The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series is the most popular collection of foldable phones on the market, and for good reason: they combine a folding form factor with good specs and a reasonable price. Hopefully, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will maintain that trend, and we’ve created a wish list of what we want from it beyond that in this article.
But that isn’t all. We’re already hearing rumours about what the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 might offer, so we’ve included those below, along with information on a possible release date and price.
Possible Release Date and Price
While there is no word on when the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be released, we can make an educated guess. We believe it will be released on August 9, 2023, because that is the second Wednesday of the following August, and Samsung released the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 on the second Wednesday of August in their respective release years.
Based on past experience, there will most likely be a two-week wait before it ships, so you should have it in your hands by late August if our predictions are correct. The price is more difficult to predict, but it will most likely be comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which starts at $999.99 / £999 / AU$1,499.
News and Leaks
So far, the only Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 leak comes from a source who claims it will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Given that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, this was always a given – though if another Plus version of the chipset is released next year, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 2 is also a possibility. In any case, it’s likely that this will be one of the top Android chipsets of 2023, so it should have plenty of power.
The current Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a 1.9-inch cover display that is reasonably usable. However, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is expected to have a cover display larger than 3.0 inches next year. In other words, the cover display will be 60% or larger. Samsung has previously increased the size of the cover screen, and this would be the second time this aspect of the Galaxy Z Flip would be updated. Prior to the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, foldable flip phones had to make do with a 1.1-inch cover display.
Thanks to the redesigned hinge, the foldable display crease is less visible
Another significant upgrade that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is expected to receive next year is a new hinge design. The phone will feature a new hinge, which should provide at least one advantage: a less visible horizontal crease on the inner foldable display.
These are significant changes to the Galaxy Z Flip series, which is likely why we’re hearing about them so early in the device’s development. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 has only been available for a few months. It was released in late August by Samsung and appears to be on its way to becoming the most successful foldable phone to date.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 was recently named “Product of the Year” in a competition that did not even include electronic devices. Samsung intends to ship 26 million foldable Galaxy phones next year, and upgrading the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with a larger cover screen and a better hinge will undoubtedly play a role in that strategy. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is expected to be released in August or September 2023 by Samsung.
What We Want To See
A Telephoto Camera
A telephoto lens is a standard feature on almost all high-end phones, but it is missing from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.
In fact, the Z Flip 4 only has a dual-lens camera with a 12MP primary and a 12MP ultra-wide snapper, making it quite basic and lacking in terms of photography. We’d like to see a telephoto lens added to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, as well as improvements to the other cameras.
Improved Battery Life
Battery life is an issue for many phones, especially foldables, which have smaller batteries than similarly-sized conventional handsets. That’s presumably because the folding mechanism consumes space that could otherwise be used by a battery, but it’s a significant issue that frequently results in poor longevity. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a 3,700mAh battery, and we noted that its output was underwhelming, so we expect a battery boost in the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Little Cheaper
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is one of the more affordable foldable phones, but for the specs you get folding screen aside it’s still fairly expensive, so we’d like to see Samsung drop the price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 a little further. This is unlikely to happen, especially if the specs are significantly improved, but it would make the device even more appealing.
Larger Cover Screen and Significant Improvements
While the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s 6.7-inch foldable main screen is a good size, the 1.9-inch cover display – which you can see and interact with when the main screen is folded shut – is too small to do much with. It can display notifications and the time, but it’s too small to interact with, so you’ll have to flip the phone open to use most smartphone functions. We’d like to see a larger secondary screen on the next model, which would allow you to fold the phone shut more frequently.
Some of the improvements we want are detailed above, but in general, we want the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 to feel like a significant improvement over the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The last two models were extremely similar, so it’s past time for some major updates – which will be required if this is to rank among the best foldable phones.
