Samsung's foldable phones are facing more competition than ever before, so the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 releases should draw more scrutiny than ever before. In the case of the latter device, Samsung reportedly plans to reclaim its foldable mojo by addressing two long-standing complaints about its foldable flip phone.
A report in the Korean publication Chosun Ilbo claims that the next version of the Galaxy Z Flip, widely expected to debut next month, is going to feature better camera and battery performance — two areas that could stand to see some improvement. Specifically, the publication quotes a Samsung insider who claims the Galaxy Z Flip will feature "clear improvements in camera and battery life matching the level of the Galaxy S23."
That would be quite a welcome development, considering how well the Galaxy S23 performed on our battery test, in which we have phones surf the web continuously over cellular until they run out of power. The Galaxy S23 posted a time of 10 hours and 27 minutes on that test, which is roughly half an hour better than the average smartphone's result. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 only lasted 8.5 hours — and that was a big improvement over previous Z Flip models.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 improvements — what we've heard
So how does Samsung plan to pull off this turnaround? One of the challenges to improving either battery life or camera performance is the limited space in the Galaxy Z Flip's design — it's difficult to simply add a bigger battery or a larger camera sensor. Chosun Ilbo's source claims the improvements will come from better software that will improve image clarity and power efficiency.
In the case of battery life, that's easy to believe. One of the rumored improvements for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a new chipset in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. That's the same silicon powering this year's Galaxy S23 phones, and we've seen some impressive battery life from phones using this particular system-on-chip. It stands to reason that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 could reap the same benefit.
Camera improvements are a little trickier to gauge. Most Galaxy Z Flip 5 rumors tip the new foldable to feature the same camera hardware as the Galaxy Z Flip 4 — a 12MP main camera and 12MP ultrawide lens on the outside cover of the phone. However, Sammobile is reporting that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 may use a bigger sensor for its main camera, allowing it to capture more light for more detailed images. That, plus software improvements, could deliver the sharper images being promised in this latest report.
Chosun Ilbo's report contains a few other notes about the likely changes to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, such as an improved hinge, more angular edges to the phone and a claim that the phone's cover display will double in size. We've heard previous rumors that the Z Flip 5 would feature a 3.4-inch outer display — not quite double the size of the 1.9-inch strip on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, but certainly an increase in screen real estate that would come at a crucial time.
The newly released Motorola Razr+ features a 3.6-inch cover screen, and it's a chief reason why Motorola's newest foldable has vaulted ahead of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in our estimation of the best foldable phones. Having a bigger outer screen allows you to run apps on that display, so that you only really need to open up the phone when there's substantial work to be done.
Samsung has already indicated it's holding a Galaxy Unpacked event in July, with the product launch to include new foldable phones. We'll likely find out then if the changes to the Galaxy z Flip 5 are enough to re-establish Samsung's grip on the foldable market.
