Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first impressions

In the fifth-iteration of its foldable smartphones, Samsung launched two new smartphones – Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5. While the Flip5 is the one that has received the most love from the company, at least on the upgrade and changes front, the Fold5 has retained the same aesthetics and design elements. But, the changes are beneath that outer shell. For instance, the new hinge, improved software, better integration and a lot more. Here’s my initial take on the device from the small time we’ve spent with the device.

New hinge, new feel
Removing the gap between the two sides when closed looks like a marginal change. Apparently, it’s not. The new Flex hinge, which has made its place in both the foldables, has made the Z Fold5 and the other one too, fold completely flat without any wedge share towards the end. This makes the phone relatively thinner, 2mm to be exact which brings the overall thickness of the device down to 13mm.

Now, this change has made the phone slimmer, much more gripper to hold and easy on the pockets too. This also helps reduce the dust deposition on the inner display when placed in the pocket or exposed outdoors.

Same design, but there’s a reason
Most people think that the design should have changed. But, if there’s something that has made the phone this popular and has allowed Samsung to push the limits is because the company has continued the development of the same silhouette for almost half a decade. This has made the base of the phone strong and confident as a foldable device. My take here is that if the base is done right, there’s enough time to pursue different designs and forms. It looks like it’s the first part that Samsung is focusing on.
But, this can’t be the only reason. Backward compatibility with accessories is also a big reason behind this. My Galaxy Z Fold5 case, SPen, works seamlessly with Z Fold5. The design isn’t as bad. I would have loved a slightly broader outer display to make apps feel more like home. Still, the inter display makes up for it, when needed. Also, things have improved on the software front as well.
Software improvements are more optimisation than features
Android and One UI is already a pretty feature-rich package and there’s no denying there. However, what made foldables struggle in the early days is the lack of optimisation of the user interface, apps, games, etc. The latest iteration brings more optimisation than new features. For instance, the entire One UI is optimised for foldable screens with the two-panel layout for all the apps, some even offer a tablet-like interface to use the extra screen estate better. Then, Google has also updated its apps to look better and more seamless on foldable phones. In fact, WhatsApp has a two-page layout when opened on a bigger screen.

That said, Samsung has made a couple of things better. For instance, you can now drag something with two fingers, open another app and share it there. The same works when apps are open side-by-side. You can open Gallery and WhatsApp side-by-side and share photos or videos you want. Then, there are the new gesture controls that quickly open the apps in a side-by-side, up-and-down interface. All these have made things much more refined and easier on a Galaxy Z Fold5.
Camera and performance
Like always, Samsung has treated the Z Fold5 with the same overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with a clock speed of up to 3.36GHz. I have used this on Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold5 isn’t any different in terms of performance. One thing that I noticed has improved is the battery life and the thermals, thanks to the bigger vapour chamber inside it. The difference is also pretty evident while playing games on this device.
Camera-wise, it has the same 50MP + 10MP + 10MP setup. Things have improved here. Colour, details and sharpness levels appear to be on point with plenty of details. Wait for my full review of in-depth analysis of the phone’s camera and full review of the device itself
Early impressions
Galaxy Z Fold5 is more of an upgrade that brings changes from the inside by offering better and optimised user experience, improved performance and better battery life. There’s this and a lot more to talk about and that I will do in my full review of Galaxy Z Fold5.