED 60Hz display underneath. This new larger display has a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels (306ppi). Tapping on it wakes up the oddly shaped display which resembles a folder icon from Windows or Mac OS.

The standard Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 models come with a glossy-finish rear panel

Samsung’s approach to the cover display’s design on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is very different compared to Motorola’s more radical design for the same. The cover display on the Flip 5 has some really thick bezels on the top, left and right sides with a cutout at the bottom which completely avoids the LED flash and the two cameras.

The inner display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has not seen much of an upgrade. It seems to be the same 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate in a 22:9 aspect ratio. It still feels a bit cramped when browsing through content vertically. However, the aspect ratio of this main display keeps its footprint quite compact compared to other foldables such as the Oppo Find N2 Flip. The phone’s weight is the same as before (187g) but is slimmer when folded (by 2mm) thanks to the new hinge mechanism.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a new hinge mechanism which is said to have better resistance to drops and shocks

According to Samsung, the new hinge is more durable when subjected to drops or shocks and also allows for the zero-gap design between the two halves of the clamshell when folded shut (apart from reducing the display’s crease).

Samsung has gone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy in the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which is a customised version of the standard chipset just like on the Galaxy S23 series which launched earlier this year. Samsung claims that the new chipset brings improvements to image quality and battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be offered in two storage variants. The first with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and the second with 512GB of storage, which is an improvement over last year’s model which had a 128GB base variant.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 shows no gap between the two halves when folded shut

The phone follows Samsung’s recent trend with the standard Galaxy S23 series and offers the same camera hardware as on the previous Galaxy Z Flip 4. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 12-megapixel primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS with an 83-degree field of view (FOV). The ultra-wide camera offers a 12-megapixel sensor with a 123-degree FOV. Selfies are handled by a 10-megapixel camera.

The phone’s battery capacity also remains the same at 3,700mAh, along with 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging as before.

The software is where things have changed, but primarily for the cover display. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs One UI 5.1.1 with Android 13. The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Flex Window is basically a bigger version of its previous display, but it comes with a lot of added functionality.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Flex Window cover display cannot run full apps

As observed from previous leaks, it is indeed a widget-based interface. There’s a widget for most native apps, but I could not spot any from Google during my brief hands-on time. One can place calls from the call log widget, check the weather, and even reply to notifications with a full keyboard, which is a big leap from the previous implementation, which used voice input for sending out replies.

The cover display cannot run full apps like on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra (Review) which seems like a big missed opportunity for Samsung, but we will reserve our final opinion for the full review. The Flex Window also has quick toggles (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) and comes with Samsung Pay support. Samsung has also added the ability to show one’s boarding pass at the airport from the outer display itself, thus reducing the need to open the phone. A neat trick which Samsung has included is Multi-Widget view, which basically uses the pinch gesture to give a zoomed-out view of all the active widgets in the cover display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s success depends heavily on the practicality of its new cover display and how frequently it reduces the need to unfold the main display. Our eyes are also on the new chipset which gives Samsung a natural edge in terms of performance over the competition, but we have to use it more to see if there is any improvement with imaging quality and battery life as well. There’s more to come in the full review.

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 First Impressions: Big Upgrades in a Familiar Package appeared first on Review Products.

A couple of months ago, Motorola showcased its latest foldable, the Razr 40 Ultra. It had a radical-looking, futuristic design with floating cameras embedded into its near-bezelless cover display. The premium foldable instantly reinstated Motorola as a serious contender and became the challenger to Samsung’s year-old Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Despite years of having an upper hand in India, it appears that Samsung is now playing catch up this year by launching the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with a bigger outer display, which the company now calls ‘Flex Window’. But sporting a bigger cover display is only half the war won unless it’s backed up by a rock-solid software experience, which Motorola’s foldable did deliver.

So, does the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 have what it takes to retain its supremacy in the vertically folding smartphone segment in India? Let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 price in India

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 has received a noticeable price hike over the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which was launched at Rs. 89,999. However, all of this seems justifiable given that it has the latest processor and starts with a base 256GB storage variant which is priced at Rs. 99,999. There’s a 512GB storage variant as well and it’s priced at Rs. 1,09,999.

The phone is available in four main colours – Mint, Graphite, Cream and Lavender. It is also available in three special edition finishes – gray, blue and green – which sport a matte-black frame. I received the 256GB variant in the Mint finish for review.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 design

As pointed out in our first impressions article, not much has changed in terms of visual appeal between the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the previous Galaxy Z Flip 4 models. The new device feels slimmer and more compact when folded thanks to its new hinge. The gap closer to the hinge which used to let in dust on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 no longer exists and it also makes the phone appear aesthetically pleasing, with both halves folding flat against one another.

