Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 review: Has Samsung finally perfected the flip phone?

Note: This review was first published on 10 August 2023.

Making a star out of the flip side

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip5 embodies what a reimagined clamshell foldable smartphone is while keeping what works (and what doesn’t).

We’ve already seen what the phone offers during our hands-on session in Seoul, South Korea. But dig deeper, and you’d realise that the Galaxy Z Flip5 is Samsung’s best attempt at getting the stylish ones among us to switch to this clamshell ASAP.

The TL;DR verdict:



The crease hasn't left, but the new Flex Window offers plenty of practicality, making this a true premium flagship phone that's fun to use.

Let’s take stock of the changes. The biggest update is obviously the 3.4-inch Flex Window, which revamps what the device offers in its folded state. The Galaxy Z Flip5’s secondary screen is no longer a token display but shows far more customisation, practical use, and comfort by going beyond selfie-loving users. We’ll dive deeper into the Flex Window later.

There are also other upgrades, some of which are expected. You’re getting a true 2023 flagship-grade processor (a Samsung-customised Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy) designed to power every possible app you throw at it. Complementing that is UFS 4.0 storage, which has faster storage speeds than the previous generation’s UFS 3.1 variant.

The hinge has also been improved, reducing the gap between the two halves. Galaxy Z Flip5’s folded state looks more uniform now, and it still keeps its IPX8-rated water resistance (the “X” means it lacks dust resistance).

They’ve also upgraded the glass type to Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which supposedly has better drop and scratch resistance than previous iterations (like the ones found on the preceding Galaxy Z Flip4 and Flip3).

Unfortunately, that’s where the hardware changes end. You get the same camera combo (12MP main + 12MP ultrawide), 3,700mAh battery capacity, and 25W wired fast charging with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0. We’ll need to test its battery life to see if staying with a 3,700mAh capacity battery with a more powerful chipset is a wise choice.

Does Flex Window truly give users a reason to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 (S$1,498, 256GB)? Do the lack of changes elsewhere prevent you from getting this foldable phone? Let’s find out.

Bad news first: the crease stays

While the new hinge allows the display to fold completely flat with barely any perceptible gap, the rest of the phone's design is more or less the same, which also means it has the similar handling perks and flaws of its predecessor. When putting it away, you fold it like a compact blusher, and unfurl the main screen for day-to-day communication. 

When unfolded, the clamshell has the same 6.7-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED Main Display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Our only gripe is Samsung not getting rid of the crease when its main clamshell foldable competitor in Singapore managed to. Your content still gets mild warping around the crease area. Some users don't mind it, while others find it an absolute eyesore. I'd say it's a matter of personal preference. Readers new to foldable phones should definitely head down to a store and handle the phones in person to decide for yourselves.

Our other minor pain point with its display is the little raised “nook” where the phone bends. If you prefer Android’s Swipe Gestures instead of its default three-button navigation bar (with shortcuts like All Apps, Home Screen, and Return), these bumps on the edges of Flip5’s crease can trip you up when you’re trying to return to a previous menu. We thought Samsung might’ve fixed this with its 2023 clamshell foldable, but it looks like that’s two main display weaknesses that Samsung needs to look at for future models.

Beyond those minor handling hiccups, the Galaxy Z Flip5 offers the same use cases in unfolded and half-folded states. Samsung might say they’ve added Media Control Playback, but that matters less for people who prefer watching content with the entire display.

Flex Window changes how you use the Flip

Here’s where the real upgrade comes on the Galaxy Z Flip5. The new Flex Window is a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It has a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels, which gives it an impressive pixel density count of 306 PPI. This is 3.78 times larger than the Galaxy Z Flip4’s secondary display, with an almost 1:1 aspect ratio.

By default, Flex Window comes with a full QWERTY keyboard; 13 full-screen Samsung-made widgets; and up to four notifications at a glance.

You can use the keyboard to quickly reply messages in default messaging app widgets. You can also conduct searches on other widgets (more about that below). The display is also good for checking notifications (by swiping left-to-right from its wallpaper) and seeing if any urgent emails are worth unfolding for.

Five widgets are available by default. You must go through the Settings app to make any changes, which wasn’t a big deal.

We liked Flex Window much better than its old 1.9-inch Cover Screen. It’s far less claustrophobic, making our customised clock and animated wallpapers look more appealing. It also incentivises you to utilise both displays.

We couldn’t say the same about the older Flip models since their screens were too tiny for practical viewing and lacked keyboard input. Flex Window’s changes gave the Galaxy Z Flip5’s secondary display a real purpose, so it’s no longer fair to say that the folding phone only offers vanity points.

Using Galaxy Z Flip5’s Flex Window with third-party apps (YouTube, Netflix, etc.)

During our hands-on with the foldable, we were told Flex Window could work with certain third-party apps. We’ve tried that out to great success. In fact, it’s so good, we actually want to see more apps supported on the display.

To use third-party apps on Flex Window, you need to go into Samsung Labs, an advanced feature hidden in its Settings app. “Apps allowed on cover screen” shows you all the options available — you toggle them on or off and they’ll appear inside one widget on your Flex Window.

At the time of publishing this review, Flex Window supports Netflix, YouTube, and Google Maps, along with two default SMS messaging apps by Samsung and Google. We’ve tried the first three to see the app’s Flex Window limits, and we’re glad to say it works perfectly fine. 

For example, all three apps use the full-sized Flex Window keyboard for their search functions, and the core features you expect from the regular app versions are accessible. You can key in and follow directions given by Google Maps. Scrubbing and resolution change for YouTube is available too. Netflix is — well — Netflix, but smaller. Flex Window apps are a miniaturised version of your favourite software on a tiny little screen. Using it feels like navigating on a portable videogame console, so the learning curve is gentle too.

The apps also work fine when you stand the Galaxy Z Flip5 in a reverse V-shape on the table. It’s perfect for skiving discreetly at work: plug in your wireless earbuds, play a YouTube or Netflix clip, and none would be the wiser.

Flex Window is a little thin on supported third-party apps at launch, but we believe Samsung will eventually bring more app compatibility to the Galaxy Z Flip5’s display — it’d be a waste not to. Having Grab (the transport and delivery app), TikTok, X/Twitter, or Threads are obvious starting choices. It also has no third-party texting apps (Telegram, FB Messenger, WhatsApp) or email widgets yet, but we doubt it’ll stay that way for long.

Imaging performance

Galaxy Z Flip5’s cameras see little to no changes in their imaging hardware when compared to its predecessor. You’re still getting the same dual set of 12MP primary and 12MP ultra-wide cameras next to Flex Window, paired with a 10MP front camera (inside the Main Screen). Of note is the primary camera’s 1.8μm pixel size for better capturing of light, which was the same as Flip4's and an increase from the smaller pixel size of the Galaxy Z Flip3. 

Nitpicky folks might see this as zero significant imaging upgrades in two generations of Samsung’s clamshell foldable phone, and they’re not wrong. While it's disappointing, the good thing is that the dual rear cameras remain competent enough that we don't consider this to be an outright dealbreaker. 

What we did like was the camera arrangement. With Flex Window taking up most of its front plate, Samsung had to arrange both cameras adjacent to each other. Doing so changes your photo/video perspective and angle from either lens less than the older orientation of one above the other. Older Galaxy Z Flip phones had one above the other, which can change your intended creative tone and angle in photography.

Note that your rear camera selfies taken via Flex Mode (half-opened, upright) are in a 4:3 aspect ratio, while handheld Flex Window selfies (clamshell closed) are almost 1:1 aspect ratio. We think this is what Samsung should improve or standardise — letting users get the same aspect ratios regardless of their shooting style, so they can edit in post after snapping.

Imaging Samples

Benchmark Performance

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 chipset "for Galaxy", a customised processor "built" to Samsung's specs. We say that with quotation marks, but it's actually just a higher-clocked SD8G2 – at 3.36GHz instead of the usual 3.2GHz.

Everything else, like its AI tuning and features, stays the same. For those not aware, a higher-clocked processor does perform better, but it's usually at the cost of something else in the long run (typically battery life, sometimes the lifespan of the chipset). A minor boost like that shouldn't hamstring the foldable, though.

Touting a premium 2023 processor means comparing either against other phones of the same calibre, or other best-in-class alternatives from popular Android brands in Singapore.

JetStream 2.0

JetStream 2 is a combination of a variety of JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks, including benchmarks that came before like SunSpider and Octane. It primarily tests for a system’s and browser’s ability in delivering a good web experience. It runs a total of 64 subtests, each weighted equally, with multiple iterations, and takes the geometric mean to compute the overall score. The higher the score, the better.

Geekbench 5

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100. The higher the score, the better.

Geekbench 6

Our Geekbench 5 benchmarking will soon be replaced with Geekbench 6, the updated version that tests single-core and multi-core CPU performance. Geekbench 6 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 2500, which is the score of an Intel Core i7-12700. We’ll continue to populate this new benchmark with more scores from our review units before fully transitioning over. 

3DMark Wild Life (Unlimited)

3DMark Wild Life is a cross-platform benchmark for Windows, Android and Apple iOS for measuring GPU performance. Its graphics test consists of multiple scenes with variations in the amount of geometry, lights and post-processing effects, mirroring mobile games that are based on short bursts of intense activity. Wild Life uses the Vulkan graphics API on Windows PCs and Android devices. On iOS devices, it uses Metal.

In Unlimited mode, the benchmark runs offscreen using a fixed time step between frames. Unlimited mode renders exactly the same frames in every run on every device, regardless of resolution scaling. The higher the score, the better.

PCMark for Android - Work 3.0 and Storage 2.0

PCMark for Android is a benchmark for testing the performance of Android phones and tablets. The Work 3.0 test checks how the device handles common productivity tasks such as browsing the web, editing videos, working with documents and data, and editing photos. Storage 2.0 checks write-in and read-out performance for internal storage, external storage (if applicable), and SQLite database management. Together, the benchmarks can clue us in on how capable a phone is at handling everyday use. Work 3.0 scores are above, while Storage 2.0 scores are immediately below for each device - the higher the score, the better.

Since this is a newly introduced benchmark in our reviews, we’re building up our database of PCMark scores for Android phones.

Benchmark Performance remarks

Phones backed by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors have typically blown their older variants out of the water in synthetic performance. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is no different in that regard. We liked the faster storage speeds and the well-maintained temperatures when the phone was running at its hardest. Real-world use was just as amazing, with buttery-smooth responses to all our inputs.

Battery Life

Our battery benchmark uses PCMark for Android’s Work 3.0 Battery Life test to determine a modern Android-based smartphone's battery uptime in minutes. This controlled benchmark simulates real-world usage with a combination of both web and social media browsing, video and photo editing, parsing data with various file formats, writing (on documents), and more. 

To enhance consistency in battery results, we start the test at: 

• 100% of the phone’s battery capacity until 20% left
• A fixed display brightness is calibrated at 200cd/m2 (200-lux) with the help of a luminance meter 
• Max resolution
• Refresh rates unlocked
• 0% audio, or completely silenced where possible
• Full bars of Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth, and notifications enabled
• Only one other battery recording app opened in the background
• Scored in uptime minutes; the higher, the better

For a 3,700mAh battery, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 offers decent battery life. It's enough to get you home after a full day out of regular use, even if it can be cutting it close. Most office professionals should have no problems doing a midday top-off, so that's not a major hurdle. The Oppo foldable may look like it lasts two hours longer, but bear in mind it also has a battery that has 600mAh more capacity. That makes the Galaxy Z Flip5 highly efficient despite its better chipset performance.

It took 56 minutes to charge 0-50% and 131 minutes for a full charge. We chalk up its slower-than-usual charging to a variety of reasons: it was tough finding a compatible third-party charger (we had a 120W one with various voltage/amperage in between to cover all bases), and that was a challenge because Samsung still refuses to include a compatible charging adapter in the box.

This new benchmark will succeed our outgoing Battery Life benchmarking, which has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email

Is it worth upgrading from an older Samsung Galaxy Z Flip?

With how similar Flip3 and Flip4 were previously, we understand that an upgrade between those generations seems complicated. Not having greatly improved cameras on Galaxy Z Flip5 also doesn’t help. 

For these folks, we highly suggest going to a Samsung store or pop-up and checking out the Galaxy Z Flip5 in person. The Flex Window is the main reason you’d want an upgrade, and it must fit your needs. As mentioned in our review, we think it finally has a real purpose, all thanks to the additional navigation and accessibility it has given us. 

Even if you’re not huge on selfies or recording TikTok videos, the larger view for notifications and widgets with more apparent customisation are still practical and visual reasons to get the new Flip. The rest boils down to your finances and crease appetite.

If you’re coming from a conventional smartphone, you might want to wait until Samsung adds more apps for Flex Window support to see a host of benefits the secondary display brings. Google Maps, YouTube, and Netflix are nice flexes, but we really can’t wait for the day Samsung onboard more apps. It'd be great to use Flex Window to check your Grab driver's ETA, scan QR codes saved in your Gallery, or shoot a simple "thanks" email. The possibilities are quite endless and it's entirely up to Samsung how much effort they want to put into its secondary display.

That doesn’t mean we’ve forgiven Samsung for doing the bare minimum for Galaxy Z Flip5’s Main Screen. Maybe the Koreans did not want to reveal all their R&D cards through a single generation of new phones, but a creaseless flagship clamshell would’ve converted the last few users who were still holding out on their bar-type mobiles. Folks who value an uninterrupted display at flagship prices may not feel like the Galaxy Z Flip5 is measuring up to expectations yet, so we hope Samsung understands there can be no compromises in that regard.

Conclusion: Is this the best flip phone you can buy? 

There aren't many flip phones around, but there's no question that Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip5 is currently the best flip phone you can buy now.

To start, there's the price. It's by no means cheap but it carries the same starting price of S$1,498 for 256GB like before. You’ll have to shop quite hard for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Android phone below S$1,500. Yes, they exist, but the Galaxy Z Flip5 has the advantage of a vibrant Samsung ecosystem, regular and guaranteed firmware and security updates, and Samsung Knox on-device protection. These are unseen perks that stick with you for the long term. Other Android phone rivals are nowhere as complete or comprehensive.

Furthermore, having Samsung One UI being less awful than its Chinese counterparts is enough of an incentive, and these reasons are how Samsung edges out its creaseless competitor (besides the noticeable difference in raw power).

As for the device itself, the massive upgrade to its cover screen has given the clamshell foldable a new meaning to its existence. Flex Window isn't catered only to selfie lovers. You can run a few apps on it decently, get more notifications at a glance, and even reply messages. That’s not even factoring in how much more convenient it is to frame your photo and video selfies from a distance without needing a gimbal, tripod, or excessive squinting.

And then, there's the new hinge that lets the Galaxy Z Flip 5 fold flat. Don't underestimate it, not only does it look nicer aesthetically, but being able to fold flat also results in a smaller footprint which means it slides into pockets and bags more easily. Add best-in-class components, outstanding build quality, and a decent battery life, it's easy to see why this phone justifies its price tag and is, in fact, quite good value for money. 

That said, there's certainly room for improvement, like improving charging speeds and including a darn charger in the box to take advantage of its fast charging capabilities. Some dust resistance would be nice, even if it's challenging to include. But most of all, we think Galaxy Z Flip needs to address the crease before anything else.

These inconveniences shouldn't stop you from discovering what Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5's Flex Window can bring to the table. It may be just an incremental size increase, but the flip side is on its way to becoming the A-side.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 start at S$1,498 for the 256GB version, with in-store retail across Samsung, its partner telcos (M1, Singtel, StarHub), Lazada, Shopee, and other retailers beginning on 11 August 2023. The full list of retail options in Singapore can be found here.