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Flip, Flex, and Flourish: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 In Action

It's a rare occurrence that we can easily identify an absolute winner in the world of smartphones. However, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 breaks the mold, standing out as the top pick when it comes to flip-style folding phones.

Foldable phones have often appeared to be a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. While that may still hold some truth, the ability to send messages, take pictures, and address notifications on a device that can be held in the palm of your hand offers a level of convenience that's challenging to believe until you've experienced it.

Samsung's latest flip phone, features an enlarged cover screen that almost completely covers the front of the device when it's closed. This may not seem like a major improvement, but it significantly enhances the practicality of the Z Flip without the need to open it.

Elevating Design With Enhanced Display

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and other book-style folding phones might be mistaken for regular phones with hefty cases at first look. The Flip 5 is clearly exclusive when it is folded up, sporting a stunning compact shape that is small enough to carry in your pocket and is exactly the appropriate size for one-handed operation. Let's focus on the design improvements to the phone for now before we get into how you interact with the bigger cover screen, now referred to as the Flex Window.

The outside Flex Window has been significantly expanded on the Flip 5 by Samsung, which represents a substantial design update. From a 1.9-inch, 512 x 260 window, they've increased it to a 3.4-inch, 748 × 720 display that takes up the majority of the available area. Samsung, in contrast to Motorola's recent attempt with the Razr+, has decided not to have its primary camera lenses break through this screen; instead, they have constructed a notch for them in the corner, resulting in a cover screen that somewhat resembles an inverted file folder.

However, Samsung deserves credit for making the Flip 5 easy to open with both hands, ensuring it stays open flat without issues, and allowing for effortless one-handed closure, producing a satisfying "snap" sound. In terms of the display, it offers a visually appealing experience. The screen measures 6.7 inches with a resolution of 2640 x 1080, which is quite sharp for this size. The AMOLED technology provides excellent visibility, even in bright sunlight. The 120Hz refresh rate makes the interface look smooth.

The Upgraded Hinge

Samsung's latest foldable phone boasts an upgraded hinge that allows the device to close entirely without any gap when sealed. This is an area where Samsung has been catching up to competitors. Additionally, Samsung claims that the new hinge design enhances the durability of the Z Flip 5 by reducing the number of moving parts and improving its shock absorption capabilities. Although a noticeable crease still runs across the phone's 6.7-inch main display, it feels somewhat flatter to the touch in comparison to the Z Flip 4.

Samsung's phone exudes a stronger and more reliable sensation. It's essential to keep in mind that foldable phone designs have evolved over the past four years, but these devices still carry a higher risk of damage compared to traditional smartphones. Moreover, they lack dust resistance, unlike non-folding phones. Both the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 4 come with an IPX8 ingress protection rating, signifying they are water-resistant but not dust proof.

Eco-Friendly Design Aesthetics With Nature Inspired Color-Palette

Samsung is providing an attractive array of color options for the Flip 5, all inspired by nature. You have a choice of four colors: Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender. What's more, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is incorporating a wider range of recycled materials compared to earlier models. This includes pre-consumer recycled glass and aluminum, along with post-consumer recycled plastics sourced from discarded fishing nets, water barrels, and PET bottles.

Performance, Gaming And Storage

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU from Samsung powers the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and is in charge of all the phone's processing operations. The Galaxy S23 series has a similar processor, except it has a slightly faster clock speed of 3.6GHz as opposed to the standard 3.3GHz. The tablet also has a 3,700mAh battery and 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which are identical to the Flip 4's features.

As expected, the performance has increased in comparison to the model from the previous year, especially for CPU-related workloads. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 showed a substantial 18% boost in single-core speed and a 21% gain in multicore processing when put through the Geekbench 5 test.

The Z Flip 5 exceeds its predecessor in terms of gaming performance, which has also experienced a major improvement. The Z Flip 5 scored an average frame rate of 93 frames per second on the GFXBench Car Chase test, but the Z Flip 4 only managed 79 frames per second.

It's important to keep in mind that the 128GB variant is no longer available and that the Z Flip 5 is now only available with 256GB or 512GB of storage. As a result, the base model has a greater price tag when it comes to storage. Although the added storage is advantageous, some customers would have preferred the more affordable model with less storage.

Extended Battery Life

The Z Flip 5 performed as expected in the battery benchmark tests. The battery life has been increased due to the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, lasting around 22 hours and 17 minutes in our video playback test. This is a one-hour and six-minute improvement over the Z Flip 4's performance last year. However, the charging speed remains fairly slow, with a maximum rate of 25W when connected via cable and 15W while charging wirelessly.

Supported by a potent processor, the 3700mAh (typical) battery now operates even more efficiently, making your charge last longer and allowing you to enjoy extended movie binges or gaming sessions well into the night. If you find yourself needing extra power, you can activate the low power mode to keep the entertainment going.