A major visual change is on the front half of the clamshell. The smaller window which hid the cover display of the previous model has now been expanded to accommodate a much bigger cover display. When folded and with the display powered down, it makes the phone appear like a short, chunky slab of black glass with a flattened metal border around it.

But power on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the cool-looking aesthetics disappear as you are greeted by some abnormally chunky borders on all sides with a weird folder-like cutout at the bottom to avoid the cameras and the accompanying LED flash unit. Indeed, this is quite the contrast compared to the radical cover display design of the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra.

The placement of the rest of the components on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 hasn’t changed and remain the same as on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Thankfully, Samsung’s new hinge does not deprive it of its IPX8 rating which gives the phone credible water resistance against splashes of water, and is far better than the Razr’s IP53 rating that’s better with dust but offers basic protection against water.

So, does this new hinge in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 reduce the crease on the main folding display? Not really. According to Samsung, the new hinge is supposed to be less prone to damage from drops and that it allows the device to appear slimmer when folded. The crease seems to be as intrusive as on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the resulting groove still feels out of place.

Motorola and Oppo have done a better job with their hinge designs reducing the groove on their respective folding displays, but this comes at the cost of a lesser IP rating. As for the sturdiness of the inner display, it remains as robust and damage resistant as the previous one, which is best in class. Samsung’s display aspect ratio also remains as narrow as its recent models, so typing still feels a bit cramped when compared to the broader display of the Oppo Find N2 Flip.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 specifications and software

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 follows a formula which is very similar to its Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ models launched earlier this year. This means that its core hardware changes are limited to a new processor which is expected to bring qualitative improvements in performance, battery life, and imaging. This year, that processor would be the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy (a tweaked version of the standard processor), which fortunately for Samsung, has not been utilised in any of the clamshell foldable devices launched in India this year.

Communication standards include Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth version 5.3, NFC, support for the usual global positioning systems and a Type-C USB port with USB 3.2 (Gen 1) support. The device is powered by a 3,700mAh battery with 25W wired charging support, but Samsung does not include a charger in the box. The device also offers wireless charging at 15W.

The new Clear Gadget Case accessory has a smartly designed pop-up ring which can be removed if not needed

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 ships with One UI 5.1.1 which is based on Android 13. At the time of writing this review, the phone was running the slightly outdated May 1 2023 security patch. The software is typically Samsung and One UI, with plenty of customisation options on the main screen and the new Flex Window as well.

Samsung has a number of card-like cover screen layouts (like a watchface on a smartwatch) that are quite customisable. You just have to remember that none of these cover screen designs (and respective buttons or indicators in them), save for the camera button, are interactive. For example, tapping on the pending notifications icon or a battery icon will not take you to the notifications area or the battery section. I found most of these designs to be purely cosmetic and not practical, requiring you to swipe through the long list of native widgets or just open up the main display to get what you seek.

The core idea behind the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s practical cover display is not the fact that it can run full apps on it, but because it has a full-blown phone on the outside as well. Upon receiving a notification, you can simply swipe to expand it. This shows additional content and a set of action buttons (delete, reply, archive etc. for email apps) which lets you deal with a notification without getting into the app itself.

Notifications from messaging apps can either be dismissed or replied to using the new cover display keyboard

Samsung’s Flex Window misses out on this really important aspect. Swiping downwards or long-pressing a notification does absolutely nothing. Your only means of dealing with a notification is to either swipe it to dismiss it or tap to open it, which opens up a small card with truncated information depending on the app and whether it’s supported by Samsung.

Just like the Galaxy Z Flip 4, if you receive a notification from a messaging app, tapping on it reveals the whole message in a small card with a ‘reply’ and a ‘clear’ button at the bottom, followed by a list of predefined quick replies. However, you now have a pop-up keyboard on the cover display to type out custom replies if you tap on the ‘reply’ button on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

If you receive a notification from any other app category, tapping on the notification will expand to show a card with truncated information (part of the email in plain text), below which will be a ‘clear’ button to dismiss the notification. This is basically a dead end and all you can do next is open the phone to read or glance through what’s actually present in that notification, which can get very annoying.

Now there is a third category of notifications which are to do with supported third-party apps. These would include the ones available in the Labs feature (which is still in beta) and lets you launch and view a handful of apps on the cover display itself. The problem with this is that tapping on a notification from this supported app will directly open the app.

