The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is almost here, with this best foldable phone contender set to be announced at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 on July 26.
As such, we’ll know all about it very soon, and thanks to a large number of leaks and rumors we already have a good idea of what to expect. But what we’re hearing is something of a mixed bag – while numerous improvements do seem to be planned, a lot of areas could still use more attention.
With that in mind we’ve created this list of things that we really want to see from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. They’re not all things that we’ve heard leaked, so don’t count on all these upgrades being included, they’re just what Samsung really should improve in our view.
1. A wider cover screen
If you look at a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 when it’s folded shut then one thing will probably immediately strike you – its cover screen is quite narrow.
At 6.2 inches it’s the size of a normal smartphone display, but the 23.1:9 aspect ratio is rather different, making it a bit more awkward to use than a typical handset. This needn’t be the case – after all, the Google Pixel Fold has a far more sensibly shaped cover screen, so we’d love to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 follow suit.
Will it do? Sadly, it seems unlikely. Leaks suggest the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have a 6.2-inch cover screen just like its predecessor, and leaked Galaxy Z Fold 5 renders show a shape that appears very similar.
2. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra-caliber cameras
One constant complaint we have with Samsung’s foldable phones is that while the cameras are generally decent, they’re far from matching the best of what the company has to offer.
If photography is your priority, then you’ll pick a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with its 200MP main sensor and periscope zoom, over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 with its more pedestrian selection of cameras. But with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 being Samsung’s most expensive phone, it shouldn’t be that way. We shouldn’t have to compromise.
So for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, we’d like to see the same selection of rear cameras as is found on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra; meaning a 200MP wide, a 12MP ultra-wide, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 10MP periscope with 10x optical zoom.
Will we get this? Almost certainly not. That said, some camera improvements probably are coming, with Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera leaks pointing to one or more new sensors (albeit with the same megapixel counts as the Z Fold 4). We’ve also heard that the Z Fold 5 might have an improved under-display selfie camera.
3. No crease
All current foldable phones have a crease in the screen at the point where it folds. This crease is both visible and present under-finger, albeit to varying degrees – depending on the phone in question.
While most people will quickly get used to the crease, it’s not ideal, so we’d love it if somehow the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 didn't have a crease down the center of its main screen.
From what we’ve heard, it probably will have a crease, but a smaller one than before, with a leak pointing to a 15% reduction in the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s crease size, thanks to the use of a new waterdrop hinge design. 15% doesn’t sound great, but it’s a step in the right direction.
4. A lower price
High-end tech is always expensive, and in the world of phones you don’t get higher-end than foldable ones; particularly the large ones that fold out into more of a tablet-sized device, which is what we’re expecting from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.
As such, it’s sure to cost a lot, but we’d really like to see it at least cost less than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, which starts at $1,799 / £1,649 / AU$2,499.
This though looks extremely unlikely, going by the leaks we’ve heard so far. Best case, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 might cost the same as the Z Fold 4. But another Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 price leak suggests an increase in price.
5. A bigger battery
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will probably have a screen that’s almost the size of a small tablet, and at that size it could really do with a big battery to keep it lit up for longer.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, though, has just a 4,400mAh battery, which is a full 600mAh smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s battery. Many other non-foldable phones also have bigger batteries than that.
This isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to Samsung’s foldable phones and it’s presumably because the need for a second screen and a hinge eats up valuable battery space, but it’s a problem that we’d like to see solved.
Unfortunately it probably won’t be solved this year, with reports suggesting the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 once again has a 4,400mAh battery.
There is hope for a future model though, as it’s rumored that Samsung is using a new stacked battery design in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, allowing for 10% more capacity to fit in the same space. If so, there’s every chance this tech will make it to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
6. Faster charging
As well as a bigger battery, we’d really like to see Samsung start embracing faster charging. Even on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the charging power tops out at 45W, which isn’t much when you consider that some phones – such as the OnePlus 10T – charge at as much as 150W. But the Galaxy Z Fold 4 doesn’t even manage 45W – it tops out at 25W.
As such, it would be great if Samsung could provide a speed boost to the charging on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. However, this probably won’t happen, with the consensus among leaks being that it will be limited to 25W again.
There is, however, hope for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, because Samsung is reportedly changing up the charging technology in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which could see it offer 65W charging, so perhaps this same tech will make its way to a future Samsung foldable.
7. Dust resistance
Samsung’s recent foldable phones have decent water resistance, but what they’re still lacking is any real dust resistance, so it would be reassuring if the Z Fold 5 could add this.
Unlike a lot of the things on this list, there’s some hope that it might too, with a leaker claiming that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have an IP58 rating. The ‘5’ there is the key number, as this would mean a significant level of dust resistance.
Not all sources agree though, with another claiming that the Z Fold 5 “does not meet the IP58 dust-proof standard.” So this is one thing that we’re currently unsure about. With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 launching on July 26 though, we’ll find out soon enough.