Other Hardwares

On the bottom edge, you'll find a port with accompanying speaker and microphone holes. Moving along the right side, past the hinge, there's a power button and volume controls. The power button also serves as a fingerprint scanner, offering varied performance. At the top, there's a lone microphone opening, while on the left side, there's a SIM card tray and an area designed for antennas. Sound quality is commendable, delivered through speakers located at the bottom and within the earpiece.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Cameras

For the third year in a row, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 maintains a camera setup comparable to that of its predecessor while introducing just the advancements made possible by the most recent Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC's ISP. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 from the previous year's hardware, which was already fairly powerful, is still used for the camera.

The setup includes a 12-megapixel primary camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera integrated into the main folding display. The camera interface is in line with what you'd find on other Samsung smartphones, with the unique feature that the Galaxy Z Flip 5's primary camera can also function as a selfie camera. While this was possible on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the larger cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 enhances the user experience for this mode and photo framing. The expanded cover display also facilitates taking photos using the rear cameras in tent mode. Overall, the image quality remains quite similar to the previous model.

In good lighting conditions, the primary camera captures sharp and vibrant photos, typical of Samsung's saturated color signature. Daylight selfies are crisp and exhibit solid edge detection in Portrait mode. However, for even better details and definition, it's recommended to utilize the primary camera rather than the selfie camera. In low-light scenarios, the primary camera performs well, particularly when the auto-night mode (enabled by Scene Optimizer) or the dedicated Night mode is employed.

Customizable Flex Window

The included Flex Window widgets on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 function quite effectively.

When you're not wearing a smartwatch, using your phone to count steps can be a backup solution, but repeatedly opening an app to track your progress can be a hassle. The Flip 5 simplifies this by offering a step-tracking widget on the Flex Window, allowing you to easily check your step count at a glance. Another handy widget is the weather widget, which provides quick access to the weather forecast for the next few hours or the upcoming week with just a swipe. While some might typically rely on a smartwatch for these features, the larger screen on the Flip 5 enhances usability and provides more information. 

Competition

On the global stage, the Flip 5 might find itself in competition with phones like the Oppo Find N2 Flip. However, it will primarily contend with just two other clamshell foldable devices: this year's new Moto Razr+ and Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 for those who are willing to make some compromises to save some money.

Motorola has made significant improvements with the Razr+ for this generation, making it one of the company's strongest foldables in recent memory. The Razr+ shares several similarities with the Flip 5, including access to sizable exterior screens. Both devices also have similar battery capacities, although the Razr+ holds a slight edge and supports slightly faster charging. The main drawback of the Moto Razr+ seems to be its camera performance, which is not particularly impressive. While the Flip 5's cameras aren't outstanding either, Samsung appears to lead the competition.

Versatile Bluetooth Compatibility

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 features spectacular audio and Bluetooth connectivity capabilities. It features stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, delivering an immersive audio experience for movies, music, and gaming. The inclusion of dual microphones with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) effectively reduces background noise during calls and recordings. With support for 32-bit/384kHz audio playback and High-Resolution Audio (HRA), it ensures top-notch audio quality when playing high-fidelity audio files. The Adaptive Sound feature automatically tailors the sound settings based on the type of content being played.

Furthermore, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 benefits from Bluetooth v5.3 support, offering numerous advantages such as faster data transfer speeds, reduced latency, and improved energy efficiency compared to older Bluetooth versions. It accommodates various Bluetooth codecs, making it compatible with a wide range of Bluetooth headphones and speakers. The Dual Audio feature allows simultaneous audio streaming to two Bluetooth devices, and the Bluetooth Multi Switch feature enables quick switching between two paired Bluetooth devices. Additionally, the Bluetooth Auto Switch feature automatically selects the active Bluetooth device.

In summary, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 packs an extensive set of impressive audio and Bluetooth connectivity features, catering to users who appreciate high-quality audio, movie viewing, and gaming on their smartphone.

Takeaway

With the Galaxy Z Flip 5, refinement is the Galaxy's main focus. The 2023 clamshell smartphone from Samsung has undergone significant upgrades; it is now lighter, slimmer, and features a smooth fold in addition to a bigger 3.4-inch cover display. Users may now react to messages using a full QWERTY keyboard without having to unfold the smartphone thanks to the larger display's new widgets. In addition, the Flex Window shortcut launches the camera app right away, allowing for speedy photo capturing, setting adjustments, and retakes without having to unfold the phone.

A wonderful folding phone with a number of upgrades over its predecessors is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. Users who desire a fashionable, little phone with a big screen and potent performance should consider it. It costs a lot of money, though, and the primary display still shows the crease.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a terrific option if you want the greatest foldable phone experience imaginable. However, there are alternative folding phones that are more affordable if you are on a tight budget or don't mind the crease on the main display. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is available in Pakistan for Rs. 334,999 (256GB) and Rs. 359,999 (512GB). You can buy it from the Samsung Pakistan website or from authorized retailers.