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

A $20K Humanoid Robot to Help Around the House? The Price Isn’t the Only Caveat

The new Neo robot from 1X is designed to do chores. It’ll have to learn a lot from you — and about you.

It stands 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs about as much as a golden retriever and costs near the price of a brand-new budget car.

This is Neo, the humanoid robot. It’s billed as a personal assistant you can talk to and eventually rely on to take care of everyday tasks, such as loading the dishwasher and folding laundry.

Neo doesn’t work cheap. It’ll cost you $20,000. And even then, you’ll still have to train this new home bot.

If that sounds enticing, preorders are now open (for a mere $200 down). You’ll be signing up as an early adopter for what Neo’s maker, a California-based company called 1X, is calling a «consumer-ready humanoid.» That’s opposed to other humanoids under development from the likes of Tesla and Figure, which are, for the moment at least, more focused on factory environments.

Neo is a whole order of magnitude different from robot vacuums like those from Roomba, Eufy and Ecovacs, and embodies a long-running sci-fi fantasy of robot maids and butlers doing chores and picking up after us. If this is the future, read on for more of what’s in store.

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What the Neo robot can do around the house

The pitch from 1X is that Neo can do all manner of household chores: fold laundry, run a vacuum, tidy shelves, bring in the groceries. It can open doors, climb stairs and even act as a home entertainment system.

Neo appears to move smoothly, with a soft, almost human-like gait, thanks to 1X’s tendon-driven motor system that gives it gentle motion and impressive strength. The company says it can lift up to 154 pounds and carry 55 pounds, but it is quieter than a refrigerator. It’s covered in soft materials and neutral colors, making it look less intimidating than metallic prototypes from other companies.

The company says Neo has a 4-hour runtime. Its hands are IP68-rated, meaning they’re submersible in water. It can connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 5G. For conversation, it has a built-in LLM, the same sort of AI technology that powers ChatGPT and Gemini.

The primary way to control the Neo robot will be by speaking to it, just as if it were a person in your home.

Still, Neo’s usefulness today depends heavily on how you define useful. The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern got an up-close look at Neo at 1X’s headquarters and found that, at least for now, it’s largely teleoperated, meaning a human often operates it remotely using a virtual-reality headset and controllers.

«I didn’t see Neo do anything autonomously, although the company did share a video of Neo opening a door on its own,» Stern wrote.

1X CEO Bernt Børnich told her that Neo will do most things autonomously in 2026, though he also acknowledged that the quality «may lag at first.»

What you need to know about Neo and privacy

Part of what early adopters are signing up for is to let Neo learn from their environment so that future versions can operate more independently.

That learning process raises privacy and trust questions. The robot uses a mix of visual, audio and contextual intelligence — meaning it can see, hear and remember interactions with users throughout their homes.

«If you buy this product, it is because you’re OK with that social contract,» Børnich told the Journal. «It’s less about Neo instantly doing your chores and more about you helping Neo learn to do them safely and effectively.»

1X says it’s taking steps to protect your privacy: Neo listens only when it recognizes it’s being addressed, and its cameras will blur out humans. You can restrict Neo from entering or viewing specific areas of your home, and the robot will never be teleoperated without owner approval, the company says.

But inviting an AI-equipped humanoid to observe your home life isn’t a small step.

The first units will ship to customers in the US in 2026. There is a $499 monthly subscription alternative to the $20,000 full-purchase price, though that will be available at an unspecified later date. A broader international rollout is promised for 2027.

Neo’s got a long road ahead of it to live up to the expectations set by Rosie the Robot in The Jetsons way back when. But this is no Hanna-Barbera cartoon. What we’re seeing now is a much more tangible harbinger of change.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Nov. 1

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 1.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s the big Saturday version, so it could take some time. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Ethically sourced, as some egg
Answer: CAGEFREE

9A clue: Residents of Tehran
Answer: IRANIANS

10A clue: Air sign?
Answer: SKYWRITE

11A clue: ___ Faire (medieval-themed festival, informally)
Answer: REN

12A clue: Athlete from Cleveland or the University of Virginia
Answer: CAVALIER

17A clue: Kind of bathing suit
Answer: ONEPIECE

18A clue: Musical whizzes
Answer: MAESTROS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Certain gender identity
Answer: CIS

2D clue: Holy object sought in the first «Indiana Jones» movie
Answer: ARK

3D clue: ___ pride
Answer: GAY

4D clue: Completely surrounds
Answer: ENWRAPS

5D clue: Like a cozy campsite on a cool autumn night, say
Answer: FIRELIT

6D clue: Washington’s Mount ___, the highest peak in the Cascades
Answer: RAINIER

7D clue: Sinus-treating doctor, for short
Answer: ENT

8D clue: Opposite of WNW
Answer: ESE

12D clue: _ _ _mon URL ending
Answer: COM

13D clue: De Armas who starred in 2025’s «Ballerina»
Answer: ANA

14D clue: Shape of flying geese
Answer: VEE

15D clue: Prefix with friendly
Answer: ECO

16D clue: Restaurant booking, informally
Answer: RES

Technologies

Kim Kardashian Denies the Moon Landing and NASA Corrects Her Publicly

It’s one reality TV actor versus another, as Real World alum and acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy tells Kardashian she’s wrong.

NASA says we’ve been to the moon six times. Kim Kardashian says the first time was faked. On a recent episode of The Kardashians, the reality-show star was chatting with actress Sarah Paulson about astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. That’s when Kardashian revealed she doesn’t believe the 1969 moon landing is real.

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In an interview, Aldrin was asked about the scariest moment of the Apollo 11 mission. Kardashian quotes his reply, «There was no scary moment because it didn’t happen. It could’ve been scary, but it wasn’t because it didn’t happen.»

It’s unclear which interview this was, or what exactly Aldrin was referring to, although it seems like he’s saying a certain frightening moment didn’t come to pass. But Kardashian took the quote to mean the entire moon landing was a hoax that Aldrin chose to reveal via that one quote.

«So I think (the moon landing) didn’t happen,» she said.

NASA acting administrator (and former participant on reality show The Real World) Sean Duffy took exception to the sentiment, replying on X «Yes, Kim Kardashian, we’ve been to the moon before…6 times!»

Yes, @KimKardashian, we’ve been to the Moon before… 6 times!
And even better: @NASAArtemis is going back under the leadership of @POTUS.
We won the last space race and we will win this one too 🇺🇸🚀
🎥: Hulu pic.twitter.com/CkexEEPFSv

— NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy (@SecDuffyNASA) October 30, 2025

The US did in fact land on the moon on July 20, 1969, with Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong both walking on the lunar surface. Armstrong died in 2012. Aldrin is now 95.

In 2002, Aldrin, then 72, punched a conspiracy theorist who tried to get him to swear the moon landings was faked.

«We won the last space race and we will win this one too!» Duffy told Kardashian on X. He later invited her to an upcoming launch at Kennedy Space Center, though she did not immediately accept.

Kardashian did not respond to a request for comment.