We tried the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 — is it worth the preorder?

While the Galaxy Z Flip 5 gives Samsung’s clamshell smartphone a notable face-lift for 2023, its more expensive and bigger sibling — the Galaxy Z Fold 5 — is more of an iterative improvement by comparison. The latest version of Samsung’s high-end foldable, which morphs from phone to tablet on the fly, keeps the same core design as the previous few generations while promising better durability, faster performance and a handful of new software perks.

That’s not such a bad thing considering that last year’s Z Fold 4 is one of the best foldable phones we’ve ever tested, but it does make this year’s installment a bit unexciting for eager upgraders — especially now that Google’s impressive Pixel Fold is in the mix. Can Samsung’s most expensive phone still compete? Here’s what we think after some early hands-on time.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 preorders and release date

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available for preorder now starting at $1,800 in your choice of Icy Blue, Phantom Black or Cream (there are also gray and blue variations that are exclusive to Samsung’s website). The phone will be widely available on Aug. 11.

Folks who preorder via Samsung will get $50 off as well as a free upgrade from 256GB to 512GB of storage. You can also save up to $1,000 with an eligible trade-in. If you choose to bundle your new foldable with Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S9 or Galaxy Watch 6, you’ll save up to $540, thanks to various combo deals.

Best Buy and Amazon are also offering a free storage upgrade, and you’ll score a $200 gift card to either retailer when you preorder from their respective stores.

More of a good thing

Aside from some new color options and a slightly reworked camera setup, it’s easy to mistake the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for last year’s model. That’s not entirely bad — Samsung’s pricey foldable looks and feels as great as ever — but it also leaves some of our previous criticisms of the device unanswered.

Despite its seemingly unchanged design, the Z Fold 5 does promise a more durable, slimmer and sleeker design, thanks in part to a new “Flex Hinge” that allows the phone to fold completely flat without any awkward gaps. I’m a fan of the new colors — particularly that smooth Icy Blue — though I wish the Fold also came in some of the more fun hues found on the Z Flip 5, such as Mint and Lavender.

Samsung says that the phone’s tablet-esque, 7.6-inch main display is more than 30% brighter than last year’s model; we’ll have to put the two side by side to test that claim, but the Z Fold 5’s screen was a treat to use in my limited hands-on time. YouTube videos and images looked bold and bright, thanks to Samsung’s AMOLED tech, and the display’s 120Hz refresh rate made scrolling through webpages feel satisfyingly fluid. The Z Fold 5’s candy bar-esque, 6.2-inch cover display continues to look sharp and work well when the phone is folded. However, this extra-slim design may be less appealing to some folks compared to the new Google Pixel Fold, which has a wider cover screen that makes it feel more like a traditional smartphone when you have it folded up.

The new Fold is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which means you should expect the same fast speeds for everyday multitasking that we enjoyed on the Galaxy S23. I frequently hopped between as many as four apps at once in split-screen mode without a stutter, and the console-quality action of Genshin Impact ran smoothly, save for a few hiccups here and there.

The Z Fold 5’s camera setup is also in line with that of the Galaxy S23, which should lead to great photos in any environment, particularly when it comes to low-light and zoomed-in shots. And as always, the Z Fold’s uniquely flexible design lets you use these advanced rear cameras for super-sharp selfies or prop the phone up on a table for easy, hands-free TikToks.

There are a few notable software perks for this year’s model, including a hidden pop-up feature that lets you, say, watch a video in full screen while talking to friends in a small floating window. The Windows-esque Taskbar — which we loved for multitasking on last year’s model — now displays up to four of your most recently used apps, which should make it even better for power users. These seem like features that could come to older Z Fold models via software updates, but they’re exclusive to the Z Fold 5 for now.

The new S Pen designed for the Z Fold 5 is 41% slimmer than last year’s model, and the difference is certainly striking when looking at the two side by side. Unfortunately, the S Pen is still sold separately — either on its own or bundled with Samsung’s S Pen case — which adds an extra expense to a phone that’s already close to $2,000.

The takeaway

If you’re looking to pick up a high-end foldable phone for the first time, or if you’re upgrading from a Z Fold 2 or older, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 could very well end up being the new power-user option to beat. The Z Fold 4 proved to be a true multitasking powerhouse for people who like taking notes and juggling multiple apps at once, and the Z Fold 5 looks to offer an even better version of that experience with a speedier processor, a brighter screen and improved software.

That said, folks who own a Z Fold 3 or 4 won’t find a ton of reasons to upgrade, especially when some of the Z Fold 5’s most promising features could trickle down to the older models via software updates. Those in the market for a phone/tablet hybrid should also consider the Google Pixel Fold, which has a superior front display and is a better choice for those deep in the Google ecosystem. That said, the Pixel Fold’s performance and battery life are already behind last year’s Z Fold 4, which could make the Z Fold 5 the faster, more reliable option in the end. We’ll know for sure once we put it through our paces for a full review in the coming weeks.