Samsung entered the foldable smartphone market back in 2019 with their Galaxy Fold. Since then, the brand has introduced a new foldable each year with incremental updates. This year, users will get the Z Fold5 with several new developments over last year’s fold. Samsung launched the Z Fold5 on 11th August in India. Let’s check out what’s changed from the Z Fold4 and how it stacks up against the competitors.
Key Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
Design and Build Quality
The design of the Fold from its first generation to the current iteration has stayed fairly similar. The changes from the Fold4 to the Fold5 are so minute that it’s difficult to tell them apart unless looked at closely. The only visible design change on the Fold5 is the shift in the flashlight position.
However, the biggest change in the Fold5 is in the hinge mechanism. It is now made from armored aluminum with a dual rail structure. The new hinge mechanism allows the device to fold flat, unlike the wedge-shaped gap that was seen up until the last generation.
The unfolded dimension of the device is 154.9 mm by 129.9 mm by 6.1 mm while the folded dimension comes in at 154.9 mm by 67.1 mm by 13.4 mm. The relatively compact form factor makes for 235 g of effective weight on the Fold5. The aluminum frame and the plastic inner screen are the same as before with the outer screen and back getting the updated Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
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Additionally, the device is IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min). There is also stylus support like the last generation.
Overall, the design and build quality has seen a little update over the last generation. It’s the same refined Samsung design with some minor tweaks here and there.
The Display
The display on the Galaxy Z Fold5 is also similar to that of last year’s Fold4. The inner screen is Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. The 7.6-inch inner screen has an 1812 x 2176 pixels (QXGA+) resolution which accommodates 373 ppi. The near-symmetrical display also has an impressive 91.1% screen-to-body ratio. The inner display is brighter this time around on the Fold5. In a test, the manual brightness slider could go up to 800 nits, and in auto mode, it could go up to 1100 nits.
The outer display is what Samsung is calling their Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. It comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 6.2-inch display is tall and narrow with a 23.1:9 ratio at 904 x 2316 pixels. The HBM on the outer screen can also go up to 1150 nits.
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While the quality of the panel is impeccable as ever, Samsung couldn’t find a way around the crease. It is one of those drawbacks that foldable enthusiasts will have to put up with for the time being.
The Camera
There is a triple camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5. The camera system is almost identical to last year’s Fold4 with most of the changes happening at the processing end.
The main camera is a 50 MP f/1.8 sensor. It's a 23mm wide angle lens with standard OIS and PDAF. The secondary cameras are a 10 MP, f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a 12 MP f/2.2 123 ̊ ultrawide sensor.
The main camera can take some amazing shots in daylight. Pictures had good details and contrast to them along with decent dynamic range. The images come out in 12 MP in the auto mode through pixel binning technology. Portrait shots came out pretty well through the main lens with great subject details and realistic background blur. The ultrawide and the telephoto lenses also did their part pretty well.
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The image quality stayed consistent in artificial and low-light conditions as well. The variable shutter speed of the main lens assisted in taking well-exposed images with good details and colors in low light. The videography on the Fold5 is absolutely stacked with 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS) with all having HDR10+ support.
