Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look – slimmer, lighter with beefier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy CPU

At Samsung’s latest Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Korea, they revealed the latest additions to their Galaxy Z series line-up – the productivity oriented Galaxy Z Fold5 and the lifestyle oriented Galaxy Z Flip5 as well as the new Galaxy Watch6 series and Galaxy Tab S9 series tablets.

We managed to get an early preview of both flagship foldable devices for a few moments at a showroom opened for invited guests. Here’s our Galaxy Z Fold5 first look where we share our quick impressions of their latest flagship foldable on the showroom floor.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look

At first blush the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is almost akin to the form factor of the earlier Galaxy Z Fold4 with a similarly sized front 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X front display with 2,316 x 904 pixels resolution and a primary 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex display with QXGA+ (2,176 x 1,812) resolution though subtle differences are apparent up close. 

The phone hosts a triple rear camera array aligned vertically on the backplate along with a front-mounted selfie camera and nigh-invisible under-display camera in the folding display. The biggest giveaway to the Galaxy Z Fold5, apart from the form factor, is its repositioned LED flash that moves it to the side of the camera housing rather than the bottom as seen in the older Fold4.

Repositioned LED flash aside, the new camera array benefits from an AI enhanced image signal processing (ISP) algorithm to offer better shots in dim light conditions. 

While not immediately apparent, both the front and primary folding display have enhanced brightness at up to 1,750 nits peak brightness while retaining 120Hz adaptive refresh rates. At our Galaxy Z Fold5 first look preview event, both the front and main screens retained their clarity under direct sunlight and we weren’t able to fully test its limits in the short moment we had with the phone but we’ll certainly do so once we get our hands on a working sample.

The use of a new, slimmer and lighter Flex Hinge has also contributed to reducing the crease on the main folding display of the Galaxy Z Fold5 by using an innovative dual rail structure. It is much less apparent than what was seen in the prior Galaxy Z Fold4 which will please sticklers of foldable designs. The new hinge design has also gone quite some way to making the chassis slimmer too.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look – The new Galaxy Z Fold5 is noticeably slimmer with a much narrower gap than its predecessor the Fold4 (left) on account of a new interior layout with a new Flex hinge design.

To retain similar screen sizes and aspect ratios as the older Galaxy Z Fold4, the smaller and more compact Galaxy Z Fold5 shaves down the screen bezels even more which makes it quite a triumph of engineering.

When folded, the new Galaxy Z Fold5 is just 13.4mm thin and is just 6.1mm thin when unfolded. Better yet, the reductions in size also offer commensurate weight savings as the phone itself weighs just 253g. These design refinements add up especially for users who tote it around in a pocket all day. 

While our Galaxy Z Fold5 first look revealed a slimmer, lighter phone, it’s just as durable with an IPX8 water resistance rating as well as a chassis hewn from drop resistant Armor Aluminum for the chassis with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 sheathing the front cover display and backplate. 

These reductions in thickness and weight haven’t been at the expense of performance though and the Galaxy Z Fold5 has the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset  that is used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra running under the hood paired with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and your choice of 256GB and 512GB capacities with a 1TB variant as an online exclusive for certain regions. 

Seeing as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset not only runs faster but hotter, Samsung has also implemented a 38% larger vapour chamber for sustained cooling performance.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look – The Fold5 (right) has a larger vapour chamber to accommodate the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy CPU versus the Fold4.

The camera setup is otherwise akin to the Fold4 with a 50MP F/1.8 main rear camera  with OIS, a 10MP F/2.4 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP F/2.2 ultra wide angle camera, a 10MP F/2.2 cover display camera and a 4MP F/1.8 under display camera. 

Also retained is the 4,400mAh battery with 25W wired fast charging that is rated to offer a 50% charge in just 30 minutes along with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 tech and reverse wireless power sharing to charge smaller items like the Galaxy Watch6 series smartwatches.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look is promising indeed as it doesn’t simply reinvent the wheel for the sake of it and improves on what is needed by ardent users, namely better performance, enhanced screen brightness as well as a reduction in weight and size. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look – The flagship foldable uses Armor Aluminium and retains an IPX8 rating for water resistance

At launch the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 will be available in a shade of Icy Blue, Cream and Phantom Black with an online-exclusive shade of Gray and Blue at the Samsung Online store. All five colours will be available for Malaysia along with a slated street date of 18 August 2023 with a preorder period along with the usual goodies for early bird buyers. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 first look – For Malaysia, the Galaxy Z Fold5 will be available in five colourways which are Icy Blue, Phantom Black and Cream along with an online-exclusive Gray and Blue

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 Price in Malaysia

Once we get our hands on a review sample, we’ll be able to offer a more comprehensive opinion. For Malaysia, the Galaxy Z Fold5 256GB model will be priced at RM6,799, the 512GB model at RM7,299 and the 1TB model at RM8,299.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 news! To preorder the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5, check out Samsung’s official links below:

Galaxy Z Fold5 Preorder https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold5/buy/

Galaxy Z Flip5 Preorder https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip5/buy/