Technologies

How Samsung Could Take the Galaxy Z Flip 5 to the Next Level

Commentary: A bigger cover screen, more Flex Mode features and better battery life could go a long way.

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With the new Motorola Razr Plus, Samsung has fresh competition in the foldable phone arena. While last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 was a step in the right direction, there’s a lot Samsung could do to make its next flip phone more compelling.

With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung fine-tuned the phone’s design, added a few new software tricks and improved staples like nighttime photography and battery life. These are all welcome upgrades that address shortcomings from previous models and make the Galaxy Z Flip easier to recommend than in years past. Now that Samsung has refined the Z Flip, I’d like to see it take things a step further by coming up with more new features that take advantage of its foldable design.

Google and Motorola, both of which are launching new foldable phones in June, have shown that they’re thinking about how to make foldables stand out with features that show how the outer and inner screens can work together.

Now, it’s Samsung’s turn. The company typically launches new foldable phones in August.

A larger cover screen

Even after spending just a few minutes with the Razr Plus, I’m convinced the Galaxy Z Flip 5 needs a bigger cover screen. Motorola’s new phone has a 3.6-inch outer display compared to the Z Flip 4’s 1.9-inch cover screen. You can do a lot with the Razr’s external display, from playing games to browsing Google Maps and typing an email. The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s smaller cover screen is much more limited and is ideal for brief interactions, like sending a canned response to a text message or peeking at your calendar.

You might be wondering why having a larger cover screen is so important if you’re planning to use the phone primarily when it’s open. Even though I haven’t used the new Razr extensively yet, the cover screen seemingly has the potential to add more on-the-go convenience. Since it’s small enough to fit in the palm of my hand when closed, I can imagine it being useful for responding to a text message or flipping through my inbox when I only have one hand free.

razr plus cover screen — The new Motorola Razr Plus has a big cover screen.

John Kim/CNET

If the rumors turn out to be true, Samsung may indeed give the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a larger external screen. The Twitter account Ice Universe, which has a solid history of leaking details about unreleased Samsung products, says the Z Flip 5 will have a 3.4-inch cover display.

More Flex Mode features

Samsung popularized the idea of using flip phones as a built-in tripod for taking photos and videos. Samsung calls this feature Flex Mode, and it allows the Z Flip and Fold to split apps between the top and bottom portions of the display when folded halfway. Samsung has expanded Flex Mode since the original Flip’s launch by adding new features such as the ability to use the bottom portion of the display like a mini trackpad.

While it’s nice to see Samsung brainstorming new ways to put the Z Flip’s nontraditional shape to use, the trackpad functionality isn’t terribly practical, as my colleague Patrick Holland wrote in his review. It feels like a solution looking for a problem rather than a reason to want a foldable phone in the first place.

In the Z Flip 5, I’d like to see Samsung add more functionality to Flex Mode that taps into the phone’s ability to bend and fold in different ways. Having a larger screen on the front could also open up some new possibilities in this regard.

Samsung could take notes from Google and Motorola, both of which have shown some creative uses for foldable phones. The new Razr, for example, can show a preview of a photo being taken on its external screen, enabling the subject to see what they look like before you hit the shutter button. The Pixel Fold can use its dual screens to show translated speech on the outer and inner displays during a conversation, potentially making real-world encounters in different languages less awkward.

To be sure, I won’t know how useful these features actually are until I’ve tested both phones. But the use cases that Motorola and Google are pitching seem practical rather than gimmicky, which feels like a step in the right direction for foldables.

A less noticeable crease

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 in Flex Mode in someone's palm — The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s hinge allows it to stay at various angles. When it’s close to perpendicular it can activate Flex Mode for the software.

Patrick Holland/CNET

One of the biggest challenges with today’s foldables is the crease that runs across the center of the screen. Now that Samsung is heading into the fifth generation of its foldable phones, I’d like to see a crease that’s significantly less noticeable — if not invisible. Oppo and Huawei have done a better job of eliminating the crease in their foldables in recent years, as my colleagues have noted, making me hopeful that Samsung’s next device will show similar progress.

There’s a chance that may very well be the case. Ice Universe also reports that the Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 will have a new hinge that will enable the phones to shut completely when closed, with no gap, a change that may also make the crease more subtle.

