Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is here: Price, specs, features, and all you need to know

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is finally here after months of rumors and leaks, and it’s a similarly high-end foldable phone as its predecessor.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5!

Galaxy Z Fold 5: Release date, price, colors, and availability

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 26 in Seoul, Korea. This marks the first time Samsung held a global Unpacked event for foldables in its home country.

This wasn’t the only foldable announced on the day, as the company also announced the Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the event. Furthermore, the brand launched the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 line at the event.

Price

Expect to pay $1,799 for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in the United States, in line with previous models. That price gets you a 12GB/256GB variant. Want more storage? Then you can also get a 12GB/512GB model or a 12GB/1TB variant, setting you back $1,919.99 and $2,159.99 respectively.

Aside from the usual retailers in the US, the phone is also available via Samsung’s network partners. This includes AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and MVNOs. These partners often have their own pre-order perks and promotions, so you might want to check them all out before pulling the trigger on a purchase.

The new Fold will also be available in Europe and the UK starting at €1,899 and £1,749 respectively. The 512GB model will set you back €2,019 and £1,849 respectively. Meanwhile, the 1TB model is pegged at €2,259 in Europe and £2,049 in the UK. If you live in other countries, you might be able to find the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for much cheaper.

Availability and pre-orders

You can pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 5 from July 26, with open sales taking place from August 11.

Samsung’s folding Android phones are the most widely available foldables in the world, and this applies to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 as well. Expect to find it in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and more. That’s a huge change from the likes of the Google Pixel Fold or HONOR Magic V line, which saw far more limited releases.

As for pre-order bonuses, anyone buying directly from Samsung in the US will get up to $1,000 off the Galaxy Z Fold 5 with an eligible trade-in, as well as 30% off Samsung Care Plus — Samsung’s repair and insurance service. In addition, those grabbing a base 256GB model on pre-order will get a free upgrade to the 512GB model.

Colors

Expect to find the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in Cream, Icy Blue, and Phantom Black color options. The phone is also available in Gray and Blue via Samsung.com, although these colorways won’t be available in all countries.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Features

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 brings plenty of features to the table, as you’d expect from a pricey foldable. Here are the most notable features, although many will be familiar to you.

Camera

Those expecting brand-new cameras will undoubtedly be disappointed, as we’ve got the same triple rear camera system as the previous generation Galaxy Z Fold 4. That means a 50MP main camera (ƒ/1.8, one-micron pixel size, OIS), a 12MP ultrawide lens (ƒ/2.2, 1.12-micron pixel size), and a 10MP 3x telephoto shooter (ƒ/2.4, 30x digital zoom, OIS).

Samsung is also offering the same 10MP selfie camera on the smartphone screen and the same 4MP under-display selfie camera on the folding screen.

Needless to say, the company will be leaning on software tuning and the upgraded chipset to deliver improved image quality. Speaking of that chipset.

Software features

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes with One UI 5.1.1 atop Android 13, but there isn’t much new here, though. Arguably, the most notable addition is the two-handed drag-and-drop functionality for file sharing between app windows. We also get up to four recent apps shown in the taskbar.

Otherwise, you’ve got the same foldable software experience here. That’s disappointing if you were hoping for loads of upgrades, but One UI is still arguably the best Android skin for foldables out there.

For the update policy, Samsung also offers four major OS upgrades and five years of security patches — it doesn’t get any better than that in the Android world.

Performance

Undoubtedly the biggest improvement on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has to be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor. This is the same chipset seen in the Galaxy S23 series, and we thought these phones delivered a ton of horsepower. Does the same performance translate to the foldable? Yes and no. In our Galaxy Z Fold 5 review, we enjoyed the high peak performance of the chipset, but it’s ultimately held back by aggressive throttling.

The new Fold is also equipped with 12GB of RAM, in line with its predecessor. This should be more than enough for most tasks and games. Otherwise, you’re getting 256GB of base storage, with 512GB and 1TB options.

Display

You shouldn’t expect any significant changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s screens compared to last year’s foldable. That means you’re stuck with the same 6.2-inch smartphone display (23.1:9 aspect ratio, 2,316 x 904) and the same 7.6-inch folding screen (21.6:18 aspect ratio, 2,176 x 1,812).

The smartphone screen’s aspect ratio means we’re stuck with the same tall and narrow display as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This is ideal for scrolling through feeds, but rival foldables have adopted a more conventional aspect ratio closer to a traditional smartphone screen. It’s also worth noting that while Samsung has slightly reduced the size of the crease on the Z Fold 5’s folding display, it’s not a major difference.

If there is any consolation, it’s that the folding screen has a higher peak brightness this time around (1,700 nits). But we’re still at 1,250 nits for high brightness mode. Samsung isn’t touting tougher folding screens this year, either.

Design and build quality

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 does enjoy a slightly slimmer folded design compared to the Z Fold 4, but you’re looking at roughly the same dimensions when unfurled. Even when only taking the folded thickness into account, it’s not in contention for the thinnest foldable by any stretch of the imagination.

The new foldable still maintains that Armor Aluminum frame, complete with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the smartphone display and the rear cover. Samsung is also bringing a new hinge to the table, enabling a zero-gap design in theory and a slightly thinner folded form factor.

You’ve still got an IPX8 rating, meaning the phone isn’t rated for dust resistance but is water resistant. Samsung says the phone is rated for 200,000 folds by Bureau Veritas, but there’s no word if this applies to the hinge only or the screen as well.

Battery

Another area that sees virtually no changes is the foldable’s battery, bringing the same 4,400mAh battery as last year’s Fold. This is paired with a more efficient processor, so we’re expecting slightly better endurance. Still, if you were unimpressed with the Fold 3 or Fold 4’s battery life, you shouldn’t hold your breath for game-changing improvements here.

Speaking of a lack of improvements, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 also sticks to 25W wired charging and Samsung’s Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 solution. And no, there’s no bundled charger, so you’ll need to purchase your own compatible charger.

Does the Galaxy Z Fold 5 come with an S Pen?

No, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 doesn’t come with an S Pen in the box. Fortunately, you can buy one separately, though we’ve yet to see the pricing. With the stylus being 41% thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 stylus.

Samsung is also selling a Slim S Pen Case, giving you a place to keep your S Pen. And yes, that means the Z Fold 5 doesn’t come with an integrated S Pen slot.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs

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