Galaxy Z Fold 5 is thinner and lighter, but comes at a cost

Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event, which was held for the first time in its hometown of Seoul, South Korea.

The next-generation foldable phone arrives with a brighter screen, faster internals, and a thinner design. Samsung has managed to shed 10g in weight and 2.4mm in thickness compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, largely thanks to an improved hinge mechanism.

Aside from its slimmer waistline and some stylish new colours, Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks almost identical to its predecessor – so don’t expect a complete overhaul of the design.

Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 5 alongside a slew of other handsets, including Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Watch 6, and Galaxy Tab S9 series. Preorders for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 start today, with the first foldable due to ship on August 11, 2023.

If you’re looking to upgrade to the Fold 5, there are a number of generous preorder deals. For a limited time, Samsung will double the built-in storage, so you’ll pocket the 512GB model for the same price as the 256GB variant, or the maxed-out 1TB handset for the price of 512GB. You’ll also bag a one-year subscription to Disney+ for free worth £79.90 for free.

For a limited time, Samsung will double the storage at no extra cost, so you’ll get 512GB and 1TB models of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for £100 and £200 less, respectively. Not only that, but Samsung is bundling a one-year subscription to Disney+ worth £79.90 and up to £650 off when you trade-in your current phone!

If you’re happy to part ways with your current handset, Samsung is also offering discounts of up to £650 when you trade-in at checkout too.

You’ll want to make sure you find the best Galaxy Z Fold 5 deal available since Samsung has increased the starting price in the UK this time around. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 starts from £1,749 for 256GB of storage, rising to £2,049 for the maxed-out 1TB model. For comparison, Galaxy Z Fold 4 was priced at £1,649 when it launched last summer.

Speaking about the launch, James Kitto, VP Head of MX Division for Samsung UK and Ireland, said: “We know that when customers get our latest foldable devices into their hands, with their innovative design and industry-leading features, they won’t be able to put them down. Few other possessions work as hard as the phone in your pocket, and it’s increasingly integral to our daily lives.

“Not only do our consumers expect their phone to withstand the daily demands from a durability perspective, but they want their smartphone to reflect their personality. Our latest foldable range offers a next-generation smartphone for every taste and lifestyle.”

What’s new with Galaxy Z Fold 5?

If you’re familiar with previous iterations of the Fold, the design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t be a huge surprise.

You’ll still find an edge-to-edge 6.2-inch Cover Screen on the outside, 7.6-inch AMOLED folding touchscreen that unfurls like a paperback, and six cameras just as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Instead of a radical redesign, Galaxy Z Fold 5 is all about small refinements to improve the overall experience.

Powering the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – a customised version of the chipset designed specifically for Samsung devices. That’s the same processor you’ll find inside the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy S23 Ultra. In the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung says the Qualcomm-built chipset unlocks speedier performance and longer battery life.

Samsung has increased the size of the cooling system inside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to keep everything cool during marathon gaming sessions.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 arrives with improvements to the displays, with brightness increased from 1,000- to 1,200nits. Better yet, peak brightness has risen from 1,300- to 1,750nits compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. That means using the handset outdoors shouldn’t be an issue – even in direct sunlight.

Like the handset, Samsung has put the S Pen stylus on a diet too 

Out of the box, Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs the latest version of Samsung’s One UI software, which is based on the latest version of Android. Samsung promises five years of software support with its smartphones, so you’ll benefit from exciting new features and security updates for years to come.

Samsung now displays your four most frequently-used apps in the Taskbar that runs along the bottom of the foldable 7.6-inch screen at all times. This tweak is designed to make jumping between frequently-used apps much easier. You can also hold-and-drag an app from the Taskbar to kickstart splitscreen multitasking. Galaxy Z Fold 5 supports a maximum of three apps running simultaneously for maximum productivity on the move.

Like the handset itself, Samsung has put its S Pen Fold Edition on a diet too.

This means the Slim S Pen Case, which has a dedicated slot to store the digital stylus when it’s not in use, is now just a fraction thicker than a regular case for the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

For those who rely on the S Pen to sign PDFs, annotate screenshots, doodle or make handwritten notes, this new compact design (41% slimmer, Samsung tells us) is sure to save a lot of space in pockets and bags.

Samsung has signed an exclusive partnership with GoodNotes, the most popular note-taking app on iPad and iPhone, to bring this popular software over to the Galaxy Z Fold for the first time.

Finally, Galaxy Z Fold 5 includes more recycled materials than any previous generation of the handset, including pre-consumer recycled glass and aluminium and post-consumer recycled plastics, sourced from discarded fishing nets, water barrels, and bottles.

For a limited time, Samsung will double the storage at no extra cost, so you’ll get 512GB and 1TB models of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for £100 and £200 less, respectively. Not only that, but Samsung is bundling a one-year subscription to Disney+ worth £79.90 and up to £650 off when you trade-in your current phone!

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