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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. 

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023

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. 

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023

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

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Tariffs Explained: Latest on Trump’s Shifting Import Tax Plan, and What It Means

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Apple, I’m (Sky) Blue About Your iPhone 17 Air Color

Commentary: The rumored new hue of the iPhone 17 Air is more sky blah than sky blue.

I can’t help but feel blue about the latest rumor that Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 17 Air will take flight in a subtle, light-hued color called sky blue.

Sky blue isn’t a new color for Apple. It’s the featured shade of the current M4 MacBook Air, a shimmer of cerulean so subtle as to almost be missed. It’s silver left too close to an aquarium; silver that secretly likes to think it’s blue but doesn’t want everyone else to notice.

Do Apple employees get to go outside and see a real blue sky? It’s actually vivid, you can check for yourself. Perhaps the muted sky blue color reflects a Bay Area late winter/early spring frequent layer of clouds like we typically see here in Seattle.

«Who cares?» you might find yourself saying. «Everyone gets a case anyway.» I hear you and everyone else who’s told me that. But design-focused Apple is as obsessive about colors as they are about making their devices thinner. And I wonder if their heads are in the clouds about which hues adorn their pro products.

Making the case for a caseless color iPhone

I’m more invested in this conversation than most — I’m one of those freaks who doesn’t wrap my phone in a case. I find cases bulky and superfluous, and I like to be able to see Apple’s design work. Also, true story, I’ve broken my iPhone screen only twice: First when it was in a «bumper» that Apple sent free in response to the iPhone 4 you’re-holding-it-wrong Antennagate fiasco, and second when trying to take long exposure starry night photos using what I didn’t realize was a broken tripod mount. My one-week-old iPhone 13 Pro slipped sideways and landed screen-first on a pointy rock. A case wouldn’t have saved it.

My current model is an iPhone 16 Pro in black titanium — which I know seems like avoiding color entirely — but previously I’ve gone for colors like blue titanium and deep purple. I wanted to like deep purple the most but it came across as, in the words of Patrick Holland in his iPhone 14 Pro review, «a drab shade of gray or like Grimace purple,» depending on the light.

Pros can be bold, too

Maybe the issue is too many soft blues. Since the iPhone Pro age began with the iPhone 11 Pro, we’ve seen variations like blue titanium (iPhone 15 Pro), sierra blue (iPhone 13 Pro) and pacific blue (iPhone 12 Pro).

Pacific blue is the boldest of the bunch, if by bold you mean dark enough to discern from silver, but it’s also close enough to that year’s graphite color that seeing blue depends on the surrounding lighting. By comparison, the blue (just «blue») color of the iPhone 12 was unmistakably bright blue.

In fact, the non-Pro lines have embraced vibrant colors. It’s as if Apple is equating «pro» with «sophisticated,» as in «A real pro would never brandish something this garish.» I see this in the camera world all the time: If it’s not all-black, it’s not a «serious» camera.

And yet I know lots of pros who are not sophisticated — proudly so. People choose colors to express themselves, so forcing that idea of professionalism through color feels needlessly restrictive. A bright pink iPhone 16 might make you smile every time you pick it up but then frown because it doesn’t have a telephoto camera.

Color is also important because it can sway a purchase decision. «I would buy a sky blue iPhone yesterday,» my colleague Gael Cooper texted after the first rumor popped online. When each new generation of iPhones arrive, less technically different than the one before, a color you fall in love with can push you into trading in your perfectly-capable model for a new one.

And lest you think Apple should just stick with black and white for its professional phones: Do you mean black, jet black, space black, midnight black, black titanium, graphite or space gray? At least the lighter end of the spectrum has stuck to just white, white titanium and silver over the years.

Apple never got ahead by being beige

I’m sure Apple has reams of studies and customer feedback that support which colors make it to production each year. Like I said, Apple’s designers are obsessive (in a good way). And I must remind myself that a sky blue iPhone 17 Air is a rumored color on a rumored product so all the usual caveats apply.

But we’re talking about Apple here. The scrappy startup that spent more than any other company on business cards at the time because each one included the old six-color Apple logo. The company that not only shaped the first iMac like a tipped-over gumdrop, that not only made the case partially see-through but then made that cover brilliant Bondi blue.

Embrace the iPhone colors, Apple.

If that makes you nervous, don’t worry: Most people will put a case on it anyway.

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Astronomers Say There’s an Increased Possibility of Life on This Distant Planet

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are working to confirm potential evidence of life on a distant exoplanet dubbed K2-18b.

Astronomers are nearing a statistically significant finding that could confirm the potential signs of life detected on the distant exoplanet K2-18b are no accident.

The team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, used data from the James Webb Space Telescope (which has only been in use since the end of 2021) to detect chemical traces of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), which they say can only be produced by life such as phytoplankton in the sea. 

According to the university, «the results are the strongest evidence yet that life may exist on a planet outside our solar system.»

The findings were published this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and point to the possibility of an ocean on this planet’s surface, which scientists have been hoping to discover for years. In the abstract for the paper, the team says, «The possibility of hycean worlds, with planet-wide oceans and H2-rich atmospheres, significantly expands and accelerates the search for habitable environments elsewhere.»

Not everyone agrees, however, that what the team found proves there’s life on the exoplanet.

Science writer and OpenMind Magazine founder Corey S. Powell posted about the findings on Bluesky, writing, «The potential discovery of alien life is so enticing that it drags even reputable outlets into running naive or outright misleading stories.» He added, «Here we go again with planet K2-18b.Um….there’s strong evidence of non-biological sources of the molecule DMS.»

K2-18b is 124 light-years away and much larger than Earth (more than eight times our mass), but smaller than Neptune. The search for signs of even basic life on a planet like this increases the chances that there are more planets like Earth that may be inhabitable, with temperatures and atmospheres that could sustain human-like lifeforms. The team behind the paper hopes that more study with the James Webb Space Telescope will help confirm their initial findings.

More research to do on finding life on K2-18b

The exoplanet K2-18b is not the only place where scientists are exploring the possibility of life, and this research is still an early step in the process, said Christopher Glein, a geochemist, planetary researcher and lead scientist at San Antonio’s Southwest Research Institute. Excitement over the significance of the research, he said, should be tempered.

«We need to be careful here,» Glein said. «It appears that there is something in the data that can’t be explained, and DMS/DMDS can provide an explanation. But this detection is stretching the limits of JWST’s capabilities.»

Glein added, «Further work is needed to test whether these molecules are actually present. We also need complementary research assessing the abiotic background on K2-18b and similar planets. That is, the chemistry that can occur in the absence of life in this potentially exotic environment. We might be seeing evidence of some cool chemistry rather than life.»

The TRAPPIST-1 planets, he said, are being researched as potentially habitable, as is LHS 1140b, which he said «is another astrobiologically significant exoplanet, which might be a massive ocean world.»

As for K2-18b, Glein said many more tests need to be performed before there’s consensus on life existing on it.

«Finding evidence of life is like prosecuting a case in the courtroom,» Glein said. «Multiple independent lines of evidence are needed to convince the jury, in this case the worldwide scientific community.» He added, «If this finding holds up, then that’s Step 1.»

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