The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is final 12 months’s cellphone with a brand new hinge

Samsung saved this 12 months’s largest developments for the flip cellphone. As for the larger Z Fold 5, it will get a brand new hinge, a brighter inside display screen, and never a complete lot else. For higher or worse, that features the worth: nonetheless $1,799.

There’s an up to date processor, after all — the identical overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset in Samsung’s S23-series flagship telephones — and it’s a bit thinner and lighter than the Z Fold 4 because of the brand new teardrop-shaped hinge that permits it to shut flat. The Z Fold 5 measures 13.4mm thick when closed; at its slimmest level, the Fold 4 was 14.2mm thick. It’s additionally about 10g lighter (two nickels), right down to 253g from 263g. In case you’re holding rating at dwelling, that’s six nickels lighter than the Google Pixel Fold.

The Z Fold 5 is lighter, thinner, and a bit brighter. Photograph by Becca Farsace / The Verge

The Fold 5 carries the identical IPX8 score for water resistance as final 12 months’s mannequin however must be a little bit extra sturdy. The brand new hinge’s double-rail design can higher face up to impacts, plus there’s the newest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the entrance and inside screens.

The principle 7.6-inch display screen’s peak brightness has been boosted as much as 1750 nits, the identical because the screens on the Galaxy S23 sequence. And the S Pen designed to be used with the Fold sequence is 40 p.c thinner now. There’s nonetheless no silo constructed into the cellphone for it, however Samsung says the Fold 5 case that’s designed to carry the stylus is “almost the identical thickness as a daily case for the Fold,” in order that’s a win, I assume?

There are a handful of minimal software program enhancements, too: the taskbar now reveals 4 latest apps reasonably than two, and there’s a brand new two-handed drag-and-drop function to extra simply copy content material from one app to a different. Samsung additionally plans to deliver these options to older Fold telephones through a One UI replace afterward.

Look, no hole. Photograph by Becca Farsace / The Verge

On the entire, the Fold 5 doesn’t appear to be it’s designed to entice present Fold house owners to improve. As a substitute, Samsung appears to be shoring up its place in opposition to its latest foldable competitor: Google. The issues that Samsung was already doing higher — a lighter machine, sturdy multitasking options — are enhancing even additional. And the Pixel Fold’s benefit in closing completely flat is now a wash. However the Z Fold 5’s outer display screen continues to be simply as skinny and awkward because it was final 12 months, and the Pixel Fold’s wider type issue has gained numerous followers — me included.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 goes up for preorder in the present day, with availability on August eleventh. Commonplace shade choices embody icy blue, phantom black, and cream. In case you order straight from Samsung, you’ll have two further selections: (hotter?) blue or grey.

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