Technologies

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Hands-On: Bigger Display, More Personal Customizations

Samsung’s new flip phone gets a bigger cover screen and a redesigned hinge, improving on its biggest shortcomings.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 5 gains a significantly larger cover screen, an upgraded hinge and a new processor that should improve performance and photography, addressing some of the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s biggest shortcomings. It launches on Aug. 11 starting at $1,000 (£1,049, AU$1,649), showing that consumers still have to pay a high price to get their hands on phones that fold in half.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s biggest upgrade is its new cover display, which I found compelling during my brief time using the device. With this upgrade, the external display actually feels functional and useful rather than just cosmetic, helping Samsung’s flip phone catch up to those made by Motorola and Chinese tech giant Oppo.

Samsung introduced the new flip phone at its Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul on Wednesday, alongside a bevy of other products such as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Watch 6 series and Galaxy Tab S9 family. The launch underscores Samsung’s bet that foldable designs are the future of high-end smartphones, especially as a differentiator to Apple just ahead of iPhone launch season.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cover display, which Samsung now calls the Flex Window, measures 3.4 inches compared to the Z Flip 4’s 1.9-inch external display. That makes it just slightly smaller than the 3.6-inch front screen on the Motorola Razr Plus.

Most people will still use the Z Flip 5’s 6.7-inch internal screen for tasks like reading the news, playing games and browsing social media. But the bigger cover display could make the Z Flip more useful in other ways. When I reviewed the Razr Plus, for example, I was enamored with the phone’s spacious cover screen. I loved propping it open like a tent while playing music, and even typing to quickly respond to a text message.

Samsung is attempting to provide a similar experience with the Z Flip 5. During my brief time with it, I scrolled through Google Maps, typed in the messages app and even watched the Barbie movie trailer on YouTube without opening the phone. You can’t do any of that on the Z Flip 4’s cover screen. Although you can on the Razr Plus.

But you won’t be able to use every app on the front display. For the most part, Samsung limits cover screen apps to ones it believes have a good reason to be there, like Google Maps, YouTube and WhatsApp. Samsung wants to focus on use cases that make sense for the cover screen, like quickly checking directions or replying to a text, which is why only about 10 apps will be available on the Flex Window at launch. That differs from the Razr Plus, which can run just about any app (including TikTok) on the front screen.

If you want to try other apps on the cover screen you can install Good Lock, an app for Samsung devices that lets people customize their phones’ interface.

Cover screen apps seamlessly transition to the 6.7-inch internal display when you open the phone. But this doesn’t work the other way around, as it does on the Motorola Razr.

The cover screen feels like it was primarily designed to run widgets more than full apps. These widgets are the first thing you see when turning on the cover screen, and they provide a larger view of the weather, your calendar, alarms, connected device controls and other tidbits of information compared to the Z Flip 4’s minuscule screen. You can remove or reorder these widgets, either on the cover screen or in the phone’s settings menu.

The Z Flip 5 also has a new hinge, which Samsung calls the Flex Hinge. This enables the device to fold completely closed, like the Razr Plus, without the wedge-shaped gap found on previous Galaxy Z Flip and Fold devices.

This not only makes the phone feel more compact, but it should improve durability, according to Samsung. The new hinge has fewer moving parts compared to the previous version, which should make it less susceptible to damage. Both of Samsung’s new foldables have an IPX8 water resistance rating, which should allow them to withstand submersion in 1.5 meters (roughly five feet) of water for up to 30 minutes. That’s the same durability rating as last year’s devices.

The cover screen and hinge are the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s biggest upgrades. Otherwise, the phone gets a routine processor upgrade to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. It’s the same chip that powers the Galaxy S23 lineup, which helped improve the battery life and image processing. I’m looking forward to seeing whether that holds true for the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Samsung is leaning on this chip to shoulder the burden of extending the Z Flip 5’s battery life since it has the same 3,700-mAh battery capacity as the Z Flip 4. The base storage is also increasing from 128GB to 256GB on the Z Flip 5 compared to the Z Flip 4, a change that Samsung also made to the Galaxy S23 Plus earlier this year.

