Why You Can Trust CNET Galaxy Foldable Phone Face-Off: How the Z Fold 5 Stacks Up on Specs and Price
See how Samsung's newest foldable phone compares to earlier models.
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The Samsung Galaxy Fold phone was first introduced in 2019.
At its Galaxy Unpacked event Wednesday, Samsung showed off the latest version of its flagship foldable phone -- the Galaxy Z Fold 5. It features a new, gapless hinge and a speedier processor, but it keeps the same $1,800 price tag as last year's model, the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The new Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes in the lighter and slimmer design teased by T.M. Roh, the president of Samsung's mobile division. The Z Fold 5 weighs 253 grams (8.92 ounces), which represents a 10-gram decrease from last year's Z Fold 4 and a 18-gram decrease from the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
The Z Fold 5 is 13.46 mm thick when folded closed, making it 2.44mm slimmer than its predecessor. Despite Samsung's progress, the world's thinnest foldable phone is the Honor V2, made by Huawei's former subsidiary Honor. The Honor V2 is 9.9mm thick when in phone mode. However, that foldable is only available in China.
The key to the Fold 5's more portable design is what Samsung calls the flex hinge, which allows for a more streamlined construction with fewer moving parts. The new hinge also makes way for both displays to fold completely flat.
The new gapless hinge for the Z Fold 5 received the most attention at Galaxy Unpacked.
Apart from this, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 received a series of incremental improvements such as the newest Snapdragon processor and a brighter internal screen (1,750 nits). It's the brightest screen on any Z Fold. There's also support for three SIMs, and the upgraded hinge. For more specifics, feel free to check out the details in CNET's specs chart below for a side-by-side comparison.
Z Fold 5 vs. Z Fold 4 vs. Z Fold 3
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G |
|---|---|---|
| Cover: 6.2-inch AMOLED (2,316 x 904 pixels), 1-120Hz; internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,176 x 1,812 pixels), 1-120Hz | Cover: 6.2-inch (2,316 x 904; internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,176 x 1,812 pixels) | Cover: 6.2-inch AMOLED (2,268 x 832 pixels); internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,208 x 1,768 pixels) |
| Cover: 402 ppi, internal: 374 ppi | Cover: 402 ppi, internal: 374 ppi | Cover: 387 ppi, internal: 374 ppi |
| Open: 6.1 x 5.11 x 0.24 in; closed: 6.1 x 2.64 x 0.53 in | Open: 6.11 x 5.12 x 0.25 in; closed: 6.11 x 2.64 x 0.62 in | Open: 5.04 x 6.22 x 0.25 mm; Closed: 2.64 x 6.22 x 0.63 in; hinge ~0.57in (sagging) |
| Open: 154.94 x 129.79 x 6.1 mm; closed: 154.94 x 67.06 x 13.46 mm | Open: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mm; closed: 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8 mm | Open:128 x 158 x 6.4 mm; closed: 158 x 67 x 16 mm; hinge: ~14.4mm (sagging) |
| 253 g (8.92 oz) | 263 g (9.27 oz) | 271 g (9.56 oz) |
| Android 13 | Android 12L | Android 11 |
| 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) | 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) | 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto) |
| 4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (cover screen) | 4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (cover screen) | 4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (front cover) |
| TBD | 4K | 4K |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1 | Snapdragon 888 |
| 12GB + 256GB/512GB/1TB | 12GB + 256GB/512GB/1TB | 12GB + 256GB/512GB |
| None | None | None |
| 4,400 mAh (dual-battery) | 4,400 mAh | 4,400 mAh |
| Side | Side | Side |
| USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| None | None | None |
| 5G-enabled, IPX8 water-resistance, S Pen support, 25W wired charging, wireless charging, wireless power share, triple SIM | 5G, 30x space zoom camera, IPX8, 25-watt fast-charging (no in-box charger) | 5G-enabled; Foldable display, 120Hz refresh rate (front cover and main display), water-resistance, S Pen support |
| $1,800 (256GB) | $1,800 | $1,800 (256GB); $1,900 (512GB) |
| £1,749 | £1,549 | £1,599 (256GB); £1,699 (512GB) |
| AU$2,559 | Converts to AU$2,970 | AU$2,499 (256GB); AU$2,649 (512GB) |
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