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As reported by Renegade Rumour Master Mark Gurman, Apple has “finally” admitted that the US smartphone market has taken a turn for the worst.
This presents something of a challenge for the upcoming iPhone 15, which is due to be launched next month. The question which appears to be emerging from the clouds is coming sharply into focus and being uttered by, I think, everyone.
Who cares?
Apple’s task in rejuvenating not just iPhone sales, but interest in smartphones in general isn’t an easy one and it’s made much harder thanks to the presence of devices like the Galaxy Z Flip5.
Will Samsung’s new flippable smartphone shift as many units as the iPhone 15? Nope. Will it garner attention for the wrong reasons due to its price tag and ever-present display crease? Yep.
Do people care about it?
Clearly, yes, they do. Because the Flip5 is interesting, and it is exactly what we need in such a stagnant, strait-laced smartphone market.
I’ve been playing with the Z Flip5 for a few days now. This isn’t your bog standard cookie-cutter review (because they’ve all been published by others already) – it’s simply my thoughts on what it’s like to actually own a Galaxy Z Flip5 and why you should be cautious before buying one.
Quick thoughts on the Z Flip5
For all its flipping and flexing, we shouldn’t forget that the Z Flip5 is still a smartphone. The good news, if you’re thinking of buying one, is that it’s a very good smartphone.
Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip nestled inside the Flip5, this is a very speedy device which has superb battery life; it’ll see you through at least a day and a half with normal usage.
It’s also beautifully built. I noted this during my Z Flip4 review last year; if you haven’t held one of these devices in your hands, you’ll be instantly impressed with the hardware. It looks expensive, feels expensive, and the hinge is a masterpiece.
As for the displays, they are typically Samsung. Vibrant, bright, and tuned to deliver that ‘wow’ factor, both are a joy to use. And, yes, you do say ‘both’ with the Flip5 – I’ll get onto the Flex Window later.
The camera system in the Flip5 is also typically Samsung. The images it produces won’t be to everyone’s taste and I’ve experienced some issues with shutter lag, but they do satisfy the masses and produce some utterly lovely images more often than not.
However, the star of the camera system isn’t the lens or sensor choice. Again, I’ll get to that later.
The reality of owning a Z Flip5
Samsung is putting an awful lot of budget and grunt behind its marketing effort for the Z Flip5. If you’ve been anywhere over the last couple of months, or watched anything on any video service, you’ll have been encouraged to “join the flip side”.
If you’ve got a decent budget for your next smartphone (and you’ll need one in this case) you might be tempted to do as Samsung says. But there are a few realities of owning the Z Flip5 that you need to be aware of – some wonderful, some slightly irritating.
If you’re used to regular smartphones (like most of us are), the Z Flip5 ownership experience is a very different one. It’s also expensive. Mine cost £944.10 after Samsung’s usual round of launch discounts, but the regular price of the 256GB base model is £1,049. If you fancy the 512GB edition, that takes the price up to £1,149. That said, the Flip5 is still a much more affordable phone than the incredibly expensive Fold5 and as I type, Samsung is currently doubling the storage for free.
As noted earlier, it does feel like you’re getting a lot for your money. This is aided by the fact that a folding smartphone is unusual enough to feel special. The Z Flip5 also benefits from the fact that it is easily the most convenient modern smartphone to place in your pocket. When folded, this thing is absolutely tiny and a lot of fun to fiddle with in your hand.
The new Flex Window (don’t worry – I’m getting there!) slightly reduces the need to continually unfold it, but you will have to get used to doing so, regardless. And it still isn’t a one-handed operation.
Don’t get me wrong, you can un-flop the Flip5, but it requires some serious hand gymnastics and an awful lot of trust in your own flipping abilities. Personally, I prefer to open mine two-handed – and that does occasionally grate when you just want to do something very quickly; it feels like an event just to get into the device.