Cameras have always been an important part of the Galaxy Z Flip series, but the Z Flip 5 has similar camera hardware compared to last year’s model. That includes a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 10-megapixel selfie camera. The difference this year is that the cameras have a new lens coating that should reduce lens flare. Hopefully this, combined with the new processor, will improve the Galaxy Z Flip’s cameras from what my colleague Patrick Holland called «B-grade cameras» in his review last year. And of course, the Z Flip 5’s enlarged cover screen also means you’ll have a roomier viewfinder for taking selfies when the phone is closed.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s software experience is largely the same as that of the Z Flip 4, but Samsung added more integrations with its new Galaxy Watch 6. For example, when the camera app is open and you fold the Flip 5 halfway to put it in Flex Mode and you’ll see the icon for the camera controller app pop up on your Galaxy Watch 6’s watch face. This lets you see a preview of what you’re shooting and change angles from your wrist. The app itself isn’t new, but the watch’s ability to surface it when it detects that you’re taking a photo in Flex Mode is.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 feels like Samsung’s attempt to address the previous generation’s biggest compromises: A cover screen that felt too tiny to be useful, a relatively short battery life and a hinge that didn’t fold as flat as some competitors. Whether I’ll recommend this phone depends on how well Samsung executes on that goal.

But most importantly, I hope the cover screen gives the Z Flip 5 a clearer purpose. Having a phone with a built-in tripod that can fit in your pocket more easily is helpful, but it’s not enough to convince most people to switch to a $1,000 flip phone for. The Razr Plus’ larger external display proved that flip phones can be about more than just portability. With the Z Flip 5, I’ll be expecting Samsung to push that idea further.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 specs vs. Motorola Razr Plus, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, Motorola Razr 2023

	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5	Motorola Razr Plus	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 5G	Motorola Razr 2023
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness	Cover: 3.4-inch AMOLED (728 x 720 pixels); internal: 6.7-inch AMOLED (2,640 x 1,080 pixels), 1-120Hz	Cover: 3.6-inch OLED (1,066 x 1,056 pixels); internal: 6.9-inch (2,640 pixels x 1,080)	Cover: 1.9-inch AMOLED (512 x 260 pixels); internal: 6.7-inch (2,640 x 1,080 pixels)	Cover: 1.5-inch, OLED (194 x 368 pixels); internal: 6.9-inch (2,640 pixels x 1,080)
Pixel density	Cover: 306 ppi, Internal: 425 ppi	Cover: 413 ppi, internal: 413ppi	Cover: 302 ppi, internal: 425 ppi	Cover: 282 ppi, internal: 413 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 in; closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 in	Open: 2.91 x 6.73 x 0.28 in; closed: 2.91 x 3.48 x 0.59 in	Open: 2.83 x 3.3 x 0.67 in; closed: 2.83 x 6.5 x 0.27 in; hinge: 0.59 in (sagging)	Open: 2.91 x 6.73 x 0.29 in; closed: 2.91 x 3.47 x 0.62 in
Dimensions (millimeters)	Open: 71.88 x 165.1 x 6.89 mm; closed: 71.88 x 85.09 x 14.99 mm	Open: 73.95 x 170.83 x 6.99 mm; closed: 73.95 x 88.42 x 15.1 mm	Open: 71.9 x 165.2 x 6.9 mm; closed: 71.9 x 84.9 x 17.1 mm; hinge: 15.9 mm (sagging);	Open: 73.95 x 170.82 x 7.35 mm; closed: 73.95 x 88.24 x 15.8 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	187 g (6.6 oz)	189 g (6.64 oz)	187 g (6.59 oz)	189 g (6.65 oz)
Mobile software	Android 13	Android 13	Android 12/13	Android 13
Camera	12-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)	12-megapixel (main), 13-megapixel (ultrawide)	12-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)	64-megapixel (main), 13-megapixel (ultrawide)
Front-facing camera	10-megapixel	32-megapixel	10-megapixel	32-megapixel
Video capture	TBD	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1	Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
RAM/storage	8GB + 256GB/512GB	8GB + 256GB	8GB+ 128GB/256GB/512GB	8GB + 128GB
Expandable storage	None	None	None	None
Battery	3,700 mAh (dual-battery)	3,800 mAh	3,700 mAh	4,200 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Side	Side	Side	Side
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None	None	None
Special features	5G-enabled, IPX8 water resistance, 25W wired charging, wireless charging, wireless power share, dual SIM	IP52, 5G-enabled, foldable display, 30W wired charging, wireless charging	IPX8, 5G enabled, foldable display, wireless charging, 25W fast charging	IP52, 5G-enabled, foldable display, 30W wired charging, 5W wireless charging
US price off-contract	$1,000	$1,000	$999	TBA
UK price	£1,049	Converts to £780	£999	TBA
Australia price	AU$1,649	Converts to AU$1,475	AU$1,499	TBA