Longer battery life

Samsung improved the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s battery life compared to the Z Flip 3, and I’m hoping it continues to do so on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. As noted in CNET’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 review, the phone’s battery can make it through a full day but drains faster if you’re watching video and taking video calls — two tasks that the Z Flip is well-suited for since it can be easily propped up.

A Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the open position — Patrick Holland/CNET

Battery life in a phone can never feel long enough, so I’m hoping to see more of an improvement in the Z Flip 5. If the Z Flip 5 runs on the same processor as the Galaxy S23 series, a version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that’s been optimized for Samsung’s devices, it’s possible we’ll see some gains in power efficiency.

Better cameras

The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s 12-megapixel wide and ultrawide cameras take decent photos, but I’d like to see Samsung bring the Z Flip 5’s cameras up to par with the Galaxy S23’s. Samsung’s nonfolding phone has a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and 10-megapixel telephoto camera.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4's exterior and cameras — There are two exterior cameras on the Flip 4: a main wide-angle and an ultrawide.

John Kim/CNET

I’m not expecting Samsung to add a telephoto lens to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, since doing so would make it difficult to increase the size of the cover screen. But I’m hoping Samsung improves the camera in other ways, such as by increasing the resolution or pixel size. In his review, CNET’s Patrick Holland described the Z Flip 4’s cameras as B-grade, showing there’s certainly room for improvement. But if the Galaxy Z Flip 5 inherits the Galaxy S23’s processor, we’ll likely see back-end upgrades that enhance the way photos are processed, too.

Overall, I’m hoping to see Samsung add more functionality that makes the Z Flip stand out, while cutting down on the compromises that need to be made when choosing a foldable phone over a standard phone. Changes like these could go a long way towards making foldables broadly appealing in the way that Samsung envisions.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 2, #875

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle No. 875 for Sunday, Nov. 2.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a neat purple category today. It’s fun, but it’s not easy to solve, so if you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Move the stuff.

Green group hint: Check your crayon box.

Blue group hint: Whew, I’m wiped out.

Purple group hint: Check your horoscope.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Goods to be transported.

Green group: Light brown shades.

Blue group: Show signs of physical exertion.

Purple group: Starts of zodiac signs.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is goods to be transported. The four answers are cargo, freight, haul and load.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is light brown shades. The four answers are camel, fawn, khaki and tan.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is show signs of physical exertion. The four answers are cramp, pant, redden and sweat.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is starts of zodiac signs. The four answers are aqua, capri, gem and sag. (Aquarius, Capricorn, Gemini and Sagittarius.)

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 2 #609

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 609 for Sunday, Nov. 2.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a real puzzler. You runners might have a better shot at solving it than the rest of us. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Go the distance.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: 26.2 miles.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RUNT, TURN, TURNER, STAT, STAR, HATS, RATS, CAPE, MOTE, STRAT, TART, TARTS, ROAN, DRAT, DRAM, HOME, TOME, TIME, TIMER, PERK

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight, but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

PACE, START, FINISH, RUNNER, HYDRATION, TIMEKEEPER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is MARATHON. To find it, start with the M that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind up.

Technologies

Galaxy S26 Rumor Roundup: Samsung Could Be Shaking Up Its Flagship

Rumors about Samsung’s next Galaxy S26 series have been all over the place.

The year isn’t over yet, and there are already plenty of wild rumors about the upcoming Galaxy S26 line of phones.

Months ago, there was speculation that Samsung would replace its base phone with the Pro. It was rumored that the Plus would be discontinued in favor of the S26 Edge (much like how Apple dropped its Plus phone for the thin iPhone Air), and the Ultra would remain without any name change.

But just a few weeks ago, new reports emerged. Word is that the S26 Pro will simply be the S26, and the S26 Edge might be on its way out.

Here’s a quick rundown of the latest Galaxy S26 talk to make sense of it all.

Galaxy S26 line release date

Samsung typically hosts a few Unpacked events each year, with the first event usually taking place in either January or February. Most of this year’s S25 handsets were announced at a Galaxy Unpacked event on Jan. 22, 2025, and released on Feb. 7, so we can expect a similar timeline for the Galaxy S26 series.