Unsupported apps like Slack do not scale well and need to be restarted from the main display

WhatsApp for example will bypass the standard ‘reply’ and ‘clear’ buttons treatment and directly open the chat window of the related conversation on the cover display itself. While this sounds exciting and fun, it does get quite tiring, because you have to keep jumping in and out of apps from the notifications area when dealing with such notifications.

To a casual user, these three categories of notifications can get extremely irritating because you have to keep in mind which app can reveal usable information (card with a reply button) and which cannot (a simple card). After dealing with this for a few days, I decided to just open up the main display to handle notifications from the drop-down tray like on a regular candybar smartphone.

Currently, the cover display only lets you launch a handful of apps. It isn’t enabled by default and has to be enabled in the Labs section. This includes Google Maps, Messages, Netflix, WhatsApp and YouTube. According to Samsung, these apps have been optimised to run on the outer display, claiming that more apps will be added in the future.

The cutout to the left of primary camera is solely used by the media player and opens the wrong widget (stock market) when tapped

The implementation works just fine for these supported apps and can help with getting things done without opening the main display. The cover display also supports app transitions from cover display to the main display, letting apps adapt on the fly to the tall aspect ratio of the main display.

However, unlike the Razr, this cannot work the other way around as apps can only transition from the cover display to the main one and not vice versa (or when you fold the phone).

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 performance

While the cover display’s interface is disappointing in its current state, the main display’s software interface of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 performs quite well. There is no sign of stuttering or lag with One UI running flawlessly despite packing in some bloatware and third-party apps. Thankfully all of these third-party apps can be uninstalled, but it is a bit disappointing that a phone this expensive comes with them out of the box.

As for benchmarks, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 performed as expected. The phone managed a score of 12,87,359 points in AnTuTu and 1,998 and 5,176 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests respectively. These scores are easily the highest figures we have seen coming from a clamshell foldable smartphone till date.

Gaming performance was quite good and better than expected. While I wasn’t satisfied by the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s touch sampling rate when playing games like Call of Duty Mobile, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 does a lot better in this area. Yes, the phone does heat up a bit when running it at ‘Very High’ graphics and ‘Max’ framerate, but performance did not take a hit even after 30 minutes of competitive gaming.

The clock face widgets offer plenty of customisation but aren’t practical

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s 3.4-inch outer Super AMOLED display has a standard 60Hz refresh rate but feels smooth in terms of operation. There’s a 6.7-inch full-HD+ AMOLED folding panel inside with a 120Hz refresh rate and its of the LTPO variety, so it can drop its refresh rate down to 1Hz when required to save battery life. Both displays produced saturated colours at default settings, but showed excellent sunlight legibility when viewed outdoors. The main display also supports HDR10+ playback and the dual speakers make for an immersive multimedia experience when watching movies or playing games.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 lasted a good 16 hours and 45 minutes when put through our video loop battery test, but daily usage figures are a bit concerning. With regular use which involved scrolling through several social media apps, two email accounts on sync, about 30 minutes of camera usage, 30 minutes of gaming and an hour of video streaming and a few calls, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 was down to nine percent at six in the evening after being unplugged from the charger at 7am, which isn’t great even for a foldable.

The main reason could be down to my reduced cover screen usage (mentioned in the software section), which would have been a great way to save on battery life, if done right.

When plugged into a 61W USB PD charger, the phone managed a 26 percent charge in 30 minutes and took a good 2 hours and 14 minutes to complete the charge, which is very slow compared to the competition. Thankfully, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 still retains its wireless charging capability, which is good for trickle charging when the phone is not being used.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 cameras

With the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung has for the third year in a row, maintained a similar camera system as its predecessor, bringing no new upgrades save for what the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC’s ISP can deliver. The camera hardware remains unchanged over last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 4, which was not too bad to begin with.

There’s a 12-megapixel primary camera with OIS, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera which is embedded into the main folding display. The camera interface is similar to what one can find on any Samsung smartphone, save for the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s primary camera can also be used as a selfie camera. While this is possible on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s larger cover display makes using this mode and framing photos a lot easier. The bigger cover display also makes it possible to snap photos using the rear cameras in tent mode.

