Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Exam

You know you’re getting old when you pick up a cellphone and flashback to the “good old days” (hot flashes maybe, that doesn’t make things any better).

Anyway — Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a nostalgic factor to it. I go straight into the role of teenage detective Veronica Mars when I flip the phone up to my ear. It’s a breath of fresh air in a relatively rigorous mobile world, where all phones look and act more or less alike.

Fifth attempt

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, as the name suggests, is South Korea’s fifth attempt at a flip phone.

This is a relatively normal sized phone, but it can be folded in half its length and twice its thickness. It doesn’t make a difference in the pocket of the pants when folded, although we don’t exactly dare stuff it into the pocket of skinny jeans.

Bigger screen on the outside

What’s new this time is that the outer screen, also called the cover screen, now covers almost the entire interface. Size increased from 1.9 to 3.4 inches.

Finally, it starts to get really useful: the buttons are bigger, you can reply to messages with a full QWERTY keyboard, or display a larger widget. For example, in the calendar widget, you will get a monthly calendar and a list of upcoming events.

It’s also possible to launch apps on the cover screen, but this is currently an experimental feature that only works with a few apps. Not everything is suitable for small screen use, but by unlocking more functionality for a number of essential tasks, you might avoid disappearing into the darkness of your mobile like you often do when you just want to check something out.

That said, we think maybe Samsung should have put in more functionality that makes use of the foldable format, both externally and internally, especially when it comes to third-party apps.

concrete panel

If you open the phone open, you get the usual and somewhat elongated screen measuring 6.7 inches, with an aspect ratio of 22:9. This format isn’t entirely sold for normal mobile use, as it’s often quite narrow, but most apps work fine.

It can also be difficult to reach the top with one hand, but fortunately there is a function that allows you to lower the content by pulling the one on the bottom of the phone.

Samsung has not yet managed to get rid of the fold in the middle of the screen when it is closed. In daily use, we don’t think it’s an inconvenience, but we can feel it when we swipe up and down the length of the screen.

Makes for better selfies

There are no major changes to the camera setup on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. It still has two cameras on the back (when opened) and a traditional front-facing camera, which is pushed out from the large screen inside.

The nice thing is that you can take a selfie with the cameras outside. The image quality will improve since the main cameras are better than the usual front camera. The cover screen acts as a viewfinder, and it’s even better now than before due to the increased size.

It’s also nice that you can activate the cover screen when taking pictures of others, so they can check out how they look.

As usual from Samsung, you mostly get well-exposed photos with bright colors that are easy to like. The only downside is that you only have digital zoom, which can’t match the quality you get with optical zoom (thanks to the telephoto camera the phone lacks).

The Flip 5 has the same processor as Samsung’s S23 series, and there isn’t much to say about performance. The battery is the same size as the previous version, with a capacity of 3700 mAh. This is perhaps one of the biggest draws; As with previous models, we rarely get through a full day without charging. For comparison, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery.

Test: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – It just got really big

Conclusion

Samsung has invested in foldable phones in recent years, and it’s paying off. Newcomer Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still the coolest phone you can buy, though more great competitors are starting to enter the market from Motorola and Google (where are you going, Apple?).

Personally, I have to admit I was skeptical of the foldable bar concept, but with the Flip 5 my talk has been saved. this is funy!

The overall package is solid: good performance, a great screen, good cameras (with a built-in stand) and a water-resistant body that looks very stylish too. The main downside is that the battery is rather small, and we rarely get through a full day without a charge.

Then there’s also the aspect of sturdiness of this type of cell phone, when you fold the screen all the time, but it’s almost a risk that you’re willing to take if you want to join in the fun.

The foldable phone starts at NOK 12,990 for 256GB of storage (Samsung actually doubled this from 128GB in the previous model), while you’ll have to shell out NOK 14,490 for 512GB.

The current replacement for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. It costs NOK 13,490 with 256GB of storage.