The Flip5 is also a much nicer experience without a case. I’ve found this with all folding and flipping smartphones; although cases exist, they’re always horrible and add way too much bulk to the device. So, if you want to join the Flip Side, you’re best off ditching any predisposition you have to naked smartphones – and I know that’s not easy for a lot of people.
When opened, the Flip5 features a display that is a smidgen taller than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but far narrower. This results in yet more finger gymnastics to reach the top of the display, and a slightly restrictive typing experience. For me, it’s not as frustrating as the Cover Screen on the Z Fold5, but it’s worth mentioning if you’re used to regular-sized smartphones.
The BIG feature: the Flex Window
It’s pretty obvious that the biggest selling point for the Flip5 is the new 3.4-inch Flex Window. Although, weirdly, Samsung still chooses to refer to it as the ‘Cover Screen’ in the settings app (a hangover, I guess, from the Z Flip4).
This is a huge departure from the outgoing model, which featured a 1.9-inch display when closed. The result is a tiny folding smartphone which is both fun and productive to use when folded.
The Flex Window can be configured with a bunch of Samsung’s own widgets. These are the usual suspects, including the calendar, weather, alarms, and Samsung Health. Integration with Spotify and Google Finance offers some third-party support, but I’d love to see the presence of more non-Samsung widgets on there. It’ll only be a matter of time, I guess, although the commitment developers show to the Flip5’s relatively small audience remains to be seen.
On the subject of third parties, it is possible to run certain apps on the Flex Window, but Samsung is cautious with those it allows (they’re also part of the ‘Labs’ beta feature set at the moment). These include Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix, but if you want more than that, you’ll need to install Good Lock, which enables you to add any installed app to the Flex Window. Most work really well, too – although you have to be cognizant of the limited screen estate. The same goes for the full QWERTY keyboard which pops up when required; it’s useable for short messages, but a little cumbersome beyond that.
The Flex Window can be customised with wallpaper, too. There are quite a few options to choose from, which are categorised as informational, graphical, ‘simple’, and colour-based. This is where the Flex Window really comes alive and makes the Flip5 a satisfyingly personal device – particularly if you choose a wallpaper style to which you can add a photo from your library. Some include animations, too, which are fun, playful, and add a great deal of character to this already very characterful device.
One of Samsung’s favourite Flex Window features is, clearly, the ability to take selfies with it. Double-press the power button and you’re taken straight to the camera app. From there, a tap of the display or a raise of the hand will snap the selfie for you. It’s fun, addictive, convenient, and – thanks to the fact it uses the main camera system – a high-quality selfie experience.
The ability to use the main camera and monitor yourself on the Flex Window is also brilliant for shooting vertical video. The fact the Flip5 can be placed on a surface half open without the need to be propped up means it’s ideal for short-form content creators – an audience I’m pretty sure Samsung is angling for with this device.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, watching Netflix and YouTube on the Flex Window is a lot more fun than you’d think. In fact, it’s the ideal way to quickly satisfy your thirst for content if you’ve got a few minutes to spare.
Wrap-up: who is the Z Flip5 for?
Whenever I review a foldable smartphone, I make one thing clear: you have to really want one before dropping what is an awful lot of money on such a device.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is no different. The tech at the heart of this lovely little smartphone still comes with compromises. If the thought of a visible crease on the display (which you can feel, too) really bothers you, it’s not for you. If you don’t like tall smartphones and the thought of having to open yours each time you want to use it properly is troubling, the Flip5 is not for you.
However, if you’re willing to accept those compromises and have the budget available, the Flip5 is an utterly brilliant, addictive, and fantastically characterful little phone.
My litmus test for Android smartphones these days is whether or not I want to return to them once they’ve been through the review process in my business. Although I never returned to the Flip4 after last year’s review, I have a feeling the Flip5 is going to tug at my heartstrings a little more this year.
The Flex Window is a huge step forward for this form factor and its selfie capabilities alone make it highly desirable. I wouldn’t be surprised if, given the weight of marketing behind it, this could be the most popular Z Flip so far. And so it should be.
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