The cover display can be used as a viewfinder for framing the perfect shot (using the main cameras) when used as a stand in tent mode

Overall image quality remains very similar when compared to the previous model. The primary camera captures sharp-looking photos in daylight with the typically saturated colours we are used to from Samsung’s smartphones. Details, although sufficient, are still on the lower side and far from the superior imaging capability of the similarly priced Galaxy S23.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 daylight camera samples from its primary camera

Samsung’s Scene Optimiser is switched on by default and I kept it on for most of this review as the images weren’t drastically enhanced (slightly saturated colours and warmer tones) when compared to the standard photos. Portrait photos captured using the same camera also came out just fine with decent edge detection, but the subjects often came out a bit overexposed and at times with clipped highlights.

The ultra-wide camera captures average photos in daylight but these images are low on resolved detail, especially in the shadows.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 selfie camera samples

Selfies captured in daylight come out sharp and clear with good edge detection in Portrait mode. However, the primary camera does a far better job at this with much better details and definition, which is why I would strongly recommend using it instead of the selfie camera.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 low-light camera sample from the primary camera

In low light, the primary camera manages good details when using the auto-night mode (enabled by Scene Optimiser) or the dedicated Night mode. Just like the daylight photos, dynamic range comes up a bit short especially in the shadows. Street-lit scenes have average details and appear a bit oversharpened with crushed blacks in the shadows. The primary camera also has trouble locking focus in dimly-lit scenes, so the resulting photos come out soft, especially when using the Night mode.

Unlike the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s camera setup does not include a macro mode. However, the primary camera can focus on objects as close as 10-15cm and the results look just fine.

4K 30fps recorded videos appears average in terms of details, with decent colour saturation but underexposed shadows. Stabilisation is not a problem when shooting at these settings either. 4K 60fps videos showcase a steady framerate but come out shaky. HDR10+ videos recorded at 4K 30fps did not look great even though it managed better detail in the shadows. Low-light video lacked noise, but this led to flattened or blotched textures.

Verdict

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 manages better image and video capability than the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. But neither should be purchased for this reason alone as both are quite average compared to the competition. If you seek good camera and video quality, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is a much better choice, minus the folding tricks.

Between the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, I would pick the Razr because of its well-optimised cover display experience, which is currently second to none. Motorola’s MyUX software experience also remains unmatched in terms of minimal bloatware and additional apps, and is also closer to a Google Pixel-like software user experience. Then, there’s the fact that the Razr 40 Ultra also looks so much better with its slick design and that radical-looking cover display.

Where Samsung does stand out is when it comes to overall performance, optimisation and image quality. We’ve compared the Oppo Find N2 Flip with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 previously and Samsung did come out on top back then as well. However, its main standout feature isn’t as useful as I expected it to be. If you own a Galaxy Z Flip 4, I’d recommend sticking with it for now.

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Samsung’s foldables are currently at the height of their inventiveness, as evidenced by the iterative updates we’ve received over the past year. That is not a problem, but it does mean there is little to be thrilled about. This year was no different with the July release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. In addition to the customary improvements, including a newer processor, Samsung adopted a modified hinge mechanism that helped reduce the weight and thickness of the phone by a small amount. Although this doesn’t alter the game, it is unquestionably a positive move. Current Galaxy Z Fold 4 owners can easily wait for the next generation and forego this.

Is the Galaxy Z Fold 5 worth upgrading to if you currently own an older Fold phone, though? Here is our review of it after using it for about a month.

Price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in India

Surprisingly, the starting price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the same as that of the previous generation (which is still formally offered for sale in India). You can purchase 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM for Rs. 1,54,999. There are two other models with the same RAM capacity but extra storage. Priced at Rs. 1,64,999 for the 512GB model and Rs. 1,84,999 for the 1TB model. Since storage cannot be increased, such alternatives are convenient. The base variant will be adequate for the majority of people. Icy Blue, Phantom Black, and Cream are the available colors.

Samsung’s S Pen is not included with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and must be purchased separately. The S Pen case, which contains a small docking station for the stylus on the back, is the ideal option if you want to do that.

Design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is essentially indistinguishable from its predecessor. Still, if you pay close attention, you can spot subtle differences like where the LED flash is located and the color differences. Because of the front and back glass’s ability to withstand breaking and the aluminum frame, it is still among the best-built horizontally folding phones. The redesigned hinge further decreases the gap, which enables the two parts to fold almost flush with one another. The phone’s water resistance rating is IPX8.

Except for the folding display’s peak brightness, which is now 1,750 nits as opposed to 1,200 nits on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, both displays on the device are comparable to those of the Fold 4. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has the same display specifications as its predecessors, including a 7.6-inch QXGA+ main panel and a 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED outer display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The new Icy Blue color for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available.

