Galaxy Z Flip 5: First Impressions From Seoul, Korea
Foldable Phones
Speaker 1: <silence>
Speaker 2: This is the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip five. I've only been using it for a day, but so far I already have some thoughts and impressions about it. The first thing you notice is a giant new cover screen. It's a lot bigger than the one on the Z flip four, which means there's a lot more that you can do with it. It seems like Samsung really designed this front screen with widgets in mind more so than full apps. So as you can see, there's a weather widget, there's alarms, there's the calendar, your steps, [00:00:30] a lot of the things that you would expect. And while you can run some apps on this cover screen, not all apps will be compatible, at least not by default. At first I thought that would be a bit limiting because the Motorola Razor Plus, which is another flip phone that's really similar to the Galaxy Z Flip, does let you run any app you want for the most part on that cover screen.
Speaker 2: But the more I used the Razor plus, the more I did start to realize that apps can look a little bit cramped on that front screen. [00:01:00] So what Samsung is trying to do here is kind of make the experience a little bit more curated by only allowing some apps to work. So the ones that I've been using so far that I have on the cover screen are messages and navigation app like Google Maps, WhatsApp, and YouTube. And to be honest, of those apps, the only one I've really found myself using a lot so far is WhatsApp because I really like texting with the device closed like this because it's really small and comfortable and it fits really nicely in my hand. [00:01:30] I feel like there's a lot that Samsung and other flip phone makers can do with a front screen like this. To me, this kind of feels like a halfway point between a smartphone and a smartwatch. It's a small compact screen that's really glanceable, kind of like a smartwatch, but it also isn't as large as a phone. But you can still do things like typing and tapping and swiping and all of these gestures that might not be comfortable on a smartwatch for an extended period of time. So I am looking forward to seeing where Samsung takes this in [00:02:00] the future.
Speaker 2: Now, when you open up the phone, you still get that same 6.7 inch screen on the inside, just like last year's device. And yes, there is still a crease and it is still noticeable. That's a little bit of a disappointment because Samsung is on its fifth generation of foldable devices. I was really hoping to see a less noticeable crease, but when the device is closed, there's no gap near the hinge because Samsung has a new hinge that it's calling the flex [00:02:30] hinge. And this really does make the new Z flip feel a bit more compact and a bit more sleek, and it's generally just better looking overall. Samsung isn't the first one to do this. The Motorola Razor Plus also has a hinge with no gap, and that phone is also a little bit thinner than the Galaxy Z flip five. But I do think the Z flip five, it just has a bit of a sturdier feel to it when I'm opening and closing it so far.
Speaker 2: So I really do appreciate that the Razor Plus, even though I love how thin it is, it does feel a bit more delicate as [00:03:00] I'm opening and closing it. Samsung also says the new hinge should help with durability. We won't know for sure until we've had this phone for a long time. The other thing I'm looking forward to testing on here is the new processor. So this has the same chip as the Galaxy S 23 series, which means we should be seeing a little bit longer battery life and also a better camera performance because of the image signal processor. So the cameras are pretty much the same as the Galaxy Z Flip four, except for a new coating that should reduce lens flare, but it's really the processor [00:03:30] that is supposed to bring some improvements. So we'll have to do some photo testing to find out. I have been taking some photos with this device as I've been traveling around Seoul and here are some of my favorite shots so far.
Speaker 2: And our full review will also have more photo comparisons as well. So overall I do [00:04:00] really like the Z flip five. I feel like it's a step forward in the right direction for Samsung's flip phones at $1,000. It is still pretty expensive. I think this is something that is still considered a premium device and you're really paying that extra money to get a device that folds in half and becomes more compact with the front screen. Samsung is really leaning into that aspect and making the device feel more useful when it's closed, which is very important. So once again, don't forget to follow CNET for my full review, [00:04:30] and don't forget to check out CNET just for other coverage of foldable phones and Samsung as well. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
