The Galaxy Z Flip 5 brings some notable improvements over the Z Flip 4, while many aspects mostly stay the same. People are having this question of whether the Z Flip 5 is worth the upgrade or not.
The answer depends on your needs or usage. So, first, let’s discuss what aspects have improved so that you can decide if the latest Z Flip 5 is worth your attention or not.
Bigger cover display
The Z Flip 5 features a much bigger cover display than the Z Flip 4, which adds a set of useful features and functionalities, such as –
- Quick access to camera settings
- Reply to messages without having to unfold
- FlexCam got more useful
- Wide variety of widgets
Quick access to camera settings
The 3.4″ outer display enables the phone to provide you the ability to change settings like video resolution, aspect ratio, and more without opening the device.
Reply messages directly from the cover display
The larger cover display fits the keyboard nicely, and you can type short replies right from the cover display without needing to unfold it every time.
I personally find it useful for staying away from mindless scrolling. You can now attend to what’s necessary without losing track of time.
FlexCam got even more useful
The flip phones were special in this key area from the beginning, where you could rest the phone half-folded and record videos hands-free. But it wasn’t perfect. You could easily miss the frame given how small the display was.
Now the bigger display enables you to see more of what’s being captured. You also get easier controls over your shots as I just said before.
Now the bigger display enables you to see more of what’s being captured. You also get easier controls over your shots, as I just said before.
Cover screen widgets
The cover screen now supports widgets of numerous applications like maps, calendar, weather, etc., that keep you updated with useful information conveniently.
The cover display can also show videos, GIFs, and a wide range of styles and frames to match your phone to your personality. They have also launched ‘smart’ covers for the other half of the glass, where the cover display automatically suits the theme of the cover.
Overall, the cover display is big enough to accomplish certain tasks on the go, but it doesn’t try to take up everything. You have to unfold the device and enjoy the larger screen when you want, while the cover screen accomplishes tasks nicely when you don’t. This is why they named it the flex window where, unlike a door, everything would not become available to you to get you lost inside.
That being said, the bigger cover display is the most significant improvement in the Z Flip 5 and is worth considering for.
AI enhanced camera
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 didn’t get any obvious hardware upgrades over the camera department; however, the overall image quality has enhanced with even more close integration with AI.
The Flip 5 takes images with less noise and better quality compared to the Flip 4, especially in low light. The latest Flip offering also takes better portraits with the help of AI or ‘AI Stereo Depth Map,’ as they call it.
Although the improvements aren’t entirely game-changing and do not necessarily require an upgrade solely for the cameras.
Design
This is another area where the Flip 5 has got some long-awaited improvements. The Z Flip 5 finally shuts completely close, thanks to the improved hinge mechanism. It makes the phone slimmer, especially on the hinge side.
- Z Flip 4 – 15.9-17.1 mm
- Z Flip 5 – 15.1mm (the hinge side isn’t thicker anymore)
Besides the look and feel, the gapless hinge is also better for the inner display to avoid dust while it’s closed. When you are going to use it, the dust can rub across the outer plastic layer of the inner display and cause micro-scratches over time.
So overall, the design improvement is good enough to be considered worthy of an upgrade.
Latest chipset
The latest flip device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, as opposed to the 8 Plus Gen 1 on the Z Flip 4. Both chips are powerful enough to handle almost anything (including graphics-intensive games) you can throw at them.
The bit of extra performance on the Z Flip 5 isn’t appealing enough for an upgrade, as you probably won’t even notice a difference. The 8 Gen 2 chip on the Flip 5 is like a bonus; however, if you are considering the upgrade to Flip 5 for other reasons, it adds up.
Things that says the same:
To be precise, the Flip 5 is more like an iterative improvement rather than a technological breakthrough with a massive spec bump.
For example, the battery capacity stays the same at 3700mAh as last year, and battery life is also very similar in both. Both support 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging; no changes here either. The inner display is exactly the same, peaking at 1200 nits brightness value, which is enough but the same as the last one.
Basically, except for the cover display and hinge mechanism, there’s not much of a change.
Price and availability of Galaxy Z Flip 5:
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is launched at $1000 and will be available from August 11 in every regions where phones are sold.
So, Is it worth upgrading to the Z Flip 5?
The Z Flip 5 will only be worthy as an upgrade from the Z Flip 4 only if you are okay with ditching your current Flip just for the bigger cover display and gapless design.
While the Z Flip 5 is an overall better option than the Z Flip 4, it’s not considered a worthy enough upgrade from the predecessor. Because the Z Flip 4 still provides the same experience for most use-cases. You can easily use the Flip 4 if you don’t have the desire to get hands-on those few improvements.
