Most of us, when buying a new smartphone, have basically one choice — buy this slab of rectangle made of metal and glass or the other slab of rectangle made of metal and glass. In the past years — and especially since 2022 — that calculus has changed somewhat, with foldable devices now part of the mix. The latest — and in my opinion, the best — is the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, launched last month by the South Korean giant, set to go on open sale from Friday, August 18. With the fifth-generation iteration of its flip phone, Samsung is really flexing its muscle with some, dare I say, exceptional changes to the design.

Under the hood, there is nothing to get too excited about — the Z Flip5 has the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that powers all of Samsung's flagship devices — it would have been a travesty if that wasn't the case — and, instead of 128 GB, the base storage is now 256. That's it. The cameras, RAM, battery capacity, et al, are identical to last year's Z Flip4, but it's not what is inside that matters for this device.

It's what's on the outside. And this is perhaps the one time I might be excused for judging this book by its 'cover.'

The most obvious design upgrade this year is the cover display — a 3.4-inch 720p (HD), AMOLED display that is fully interactive, allows you to do a lot more without flipping open the phone, and is customisable to a, frankly, ridiculous extent. More importantly, it's fun, and that's what the Z Flip5 is all about. You're not buying this phone for its internals — though the flagship specs don't hurt. You're buying it for its oomph — the X-factor that is the flip design that is so much darned fun to use — and its sheer pocketability.

Seriously, this is the best small phone you can buy right now ever since Apple discontinued its iPhone Mini — you can still buy the iPhone 13 Mini, but it's nearly two years old at this point and costs just a shade lower than the Z Flip5 if you account for all the exchange bonuses and incentives — it effectively comes down to Rs 79,999.

Flexing its muscles

The biggest changes this year in the Z Flip are all on the outside — the new and improved hinge that lets you flip the phone shut without any gap, the cover display, and the flat edges that make it easier to grip. These changes play a pivotal role in redefining the Z Flip experience.

Samsung has dubbed the new hinge 'Flex Hinge.' The tech giant has simplified and streamlined the hinge mechanism. This not only augments long-term durability but also contributes to the phone's sleek design. The hinge's internal multi-axis folding mechanism enables a more gentle fold, reducing stress on the OLED screen and enhancing user experience. While the crease is still noticeable, it becomes less of an issue with prolonged use.

The most prominent change is the increased size of the outside display. The Z Flip5's external screen has transformed from a tiny 1.9-inch ribbon to a spacious 3.4-inch 720p cover screen. This shift elevates the usability of the device, offering a better platform for notifications, timekeeping, and camera use. The UI design encourages interaction with up to 11 pages of apps, making the external screen more functional and inviting.

The new cover display is the USP

The larger cover screen is the biggest, most noticeable upgrade on the Z Flip5.

The one change you — and everyone around you — will notice is the new cover display, dubbed 'Flex Window.' It's larger, better, more functional, and more fun. It currently supports 11 widgets, barring the call log and notifications. You can also answer calls and send/reply to text messages, WhatsApp messages, et al without even flipping open your phone. With phone calls, the cover display automatically turns the speaker on for a seamless calling experience.

The cover screen supports 11 widgets, with more to come.

During my testing period, I began to notice that I was using the cover display more and flipping the phone open only when I needed to read emails, or when the tiny display just didn't cut it.

Yes, typing on the tiny keyboard can take some getting used to, and true, while typing on the keyboard, the message preview is hidden because the keyboard takes up more space. But it can be done, and Samsung will refine the software in future generations. This screen — never mind the aspect ratio — is only a tenth of an inch smaller than the original iPhone, so it's not like we've never used screens this small before.

The cover screem keyboard can be slightly fiddly because of its size.

The Z Flip5's overhauled cover display is not a showcase of what the device can currently do, but a promise of the untapped potential it has.

The selfie experience too has been elevated with the cover display, which, when the camera is activated, turns into a viewfinder. Now you can snap the best selfie possible on this phone with the primary camera setup. And it's so much fun. (No, I'm not posting my ridiculous selfies here.)

The only downside of the cover display is that it is not an LTPO panel, which means it lacks variable refresh rate. It is stuck at 60 Hz, which means the screen is refreshing at 60 Hz, which could impact battery life, though I could not see any discernible difference between the battery life on the Z Flip5 and its predecessor, the Z Flip4.

