The Galaxy Z Fold5 is Samsung’s latest iteration into the foldable fray is available now.
Read on for our hands-on and initial impressions.
Table of Contents
Display
Like its predecessor, the Fold4, it sports a pair of beautifully vibrant Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays that feature refresh rates of 120Hz and features full coverage of the DCI-P3 color space at 6.2-inches for the cover display and 7.6-inches for the inner display.
What’s new here is the higher peak brightness at 1,750 nits in comparison to last year’s 1,300.
Build and Construction
It’s also thinner now at 13.4mm, largely thanks to the new and improved hinge design, that can be found in the Z Flip5 as well. Which resorts to seemingly no gap for the devices when folded.
Additionally, it’s also lighter now at 253g, a 10g weight reduction from last year.
Its overall build quality is superb and its available standard in three colors: Icy Blue, Phantom Black, and Cream. Alternatively, if prospecting buyers purchase a unit from Samsung.com, they’ll have additional options of a gray they call Platinum and Blue.
Performance
Running the show is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Made for Galaxy. And the Fold5 features a 38% larger vapor chamber for better thermals.
It’s available with 12GB of memory and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
Software
On the software side of things, the units in the showroom floor run on Android 13, skinned with One UI 5.1.1 on top. One UI on this iteration of the Fold is pleasantly fine-tuned for a lot more productivity-focused task and workflows.
Multitasking with multiple windows, quirky but useful camera app optimizations for the Fold, they feel great and very refined!
Cameras
Speaking of the cameras, the Z Fold5 features a triple camera setup at the rear, composed of a 12MP ultrawide, a 50MP main sensor that features OIS, and a 10MP telephoto that also features OIS and serves as the 3x.
Additionally, the cover display features a 10MP front facing camera. And when unfolded, we get a sneaky 4MP under display camera.
So far photos taken from the device come out sharp and detailed with that new 2023 Samsung photo processing algorithm in the works, found in the latest Galaxy S handsets.
As per usual, Samsung still has that more cool white balance. We’ll take it out for a better spin in our full review.
Initial photo samples:
Availability
Interested buyers can pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 today, and get as much as PHP 45,000 worth of exclusive bundles through Samsung’s online store. The promo consists of a free storage upgrade 30% off on Galaxy Watch Series 6, 50% off Galaxy Buds2 Pro and PHP 10,000 off on Galaxy Tab S9 Series devices, as well as 1 Year of Samsung Care+. Promo runs from July 26 to August 17, 2023.
General availability for the Fold5 start on August 18, 2023.
The Galaxy Z Fold5 starts at a local SRP of PHP 98,990 for the 256GB variant and PHP 105,990 for the 512GB variant, while the Samsung.com exclusive 1TB variant is priced at PHP 119,990.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 specs:
6.2-inch HD+ (2316 x 904 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz refresh rate
7.6-inch QXGA+ (2176 x 1812 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Made for Galaxy SoC
12GB LPDDR5 RAM
256GB, 512GB, 1TB UFS 3.1
12MP f/2.2 ultrawide
50MP f/1.8 OIS, dual-pixel main camera
12MP f/2.4 telephoto, OIS, PDAF, 3x optical, 30x Space Zoom
10MP f/2.2 cover camera
4MP f/1.8 under-display camera
Dual nano SIM w/ e-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6E
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
NFC
USB-C
Fingerprint scanner
Face Unlock
IPX8 water and dust resistance
Android 13 with One UI 5.1.1
4,400mAh dual battery, 25W fast charging, 10W wireless, 4.5W power share
154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1 mm (dimensions, closed)
154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4 mm (dimensions, open)
253 grams (weight)
Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream
