It’s almost three months since Samsung unveiled the fifth generation of its Galaxy foldables – featuring Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5.
With retail prices of Kshs 325,000 for the Galaxy Z Fold5 (with 512GB of internal storage) and Kshs 193,000 for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 (with 256GB of internal storage capacity), the two models are definitely targeted at the top of the premium smartphone segment.
With major device brands designing and launching their foldable models to attract customers and compete in the market, it’s important to find out highlight what Samsung’s two flagships bring to the table. And here, we’ll begin by looking at the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Coming exactly one year after the debut of the fourth generation in Samsung’s foldables portfolio, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 – as had been expected – comes fitted with of advanced features and capabilities intended to give the customer a relatively better experience, compared to the Galaxy z Flip4.
Design and Build
First off, the Galaxy z Flip5 is the size of standard smartphones in height when unfolded. However, when the device is folded up, it becomes more compact and solid, thereby enabling the device to occupy far much less space on one’s pocket. This makes it incredibly handy and portable. And still on size, there’s no major difference between the Galaxy z Flip4 and Galaxy z Flip5, as the two models even weigh the same at 187g.
To ensure optimum durability however, the main screen of the Galaxy z Flip5 comes fitted with a shock dispersion layer and a redesigned back to give the user a more solid display. The device is also equipped with Armor Aluminum frames, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (applied to both the Flex Window and back cover to provide the requisite protection expected by consumers expect, as well as IPx8 support (meaning that the unit can properly function for up to 30 minutes when submerged in water under certain conditions).
The durability is further enhanced by the Flex Hinge which enables the device to be held up or set at a variety of angles due to its resistance which provides the perfect tension enabling the user to place the phone in different positions without losing its stability.
Still on the new hinge, it’s been designed to correct a major flaw identified in the Galaxy z Flip4 – that’s the visible gap left when the device was folded up. In the Galaxy Z Flip5, the hinge has been redesigned to fix this issue, leading to gapless fit when both sides of the screen are folded up. Apart from doing away with the gap, the design of the hinge prevents particles from seeping in, thereby improving the phone’s overall dust resistance.
Screen display
The Galaxy z Flip5 and z Flip4 may share similarities in size and weight but the two models differ significantly when it comes to their cover screen sizes. While the Galaxy z Flip4 had a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED cover screen which gave users little leeway in terms of room for customization, the Galaxy z Flip5 is a sure upgrade in this aspect, coming with a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED cover screen.
With its large cover screen, the Galaxy Z Flip5 gives the user more customisation options compared to Galaxy Z Flip4. With these added usability options and from the Flex Window, the user can quickly and effortlessly access useful information. With the available Widgets, users can check the weather, control music playback and listen to their favorite music with Media Controller, or catch up on the latest global news updates. The user can get a quick view of all Widgets at a glance and switch between them instantly with a pinch of the screen to activate Multi Widget View.
The large cover screen further ensures that without opening the device to use its main screen, the user can perform a number of key functions – including accessing their call history to check and return missed calls, reply to texts on-the-go using the Quick Reply feature with a full QWERTY keyboard, and even view shared files from friends and colleagues.
Camera and photography
Just like the Galaxy z Flip4, the z Flip5 is 12MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP front camera module. Apart from the ability to take selfies and view them from the screen, users can also snap beautiful hands-free images from creative angles with FlexCam. With the camera system of the Galaxy z Flip5, users can review and make various adjustments to their photos with the Quick View feature in Flex Window.
And in cases where one is taking a photo of a friend or colleague, the Dual Preview enables them to see themselves in the Flex Window, allowing them to make necessary adjustments in real-time for the perfect shot. Users can also get a smooth shot on the go with camera-stabilizing Super Steady feature, while Auto Framing ensures that no one is left out of the photo or cropped out by mistake.
In addition to this, the Galaxy Z Flip5’s AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm correctly adjusts any visual noise that may spoil low-light images while enhancing details and colour tone.
Battery and overall Performance
We have already highlighted the Galaxy Z Flip5’s new Flex Hinge, which features a durable, dual rail design. The hinge has been designed to ensure that there’s no gap left between the two sides of the device when it’s folded up, guarding away particles which may seep through and leave untidy marks and patches.
With its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 8GB of RAM, Samsung has worked to ensure users of Galaxy Z Flip5 get the best in terms of user experience – be it using and running multiple apps at once, taking photos or recording videos, listening to audio files on Boomplay or Spotify or watching videos on YouTube.
The phone’s optimized features and the 3700mAh battery allows the user to stretch out the charge for longer periods of time – with the standard showcased duration by the manufacturer being 57 hours of audio listening or 20 hours of non-stop video playback.
Conclusion
Available in Mint, Graphite (same as our review unit), Cream and Lavender, the Galaxy Z Flip5 is an ideal choice for flip-phone fans out for an upgrade. And remember that apart from the one-off cash payment option, a number of other alternative and flexible purchase and ownership options are available – including trade-in options for older models for a determined discount on the new model.
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