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More than three years have passed. It was February 2020 when Samsung started the era of foldable smartphones. The first Galaxy Fold cost less than two thousand euros and had a clearly visible crease. Five versions later, the Koreans are leading a market that remains small but is growing by double digits. And it has already somehow found a standard. Let’s talk about the Flip, the smartphone that opens like a clamshell. This is the busiest area with brands like Oppo (Oppo Find N2) and Motorola (Razr 40 Ultra) getting big numbers. The new flip phones however are state of the art the most efficient way to justify a high price and the use of a larger screen.
The Fold, which on the other hand is the model that opens like a booklet, has fewer rivals and has carved out a vocation for more extreme productivity. It is more serious, more professional than the Flip, created for those who want a small tablet for work. And in fact, open it has a large 7.6-inch display and a resolution of 2176×1812 pixels. We tried it for a few weeks and we must immediately say that, compared to the previous model, very little changes. In the sense that the improvements are more in substance than in form. It’s a little lighter, the internal screen gets a little brighter and the chip is now a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the most advanced. This means that, in addition to being more powerful, it allows for lower energy consumption. The zipper adopts a variable-radius fold, which means it feels tighter when closed. Small filings also in terms of weight and design.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 continues to be the most complete foldable device on the market. The first impression, however, is that the most substantial advances can be seen on the software front in terms of two-handed management of the interface (when it is open) and in the multitasking of the apps. There are more options and ways to take advantage of the bigger display and better battery life. Display size, battery and memory, on the other hand, do not change compared to the Galaxy Fold 4. While the price, yes, increases. Just under one hundred euros compared to the previous model. This means that it starts from 1999 euros and reaches 2339 euros in the 1Tb version. Net of promotions and discounts, there are still many. Sure, it’s not a smartphone that you change once a year. And there is still more to do. For example, there’s still no dust resistance, it’s still a relatively heavy device, and it still costs a lot anyway. Koreans are aware of this. Also for this, the changes are minimal. Next year, however, given the growing competition, it will not be able to be satisfied with trimming the thickness by a few millimeters and inserting the latest chip available.