Does the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 offer enough upgrades over the Galaxy Z Fold 4? We break down the two Samsung Galaxy Z Fold devices so you can decide.
Foldable phones are finally going mainstream. The increasing competition also means the technology is gradually becoming cheaper and finding a broader userbase ready to embrace the change.
With other brands catching up fast, what does it mean for the South Korean brand that has, till now, enjoyed a monopoly of some sort? Does the newly introduced Galaxy Z Fold 5 bring enough upgrades over its predecessor to create a dent in the market?
Let’s make a quick head-to-head comparison between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 to see how noteworthy the improvements are.
Design
You’d be disappointed if you’re waiting for Samsung to overhaul the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s design. The company seems to have settled with the design of this tablet-styled foldable phone and is dishing out only iterative updates.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 still comes with a slightly narrow cover display which measures the same as the Fold 4’s external display. Even the screen refresh rate is the same, and the only difference is that the fifth-generation foldable phone comes with a slightly bumped-up peak brightness. The story repeats with the inner foldable display too.
Even on the rear panel, you have a similar triple camera setup aligned vertically, with the LED flash being moved from the camera island and placed beside the module.
The most noteworthy change in foldable phones is that unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Z Fold 5 has little gap when folded. The two parts now sit flush on top of each other, leaving no room for foreign particles to damage the soft plastic foldable display.
Cameras
Although Samsung phones, apart from iPhones and Pixels, are known for their camera prowess, the same cannot be said about the Z Fold lineup.
While the images taken from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 were passable, we cannot expect much difference from the photos shot on the latest Z Fold 5. Samsung has retained the exact camera specification on its latest foldable phone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a 50 MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide snapper with 123-degree FOV, and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom for all those moon shots. A 4MP under-display selfie camera is housed on the inner display, while a 10MP cover-screen selfie camera is on the cover screen.
While the camera specs are identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, there might be some differences in the final results because of the software tweaks and post-processing. However, do not expect a massive improvement on the imaging front.
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Battery life
The battery life on the two phones might be identical, as Samsung has not changed the battery capacity. Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 5 have a 4400 mAh battery and support 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
So, even though the Galaxy Z Fold 5 might be slightly lighter, the charging time and the battery backup on the two foldable phones are expected to remain identical.
Specifications
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 | Galaxy Z Fold 4 | |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Weight | 252.9 grams | 263 grams |
| Camera | 12MP ultra-wide + 50MP + 10MP telephoto, 10MP and 4MP selfie | 12MP ultra-wide + 50MP + 10MP telephoto, 10MP and 4MP selfie |
| Display | 6.2-inch outer + 7.6-inch inner, 120Hz | 6.2-inch outer + 7.6-inch inner, 120Hz |
| Price | Starts at $1,800 | Starts at $1,800 |
The two phones have almost identical technical specifications. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes with a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, compared to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor on the Z Fold 4. In terms of benchmark scores and real-world usage, the two chipsets are mostly the same.
Moreover, the Z Fold 5 uses a slightly faster USF 4.0 storage compared to the UFS 3.1 storage on the predecessor. However, both the upgrades are minute and might not make any noticeable impact in regular usage.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Galaxy Z Fold 4: Key differences
There is little that separates the two phones. In fact, the design is also so similar that it’s difficult to tell apart the Z Fold 5 out of the two easily.
However, the improved hinge system is the most significant upgrade on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This new hinge ensures no gap in the display when the phone is folded. Though some Chinese smartphone makers could achieve this gapless design long back, it took Samsung 5 iterations to iron out the biggest issue with its flagship foldable phones.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is marginally lighter and has a slightly brighter display. It also uses a faster UFS 4.0 storage.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Galaxy Z Fold 4 – Should you upgrade?
If you’re already using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, then there is no practical reason to upgrade to the Z Fold 5 unless you’ve damaged the existing phone or its display and are in love with this form factor.
If you’re looking to purchase a foldable phone for the first time and need a large-screened foldable phone, you might get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 which is retailing at a much cheaper price locally.
If you’re apprehensive about carrying a phone that weighs over 250 grams and are okay with a way more compact form factor, then you can also look at our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Galaxy Z Flip 4 comparison.
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