By Holly, Mozillion Team
Will you fold and go for the upgrade?
Do you want a phone, a tablet…or both? If so, Samsung’s foldable Galaxy Z Fold series is for you. It folds down the middle into a regular phone shape but also opens up to reveal a 7.6 inch AMOLED display with a silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 was an impressive piece of kit technically to start with so what could Samsung have engineered to improve on it with the Z Fold 5?
Let’s investigate and see how they compare.
Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: Design
Despite being a feat of engineering, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 still has a noticeable gap in its foldable design when closed which is a bit of a faux pas that needed to be addressed. The clever engineers at Samsung have sorted this for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 which makes the device significantly slimmer without compromising on one its greatest features – its IPX8 water resistance – which, interestingly, is still a rarity in the foldable phone space. They both also have side-mounted finger sensors and both have a triple camera on the rear.
Weight-wise, the Z Fold 5 weighs 10g less than the Fold 4.
Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: Display
The Z Fold series differs from the Z Flip series in the way that it folds. It resembles more of a book-style fold than the Z Flip that has a clamshell design. The screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Z Fold 5 is semi-protected against knocks and drops thanks to Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and Victus 2 respectively. The Fold 5 glass is stronger on paper, but let’s face it, you don’t want to be dropping either of these phones.
As this is a phone with two viewing modes, there are also two screens available – one when it is opened right out and one on the front of the phone that you use when it is closed.
The inside screen is the largest at 7.6 inches and is the same size for both the Z Fold 4 and the Z Fold 5, with a 2176×1812 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+ content. There is a very subtle crease in the larger screen where it folds. This crease is marginally less noticeable in the Z Fold 5 thanks to the redesigned hinge but it’s still there.
In terms of display brightness, there is a more significant difference, with the Z Fold 5 delivering a peak brightness of 1750 nits in comparison to the Z Fold 4 which has a peak brightness of 1200 nits.
Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: Camera
The triple rear camera on the Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 5 is pretty much identical on both models, with a 50MP main snapper, a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto lens that has a 3x optical zoom.
There’s also a 10MP punch-hole camera on the outer display, and a 4MP webcam hidden underneath the inner display. Both smartphones have Space Zoom and Nightography which gives a pro-level standard like never before seen in the foldable form. Samsung have pushed this a little further with the Z Fold 5 having improved Artificial Intelligence resulting in even better low light stills and videos courtesy of more streamlined image processing. And with Flex mode engaged, you can take photos hands-free, or use the Rear Cam selfie mode to use the superior back cameras for taking selfies while using the cover display to preview.
Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: Processor
Whilst the chipset under the hood of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is very good, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has had an upgrade with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – that’s the same one used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
This upgrade gives it a 25% boost in the GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) and a 35% improvement in the CPU (Central Processing Unit). This means that the Z Fold 5 has even better control of the interpretation and execution of instructions, and can handle graphics-related and video more efficiently.
Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: Battery
The battery on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 5 should last you most of the day at 4400mAh but the upgraded processor on the Z Fold 5 and better AI will inevitably keep it going for longer as it’s more efficient with its power.
When you do need to charge, expect 50% charge on either device in around 30 minutes thanks to super-fast charging. Both foldables also offers fast wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare for charging up your Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch using the back of the phone.
Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: Price
It is no big surprise that all these enhancements in the latest Z Fold 5 would end up with it costing more than the Z Fold 4. This is down to the processor and that newly engineered folding hinge. If it is the folding phone concept you like and the tweaks are no big deal, then you are going to get a fantastic piece of kit with the Z Fold 4 but if you are already a fold phone pro and want the best of the best, then the Z Fold 5 is worth the extra investment.