Over the years we’ve seen many flip phones come and go. Lots of good memories too: from a Motorola Razr launch in Miami serenaded by John Legend on piano ten feet away, to being squished into a tiny sofa with William Shatner at Rogers HQ for a Samsung flip videophone launch. But as phones got smarter and displays got bigger, the engineering challenge to properly fold a screen in half took a good decade to sort out. With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, we’re seeing the best smartphone in flip format ever produced. It’s a phone and format we can highly recommend.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is a sleek and stylish flip phone that is perfect for anyone on the go. With its unique design and powerful features, it’s sure to impress, both potential users and the random people who notice it in your hands (it happened to us a lot!)
Let’s take a closer look at the Flip5 design, camera system, specs, and performance. We’ll also provide a recommendation for who should buy this phone.
On the outside…what you can see
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is a sleek and stylish flip phone that is sure to turn heads. The phone has a unique design that sets it apart from other smartphones on the market. The phone’s hinge allows it to fold in half, making it easy to carry in your pocket or purse. The phone is available in four colours: Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender, so you can choose the one that best suits your style.
The Galaxy Z Flip5’s display is bright and clear, with natural colours that are easy on the eyes. The phone’s 6.7″ display has a 19:9 ratio at 2246×1080 pixels, making it perfect for watching videos or browsing the web. The touch screen is very responsive, and you have optional one-hand mode (making the display smaller and moving it to the left edge closer to your thumb) and extra-sensitive “glove mode”. The phone’s buttons are well-placed and easy to use, and the fingerprint scanner and facial recognition technology provide added security.
When folded the outside half-size screen is a great feature, a 720 pixel, 60 Hz display that displays time, calendars, notifications, weather. It took a few days of using the Flip5 before we really got into the swing of using the outside screen but eventually found it was a nice feature for quick and easy scans of incoming messages, weather and time checks.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5’s camera system is one of its most impressive features. The phone has a triple camera system with a 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP front-facing camera. The camera system is great for both wide landscapes and impressive macro shots as close as 2.5cm from the lens. Video functions are enhanced with artificial intelligence to improve your focus and control for high quality, even cinematic film-making. The Flex Window enables enhanced photography using the main cameras. It’s now far easier to take selfies, or show a preview of the shot to your friends, on the larger display. There are also shortcuts to swap between two different colour profiles depending on your mood, and to quickly favourite or delete shots as you take them.
We take our photography seriously, and like all high-end Samsung phones the photographic and video quality is stunning. The ability to fold the phone was a huge bonus, and we seemed to be discovering new ways to use this with every passing day. For example, at a Hawai’i tourism event, when it was time to video a hula dance performance, we didn’t have to hold the phone in a shaky hand. Instead, we folded it in half and placed it on the table to take a beautiful video–who needs a tripod! Also great for hands-free video calls.
On the inside…hidden powers
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is a powerful smartphone that is packed with features. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and has 8GB of RAM, making it fast and responsive: a solid upgrade over the previous Flip4. The phone comes with 256GB or 512GB of storage, so you’ll have plenty of space to store your photos, videos, and other files. The phone runs on Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, Samsung’s One UI 6, which is a user-friendly operating system that is easy to navigate.
The Galaxy Z Flip5’s battery life is solid, with a 3700mAh Li-Po battery that promises up to 25 hours of talk time (and up to 14 days of standby time). Although with medium to heavy use, we found the battery was getting to critical levels by the evening, so that may be our biggest wish for any future upgrades. The phone also supports 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, so you can charge your phone quickly and easily.
The phone is IPX8 water-resistant, which means it can withstand being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. The phone’s Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance, makes it more durable and resistant to scratches and damage.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5’s performance is top-notch, with fast and responsive operation that makes it easy to use. The phone’s foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is bright and clear, with natural colours that are easy on the eyes. The phone’s cover display is Super AMOLED, 3.4 inches, 720 x 748 pixels (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), 306 ppi. The phone’s fingerprint scanner (which is super fast) and facial recognition technology provide added security, and the phone’s sensors include an accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, and barometer.
Final thoughts
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is a great choice for anyone who wants a stylish, powerful handset that is easy to use and fits comfortably in their pocket. The playful design and features like one-hand mode and extra-sensitive “glove mode” make this phone a great choice for anyone who wants a phone that is both fun and functional. The phone’s camera system is one of its most impressive features, and the phone’s display is bright and clear, making it perfect for watching videos or browsing the web. If you’re looking for a phone that is both stylish and powerful, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is definitely worth considering. We been following the evolution of flip phones for a long time and this is the best device in its class that we’ve ever seen.
The Verdict: Faze Highly Recommends This Phone
Check out more detailed Galaxy Z Flip5 specs at Samsung Canada
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