Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 hands-on: Bigger is indeed better with the new outer screen

Note: This article was first published on 26th July 2023.

Samsung’s move into its new foldables no longer sees just under-the-hood changes, especially with the pressures of foldable phones from other brands creeping up on the Korean megabrand as of late.

We’ve had the opportunity for a short in-person shooting session for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 in Seoul, which was a chance to explore the clamshell foldable before its official announcement.

But first, let's look at the not-so-obvious parts of the Flip5.

Samsung is using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset for the Z Flip5 and Z Fold5. The mobile chipset is a custom-made version of the popular processor for premium flagship smartphones released in 2023. That's in the same vein as the previous Flips, where each generation also used a corresponding flagship-class chipset within.

Flip5 also uses Samsung’s Flex Hinge, which is rated at 200,000 folds by Bureau Veritas. The main screen uses Ultra-Thin Glass, with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for its front and back. The frame and hinges are made from Samsung’s proprietary Armor Aluminum, which first debuted on the Galaxy Z Flip3.

What changed was how the Flip5 is meant to be used, starting with its massive Flex Window.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5's Flex Window

Perhaps the biggest change to the Galaxy Z Flip5 is a brand-new secondary display that’s 3.78 times larger than its predecessor’s. Previously, Samsung used a tiny 1.9-inch Cover Screen panel for the Flip3 and Flip4, which served their multi-tasking purpose just fine, even if the display felt slightly constrained.

Not long after, Oppo came up with the Find N2 Flip. It wasn’t running on a powerful chipset like Galaxy Z Flip5’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. Still, the Chinese brand did something that made Samsung sit up and pay attention: it had a significantly bigger secondary display that took up half the cover plate, giving it much more flexibility for notifications and even micro-app usage on the panel itself. The only way to one-up is to match the display size and grant the same level of practicality, or go bigger.

Samsung chose to go bigger with the 3.4-inch Flex Window, a Super AMOLED panel with 720 x 748 pixels resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. It may sound like a simple size increase with Samsung ditching “Cover Screen” by name, but the choice of panel size and fluidity meant that the new Flex Window is at least HD resolution, and can support most online video content if you wish.

Flex Window isn’t just making the Flip5’s outer display bigger to fit more information or notifications at a glance. According to Samsung, the display now has full QWERTY keyboard support for quick replies in messages, along with 13 Samsung tailor-made widgets (like Calendar, Weather) right out of the box, on top of its full notifications support and all. 

We didn’t get a chance to configure the phones, trigger notifications, or reply to messages since they were demo units, but we can see that the Flex Window on Flip5 is certainly much more intuitive to use than it once was. More exciting (which we hope to test out in a full review) is to use Samsung Labs and convert existing third-party apps into Flex Window versions, and push the phone’s capabilities to see how much you can achieve without unfolding the phone.

The cherry on top is the Flex Window’s display while the phone is idling. At the showcase, every Flip5 phone on display had a unique wallpaper and clock combo, which truly encapsulates Samsung’s vision of using its clamshell phone as the ultimate statement piece to showcase your personality. No two phones will look the same if you put in the effort to choose a wallpaper and lock display. Combining that with its old Cover Screen’s support for animated wallpapers via small video clips, you’d have a Galaxy Z Flip5 that’s truly yours — even before you start buying phone cases or attaching charms.

Bigger secondary display reinvents Auto Framing

Auto Framing is not a new feature to Samsung phones, but it deserves a quick mention because of how it works with the bigger Flex Window on the Galaxy Z Flip5, and how it’s also not the same with videos. Here’s a quick refresher: Auto Framing does exactly what it says on the sticker, keeping the subject in focus within reason. You can make slight movements in the frame, and the phone will try its best to keep you in the centre of the shot. 

It’s a subtle, yet insanely powerful video-recording feature for both work and play. When at work, Auto Framing works with video conferencing apps like Google Meet to keep the presenter centred. After work, your TikTok dance moves can set the floor on fire with the help of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5's Auto Framing. In both scenarios, the Flex Window is big enough for you to observe and adjust your body accordingly, and you’re using the more powerful, clearer rear lenses for these situations too. 

Our demo had us observing the limits of Auto Framing on the Flip5. It is more than capable of keeping up with sudden movements, and it works best when there’s only one subject. It also has an allowance of approximately 100° before it starts to struggle with keeping the subject in the frame. In more extreme cases, Auto Framing can detect up to 5m away and has a maximum limit of 10 people for groupfies. 

More controls when watching your favourite clips

The Galaxy Z Flip5 (and its older predecessors) offer something called Flex Mode — essentially, the phone still retains core features when it’s semi-folded and upright, giving you some hands-free usage. 

Samsung added a new control panel to Flex Mode called Media Control Playback, tucked within the Android three-button menu. It’s an icon that throws up detailed media content playback controls, letting you fast-forward or rewind movies and songs while the phone stays upright.

It sounds inconsequential until you realise how much flexibility it gives to users who actively create content on their foldables. Instead of fumbling with the handset in the middle of dance or song practice, the controls are easy to spot and use, letting them return to form after a quick tap on rewind or resume. You can also tap on Media Control Playback icon again to hide the controls for a more immersive viewing experience mid-show.

Honestly, the button was really easy to miss at first glance — a Samsung staff had to point out the feature when we first saw the option. The subtlety is intentional, though, since Media Control Playback is designed to offer more control without being intrusive.

Galaxy Z Flip5 gives you more room for creativity

There’s a lot more to the Galaxy Z Flip5 than the three features that stood out to us. Time was short, while surrounded by the demo units paraded by a bevvy of oppas and noonas in the heart of Gangnam-gu. You'd understand why too. We’ll have to explore more in our full review next time.

Our verdict? Sounds like a good catch

How does it fare in terms of value? In short, you're definitely getting more from the Z Flip5 as you're paying the same asking prices as the same as the Z Flip4 at launch. A bigger outer screen, better functionality and far better usability at the same price? With general inflation only going up, the Z Flip 5 sounds like a good catch.

Pricing and pre-orders

The phone is officially available for pre-order in Singapore and will be available in retail on 4 August 2023.

Pre-order the Z Flip5 from the following:

• Samsung Online Store
• Samsung Official Store on Lazada
• Samsung Official Store on Shopee

Learn more about the Z Flip5 in our launch coverage here. Check out our detailed pricing and availability piece if you’re interested in grabbing one before it’s all gone.

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