 Both displays create vibrant colors and have good sunlight legibility. The exterior display is excellent for doing fast chores but is still too small to type comfortably. The inner foldable display is best used for multi-app or leisure pursuits like gaming and movie watching. When viewing the display directly, it can be difficult to discern the crease, but it is still fairly noticeable and can be seen at odd angles.

Except for a SIM removal tool and a USB Type-C connector, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes with a few included accessories. It does make sense to spend a little extra and purchase the S Pen cover case for this type of smartphone, including the stylus and additional protection.

Specifications and software for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 employs the same specialized Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ‘Mobile Platform for Galaxy SoC as the S23 series. It is a capable CPU that uses little power and performs well. 4,400mAh is the same as last year’s battery capacity, yet only 25W cable charging and 15W wireless charging are still supported.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5’s operating system, One UI 5.1.1, is based on Android 13, and Samsung has promised to provide four significant Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Many of the software gimmicks from the Fold 4 are still available, including the ability to utilize three applications at once and Flex mode in apps like Google Meet and YouTube. One of the newer enhancements is the ability to display up to four recently used programs in the taskbar. Because the default is still two apps, this must be manually activated via the Settings app.

A necessary accessory for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the S Pen cover.

There is also two-handed drag and drop for situations where you don’t have two programs open in split-screen mode. When you want to copy an image or other item to another app, simply long-press it. Then, with your other hand, you may open the second app’s full-sized version and drop the selected item within.

Battery life and performance of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a flagship that performs flawlessly even when pushed. No matter what programs you use, there is always adequate power, thanks to the large RAM and potent SoC. The SoC-equipped half of the phone vibrates when playing games or performing other demanding duties, but the other half never does. Performance is quite good, whether multitasking or playing games.

The S Pen also performs admirably, although it’s unfortunate that the outside screen isn’t compatible with it, making it unable to take notes or perform any other functions without opening the phone. It’s also important to remember that the Z Fold 5 only supports the unique “S Pen for Fold” edition of the stylus. Thus, the S Pen for ordinary S series phones (like the S23 Ultra) won’t function here.

When the phone is folded in half, supported apps can be used in flex mode.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 had strong benchmark results, scoring 14,13,684 points in AnTuTu and maxing out a few graphics tests in GFXBench while delivering 120 frames per second in the T-Rex test suite.

Even with moderate to heavy use, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 can give more than a day’s battery life while having the same capacity as last year’s model. It performed admirably for 19 hours 53 minutes while doing our battery loop test on the primary foldable display, which is excellent.

Cameras from Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5

The hardware of the camera has stayed the same. Three rear cameras—a 50-megapixel wide, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 10-megapixel telephoto with a 3X optical zoom (up to 30X total zoom)—are available on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. A 4-megapixel under-display camera is in the folding display, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera is on the outside screen. Due to its poor quality for taking pictures, the latter is mainly useful for video calls. Samsung could have chosen to use larger sensors and improved optical zoom as it did with the S23 Ultra, but doing so would have likely resulted in a thicker phone, which is not what you want in a foldable.

Examples of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s daylight cameras

Given the technology, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 does a fantastic job with stills and videos. Daytime photos offer good color clarity, and HDR is handled nicely. Although finer details blur at zoom levels over 20X, telephoto performance remains outstanding. The standard shooting options are available, and Portrait mode produces images with well-defined foreground and background separation. The phone does a great job of balancing the shadows and highlights, even in dim lighting. When it counts, night mode is incredibly efficient.

Samples of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cameras

Additionally, good selfie cameras are the ultra-wide and side ones. While the ultra-wide lens does an excellent job of removing barrel distortion during the day, photos might still appear grainy in low light, especially when using the Night mode. When you’re in a rush, the selfie camera’s quality is respectable, but for the greatest results, I suggest using the back cameras. When taking films during the day, they are well-stabilized and appear appealing. As long as there is a sufficient amount of ambient light, low-light videos are also acceptable.

Verdict

Given that the price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is 1.5 lakh rupees, you should pause and consider its usefulness before making your purchase. It is, without a doubt, the greatest phone for someone obsessed with productivity or mobile gaming. If you are certain that you will be using this form factor and are willing to put up with the drawbacks of using a smartphone in this way, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

However, it might not be the most convenient to live with for many consumers. People who acquire the phone purely for the novelty or bragging rights may later regret their choice. Folding and unfolding the phone can become a chore very quickly. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the next best option if you still want to spend this kind of money but prefer something less difficult to live with. It has considerably better cameras and supports the S Pen as well. You might also have a peek at the brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max. We are now testing it and should have a conclusion very soon.

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