Technologies

The Duskbloods Is New FromSoftware Gaming Action Coming to Switch 2 in 2026

Talk about a surprise for the new Switch.

FromSoftware had a big day with the Switch 2 Direct. The company revealed a new game called The Duskbloods and confirmed that its smash-hit action RPG Elden Ring is coming to the new console, which launches on June 5 for $450.

The Duskbloods is exclusive to the Switch 2, which was a surprise announcement during the Switch 2 Direct. According to FromSoftware, the game is a player vs. player vs. enemy, or PvPvE, online multiplayer game similar to the developer’s upcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign.

Players will be part of the Bloodsworn, which is a group that has «transcended human strength thanks to their special blood.» Each individual will be playing against each other as well as taking on other foes.

The game features some mainstays for FromSoftware games, with a gothic tone and a focus on gore, like its popular Bloodborne game for the PS4. It does appear that characters have a few more abilities than seen in previous games from the cult developer.

The Duskbloods will release sometime in It will be released in 2026.

The Switch 2 will launch on June 5 and preorders will start on April 9 at retailers. The new console will feature plenty of third-party support, with major games like Borderlands 4, Madden and Civilization 7 coming from other publishers.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, April 3

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 3.

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.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has two similar clues, 5-Across and 6-Across. They both play off the same idea — using the first part of two words to make one, all food-related. I didn’t get that at first, so I struggled with those two clues. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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 at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Hit the ___ (go to bed)
Answer: SACK

5A clue: Misleading name for a sub/shish kebab restaurant?
Answer: SUSHI

6A clue: Misleading name for a taco/pasta restaurant?
Answer: TAPAS

7A clue: Certain sports bets
Answer: OVERS

8A clue: Cooped (up)
Answer: PENT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Almost *too* sophisticated and charming
Answer: SUAVE

2D clue: Upscale Colorado skiing destination
Answer: ASPEN

3D clue: Word after bar or pie
Answer: CHART

4D clue: Smooch
Answer: KISS

5D clue: Word on an eight-sided traffic sign
Answer: STOP

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2: Everything We Know About the Console, New Games, Release Date

The $450 console will get Mario Kart World at launch, 4K gaming when docked, Switch 2 Edition game enhancements and new mouse controls.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday morning as part of the company’s Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs, and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.

The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.

Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.

Nintendo Switch 2 console

The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.

The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.

The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.

The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.

Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.

Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.

Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat

Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.

In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles

The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.

Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.

Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.

Nintendo Switch 2 games

Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.

An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:

Borderlands 4
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Deltarune
Donkey Kong Bananza
Drag x Drive
EA Sports FC
EA Sports Madden NFL
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
Enter the Gungeon 2
Fast Fusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Fortnite
Hades 2
Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
NBA 2K
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Project 007
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Split Fiction
Star Wars Outlaws
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
Survival Kids
The Duskbloods
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
WWE 2K
Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition

Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.

Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.