Samsung Galaxy Fold5 review: are foldable smartphones finally ripe?

Galaxy Fold5 is a new flagship from Samsung, with which the company continues to develop the line of foldable smartphones created just 4 years ago. During this time, the manufacturer’s models with flexible screens have made a huge leap in quality and capabilities. And although, at first glance, it may seem that the changes in the new model are not very big, we are actually witnessing the maturation of this category of smartphones. Let’s find out what this process brings with it in our extensive review of Galaxy Fold5.

Galaxy Fold5 specifications

Design and usability

For several generations of Galaxy Fold, Samsung has been using a generally similar design, gradually improving it with new engineering advances.

This is also the case with Fold5, where the folded body of the smartphone has become thinner due to the use of a new hinge that reduced the number of components. This resulted in not only a smaller but also lighter design, which had a positive impact on both the thickness and weight of the smartphone.

When folded, there is no longer a large gap between the halves of the Galaxy Fold5 case, through which dust often accumulated in previous generations of Fold. Not that this has any negative impact on the use of the smartphone, but it was quite funny when you take the device out of your pocket, open it and have to blow dust off the screen.

We managed to solve this problem with the new design. But not only that, if you take Fold4 in one hand and Fold5 in the other, the body of the smartphones feels completely different.

Thanks to its uniform and reduced thickness of 13.4 mm, the new device fits much better in the hand and feels more balanced at 253 grams. At the same time, the redesigned hinge design has not lost its ability to hold the flexible screen halves together.

Traditionally for its flagships of recent years, Samsung uses premium materials in the Galaxy Fold5.

When folded, the front panel with a 6.2-inch display and the back are covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the body frame and the outer part of the hinge are made of aircraft aluminum.

When the device is opened, the user has access to a larger 7.6-inch flexible screen covered with a protective film.

I don’t know what it’s made of, but since the previous generation of Fold4, it’s become harder to scratch, which is in stark contrast to the first generations of the model, where the film was covered with scratches even with careful use. So I would say that there has been some progress in reliability. But, as before, you should not press on the internal flexible screen with hard, sharp objects or fingernails to avoid damaging both the protective film and the screen itself.

In general, the design of Galaxy Fold5 has not changed dramatically, but it has become more pleasant to use. In addition, it is worth noting the new colors: in addition to the traditional Phantom Black, Samsung also offers the model in Cream and Clear Blue.

It is in the latter that the copy that came to me for review was made, and it is personally my favorite among the Fold5 colors.

Like the previous generation, the new smartphone is IPX8 waterproof; due to the movable hinge design, Samsung does not yet certify its foldable devices for dust resistance. And although the device has some protection against small particles, such as special lint in the hinge that prevents dust from entering it, it is better not to sprinkle sand on its body.

Displays

Traditionally for the Fold series, the new product offers the user two screens. External Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a resolution of 2316×904 dots, refresh rate from 48 to 120 Hz for work on the go.

And the main flexible 7.6-inch Infinity Flex screen with a resolution of 2176 x 1812 dots and a frequency of 1 to 120 Hz. An innovation for this model is an increase in maximum brightness to 1300 nits in normal mode and up to 1750 nits in automatic mode.

Thanks to the increased brightness, both screens are easy to read even in bright sunlight, and they deliver high-quality images. In the settings, the user can choose from two display options: saturated or natural colors. In the first case, the screen provides 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, and in the second case, 100% of sRGB.

Other screen settings include the advanced Eye Comfort option, which changes the color temperature to a warmer one to reduce the level of blue light and, consequently, reduce eye strain.

As with the Fold series models, the new product has a noticeable break line when viewed from an angle. You can also feel it when you run your finger over it, but I can’t say that it causes any inconvenience. You stop noticing the break of the flexible screen on the next day of use, because it is almost invisible if you look directly at the display.

Another feature of Galaxy Fold5 is the support of a special S Pen by the internal flexible display.

It’s sold as a separate accessory and is designed to not damage the film that covers the screen. This year’s S Pen is much more compact and can now be tucked away in a special Samsung case, making it easier to carry around.

