WELCOME TO THE FOLD
While it may offer a hefty dose of deja vu, Samsung’s book-style foldable still bests all of the competition
£1,849 samsung.com
Samsung hasn’t had much big-screen foldable competition in the past, S but for 2023 it’s a different story, thanks to the new Google Pixel Fold and upcoming OnePlus Open. Despite this, the new Z Fold 5 is still the folding phone champion... for now.
You’ll have a good idea of what to expect from the Z Fold 5’s design. A polished frame, matte glass back and tall body that serves up a narrow cover screen but makes up for it with an expansive inner display. While some foldables – namely the Honor Magic Vs and Pixel Fold – don’t open out completely flat, Samsung’s Z Fold 5 locks into place with a satisfying snap.
The hinge is the first real highlight. The Z Fold 5 is much chunkier than some foldables but few of those can hold their position securely throughout the opening and closing range quite like the Z Fold 5.
Its cover screen is a 6.2-inch panel that’s very tall given its 23.1:9 aspect ratio. Inside, there’s a much more spacious 7.6-inch screen with an 1812 x 2176 resolution. Both screens have Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech with 120Hz refresh rates, HDR10+ high dynamic range support and are sharp with over 370 pixels in every inch.
After testing the phone both in lab conditions and the real world, in direct sunlight and in a very dark room, the range Samsung’s screens offer is exceptional. They beam brilliantly for easy viewing both indoors and out, and get soothingly dim for comfortable bedtime reading.
If you pick up a snazzy S Pen case for your Fold 5, you can only use the stylus (sold separately) on the large, main display – not a deal-breaker, but worth noting. Samsung’s big screen also has a prominent crease line that creates a bump while jotting or doodling on it. But if those two negatives don’t put you off, we really appreciate the versatility of the S Pen.
As consistently top-notch as Samsung’s AMOLED tech is, the Z Fold 5’s displays could definitely be better. Firstly, the cover screen is just too narrow – no other phone we’ve tested has cramped our thumbs when two-handed typing quite like the Z Fold cover screen. And the crease on the main display catches any glare any time you’re watching a dark movie.
Chips with that
Run