However, it’s possible that additional S26 releases may occur throughout the year. In 2025, for example, Samsung released two more S25 handsets — the S25 Edge and the S25 FE — at two separate events in May and September, respectively.

Galaxy S26 Pro

For months, one of the biggest rumors surrounding the Galaxy S26 was that it might not exist at all. Internal build code uncovered by Android Authority suggested Samsung could be scrapping the base model entirely and replacing it with the S26 Pro. That might sound strange at first, but it could have signaled Samsung’s plan to position the S26 lineup as a more premium offering than its predecessors.

According to a new report from SamMobile, the Galaxy S26 Pro might actually just be the standard Galaxy S26. Given that most other rumors suggest the phone will be pretty entry-level, that could very well be the case.

Leaked renders of the S26 (whether the base or Pro model) show a design very similar to the S25, with one key difference: the rear camera. The S26 appears to have a vertical bump on the back housing three camera lenses, while the S25 has no bump at all, with its lenses fitted directly into the body.

According to Android Headlines, the S26 will feature a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, representing a significant upgrade from the S25’s 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. There have been conflicting rumors about this, though. Others have speculated that the S26’s camera specs will remain unchanged from the S25.

Other speculations about the S26 include a slightly bigger 6.3-inch screen, along with an overall slightly larger and slimmer build. Android Headlines also reports that the S26 Pro could have a 4,300-mAh battery, up to 12 GB of RAM and as much as 512 GB of storage.

As for the processor, Samsung’s VP of its Mobile Experiences Division, Daniel Araujo, said in a recent earnings call that the S26 lineup will «revolutionize the user experience with user-centric, next-gen AI, a second-generation custom AP, and stronger performance, including new camera sensors.»

This is a strong indicator that the Galaxy S26 series will be powered by the Exynos 2600 processor at least in some regions, according to Android Headlines.

That said, rumors suggest that the S26 will use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in the US and China. According to Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon chip is about 20 percent faster and 35 percent more power-efficient than its predecessor.

Galaxy S26 Edge and Plus

The Galaxy S25 Edge debuted with a lot of fanfare this year, thanks to its ultra-slim form factor, so it’s not a stretch to imagine Samsung will come out with a successor next year. However, there have been conflicting rumors about whether this will happen at all.

For months, there were leaks suggesting Samsung would replace the Galaxy S26 Plus with the Galaxy S26 Edge. The S26 Edge was expected to have a super slim profile of around 5.5 mm, making it 0.3 mm skinnier than the S25 Edge. That’s also 0.1 mm thinner than the iPhone Air. There was further speculation that it would have the same 6.7-inch screen, a larger 4,200-mAh battery and the newer Snapdragon processor.

Now, however, this rumor looks to be on shaky ground. According to SamMobile and 9to5Google, the company could be dropping the Galaxy S26 Edge from its 2026 lineup due to poor sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge, especially in comparison to the rest of the Galaxy S25 series. Instead, Samsung could be replacing the S26 Edge with the Galaxy S26 Plus. We currently don’t know too much about the S26 Plus, but it’ll likely have the same 6.7-inch screen as its predecessor.

Galaxy S26 Ultra

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Galaxy S26 (or Pro) and the Galaxy S26 Edge (or Plus), the only handset seemingly free of confusion is the Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to renders uncovered by Android Headlines, the S26 Ultra looks to have a slightly different design than its predecessor.

The images appear to show that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has curvier corners compared to its predecessor and a slightly different camera layout on the rear. The four cameras are positioned in the same locations, but three of them are housed in a raised vertical bump. There’s also speculation that the Ultra could be slightly slimmer, at 7.9 mm thick, which is 0.3 mm thinner than the current S25 Ultra. Android Headlines also says that the phone’s 6.9-inch display could use new M14 OLED panels, which would be brighter and more power efficient.

Unfortunately, current rumors suggest that the S26 Ultra will feature very similar camera specs. ETNews claims it will still have a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto and a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto. The front-facing 12-megapixel camera also appears unchanged.

Like with the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to ship with the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the US and China, and with the Exynos 2600 chip in other markets. Other rumored specs include 16 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage, a 5,000-mAh battery and faster 60-watt wired charging.