Platform and work speed

The smartphone is built on the Qualcomm platform with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which has slightly overclocked frequencies specifically for Galaxy and uses Adreno 740 graphics. The chip is complemented by 12 GB of RAM and 256, 512 GB or 1 TB of built-in fast UFS 4.0 memory, which is twice as fast as UFS 3.1 and more energy efficient.

Today, it is the fastest platform available in Android flagships, so users can expect a high level of performance in everyday tasks and games.

Interestingly, in synthetic tests such as PCMark and Geekbench 6, Galaxy Fold5 even slightly outperforms Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, since the release of the photo flagship, the company has managed to work on the software. As a result, Fold5 scores 16,374 points in PCMark, and 2,028 points in single-threaded and 5,273 points in multi-threaded mode in Geekbench 6.

In the graphics tests, the situation is the opposite, Samsung engineers needed to maximize the space in the Galaxy Fold5 case to accommodate all the components, so there was no room for a larger cooling system like in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Therefore, in the synthetic 3DMark Wild Life Extreme tests, Samsung’s flagship with a flexible screen scores 3,102 points, while during my testing, the S23 Ultra scored 3,792 points.

During the 3DMark stability test, which simulates a 20-minute gaming session with a high load, the processor temperature reaches a maximum of 45 degrees Celsius. The body of the device becomes noticeably warm, but not hot. Out of 20 cycles, Fold5’s best score is 3,777 points, and the worst is 1,853 points. We have typical smartphone trotting, however, even in the worst cycle the result is still very high.

In real use, the user will not notice any delays in mobile games. It is also worth noting that it is very convenient to play strategy and platforming games on the internal screen of a smartphone.

Other features of the Galaxy Fold5 platform include Bluetooth 5.3 wireless modules (A2DP, LE, aptX HD), NFC, Wi-Fi 6e and UWB. The navigation system uses the signal from the GPS, GALILEO, and BDS satellite systems.

Software and multitasking

Very often in the context of smartphones, we talk about multitasking capabilities, when the user can quickly switch between programs, or even place several of them on one screen. The same can be said about Galaxy Fold5, but this smartphone is simply a champion of multitasking.

But I’ll start with an equally important aspect of using this foldable smartphone, and that is the so-called “continuity”, when, while performing an action on the external screen, the user can open the device and continue working on the larger display. And vice versa. It’s really super convenient. For example, you have been sent an email with an Excel file attached, in which you need to check the numbers, and it is much easier to do this on a large screen. And the good thing is that with Galaxy Fold5 it’s always at hand.

The almost tablet-sized display gives the device an advantage not only when you need to work with data in a table or read a large document, but also when you need to see information in several windows at the same time. They can be placed side by side or one above the other. Moreover, you can even open an application in a separate window on top of all the others. For example, if you need to monitor certain indicators or statistics.

Managing the arrangement of several programs on one screen in Galaxy Fold5 is very convenient, the smartphone itself offers one or another part of the display. And after both applications are next to or above each other, the user can change the proportions of the windows, making one of them larger or smaller.

Many Android smartphones have similar functionality, but to be honest, on monoblock devices there is no particular desire to use it, while on the large screen of Fold5 it seems logical. You can simply drag and drop text or photos from one window to another. However, there is a nuance here, because not all third-party applications support this feature. For example, you can easily drag and drop a photo into a presentation. But you can’t do the same with Telegram.

In general, support for programs for “tablet” screens in Android has become much better over the past few years, applications are adequately scaled, but more often provide an extended interface, such as two columns in the Outlook email client, the size of which can also be changed depending on the need. The only application I actively use that is not very “friendly” with the larger Galaxy Fold5 screen is Nova Poshta: the program simply cannot correctly detect the screen position, but I hope that the company will fix it soon.

Another multitasking-friendly element of the Galaxy Fold5 interface is the taskbar, which is located at the bottom of the display and is shown in all programs, although it can be hidden. However, despite the fact that it takes up some of the screen area, the panel provides quick access to applications and program menus. The user can pin 8 icons of the applications they need, and 4 more will be displayed from the most recently used ones. By dragging an icon from the panel, it can be opened in a neighboring window with the program you are currently using.

It is a bit like the taskbar of desktop operating systems, although the functionality is less.