As of right now, the cover screen supports widgets such as Samsung calendar, timer, stopwatch, frequently dialled contacts, weather, alarms, Samsung Health, voice recorder, call log, and notications. Samsung says more widgets will be supported soon, but even as things stand, these are fully interactive widgets that go beyond what you first see on the 3.4-inch screen.

The Flex Hinge factor

The Galazy Z Flip5 (left) flips shut without a gap, thanks to the new Flex Hinge, compared to the Z Flip4 (right).

If you look close enough, you can see rhe differences in the hinge used in the Z Fold4 (top) and the Z Fold5 (below).

More than the cover display, I'd argue that the Flex Hinge — Samsung's name for the new hinge — is the most fun part of the Z Flip5 experience. After years of using rectangular slabs — which I absolutely love, make no mistake — a flip phone comes as a breath of fresh air. I said this in my long-term review of the Z Flip4 and I'll say it again — there is something oh-so-satisfying about answering a call by flipping it open, and ending the call by flipping it shut.

It's very old-school cool

It's now easier to open, despite the gapless design, with one hand, and just as easy to shut as the Z Flip4, also with one hand. Besides, if you're worried about screen damage when you're snapping the phone shut, don't be. Just as in previous generations, the inside screen — a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and a 22:9 aspect ratio — is protected by a raised lip all around, so when you shut it, it's technically the lips on the frame making contact, and not the screen itself.

The main display

The main display is the same as that on the Z Flip4 — it's a typical Samsung AMOLED screen, which means the colours are vivid and punchy, viewing videos is a pleasure and the dual-firing speakers are loud and crisp with just about enough bass, and the aspect ratio makes it a better choice to view movies because there is minimal letter-boxing (the black borders above and below the picture). Beyond that, well, this screen is simply an accessory on the Z Flip5. You don't need to use it, but it is there in case you ever want to.

Can you tell the difference? The Galaxy Z Flip5 (right) has an iential screen compared to the Z Flip4.

The crease is still there, though more subtle than before. You certainly notice it while viewing the screen at an angle, but it fades into the background as you use the phone. It's unobtrusive and doesn't detract from the overall experience too much.

Battery life

The battery life is on par with that of the Z Flip4, which is to say that it lasted me a full day of texting, emailing, frequently flipping it open and shut — because it is so much fun — and dozens of phone calls, with about 30 percent left in the tank when I go to bed. That's pretty good, especially considering it's a 3,700 mAh battery, which is relatively modest by today's standards, when nearly every other Android phone packs around 5,000 mAh.

Cameras

The camera setup on the Z Flip5 is the same as last year's — a 12 megapixel primary wide-angle lens, a 12MP ultrawide shooter, and a 10MP selfie cam housed in a hole-punch cutout on the inside screen. The cameras are obviously not as good as those on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but they get the job done. They take good photos in all lighting conditions, thanks to Samsung's excellent computational photographically prowess, and will more than suffice for most users, who are not usually the sort to pixel peep.

Flex mode panel

There are certain apps that can be configured to 'split' their functionality when the phone is folded into a 90-degree angle. Some apps will show their main interface on the vertical half, and a keypad on the bottom half, while others will show other controls. You can choose which apps take advantage of this feature, though at the time of this writing, this can only be enabled under Labs in Advanced Features in the settings menu, which is another way of saying it is still in the experimental stage.

The Flex Window mode effectively turns your phone into a tripod, with a trackpad and other controls on the lower, horizontal half of the screen.

But when it works, it works really well, although I didn't find myself using it too often. I mostly used the camera in this mode, which effectively turns your phone into a tripod, with the viewfinder occupying the top half, and camera controls on the lower half of the screen.

Software

What do I say about One UI 5.1 that has already not been said before? It is smooth, it is refined, and it is elegant. It's the classic Samsung version of Android 13 that I've experienced in all of its flagship devices, including the Z Fold5 (review coming).

In conclusion

The Z Flip5 represents the pinnacle for Samsung in its efforts to make a flip phone. In the five years since it launched the Z Flip, Samsung has made giant strides, and today, the Z Flip5 represents a culmination of those efforts. It is easy and delightful to use, has a great display, and a decent battery, but the Flex Window (cover display) elevates the game entirely. The Z Flip5 should be the foundation on which Samsung builds better devices in the future. For Rs 99,999, this is as good as it gets as far as flip phones go, especially for users seeking an innovative yet practical device.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review: Aiming for the Moon

First Published:Aug 18, 2023 1:28 PM IST