In general, the Galaxy Fold5 allows you to effectively use the larger internal screen, both in terms of multitasking capabilities and thanks to better support for its programs from third-party developers. This is in stark contrast to the first generation Fold, which made me feel like a beta tester who was given a larger display but not given the opportunity to use it effectively. In this respect, Fold5 really feels like a mature product.

As for the device’s operating system, it runs on Android 13 with Samsung’s proprietary One UI 5.1.1 interface, which provides all the above features. But otherwise, it is the same user-friendly shell with a lot of customization options and smooth animations. What’s also nice is Samsung’s extended support for updates. Galaxy Fold5 will receive 4 more releases of the Android operating system, meaning it can be updated to Android 17 in 2027.

Cameras

The Fold line has never tried to compete with the S Ultra flagships in terms of camera resolution or zoom. But users have always been able to count on a stable and quite high-quality result when taking pictures. This strategy of Samsung has not changed with the release of the Galaxy Fold5, the smartphone has the same camera characteristics as last year’s model, as well as the S23 and S23+.

The device offers three modules:

• 50-megapixel wide-angle, ƒ/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization;
• 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120° viewing angle, ƒ/2.2 aperture and electronic stabilization;
• 10-megapixel telephoto with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 3x optical zoom.

These are time-tested cameras that provide good image quality, but depending on the conditions.

The most versatile is the main 50-megapixel module, which, by combining pixels into larger blocks, is able to capture more light and therefore more information. By default, this camera takes 12-megapixel photos. During the day, they have good detail and a wide dynamic range.

As the amount of light decreases, the camera begins to rely more on software and post-processing, and the amount of noise increases, but the module allows you to take good pictures, as for a smartphone.

The ultra-wide-angle module allows you to capture more of the scene and performs well during the day.

In lower light conditions, a lot depends on the conditions, because the smaller aperture and lack of optical stabilization do not allow the module to capture light on par with the main camera. However, the software partially compensates for this drawback.

The telephoto camera provides a 3x optical zoom and in hybrid mode can take pictures up to 30x zoom. This expands the possibilities of shooting from a single point and allows you to get good quality photos in sufficient light.

Night photography is more difficult for a telephoto camera, because despite optical stabilization, the aperture is even smaller than in the ultra-wide-angle module. So although the post-processing algorithms try to stretch the image, when you zoom in, you can see that they lack the information to provide better detail.

In general, the camera capabilities of Galaxy Fold5 are at a good level, plus thanks to its format, the device offers more opportunities to take pictures of yourself. After all, during shooting, the image can be displayed on both screens, and you can also use half of the body as a stand.

The smartphone allows you to shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second and 8K at 30 frames per second. At the same time, it is worth noting quite good stabilization.

Galaxy Fold5 has two selfie cameras at once. A 10-megapixel f/2.2 camera is located in the outer screen notch, and a 4-megapixel f/1.8 camera is located in the upper right part of the flexible display, hidden behind the pixels. At its location, they have a lower density and turn off when the module is activated.

The 10-megapixel camera provides generally good quality selfie shots, but is sensitive to lighting conditions.

The 4-megapixel module takes less detailed pictures and is better suited for video calls where picture quality is less critical.

Speakers and vibration

Galaxy Fold5 has two speakers located on the top and bottom of the case, their grilles have become a little more compact, but the sound is still one of the best in smartphones.

The speakers are very loud and provide good volume, not least because they are two full-fledged radiators, and not just the earpiece speaker playing along with the main one.

Despite the fact that the smartphone consists of two halves, the built-in linear motion drive provides a pleasant vibration response with a wide range, both when folded and unfolded.

Autonomy

Like the previous generation, the smartphone has a 4400 mAh battery. By modern standards of Android flagships, this does not seem like much, but Galaxy Fold5 provides more than a day of autonomy in everyday use. This is confirmed by the PCMark test, in which the device lasted 13 hours and 10 minutes, which is not much less than the result of the Galaxy S23 Ultra – 13 hours and 45 minutes.

Galaxy Fold5 can be charged via USB-C, in which case fast charging up to 25 W (50% in 30 minutes) is supported. However, the power supply is not included, the user receives only a charging cable.

The smartphone also supports wireless charging up to 15 W and reverse charging up to 5 W. The latter can come in handy if you also use a Galaxy Watch and need to recharge it on the go.