The new Galaxy Z Flip 5 is finally here! It has a new hinge design and better performance. But which one to get? Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 or Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4?
KEY TAKEAWAYS – Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with the new Flex Hinge. It enables the device to close shut without any space in between and eliminates the more prominent crease of Galaxy Z Flip 4.
- Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a new bigger cover display – a 3.4-inch AMOLED display and a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels, compared to the smaller 1.9-inch cover display of Galaxy Z Flip 4.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the fastest chipset on the market currently. Galaxy Z Flip 4 is no slouch, as it uses Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the previous Snapdragon flagship.
- Both phones have the same camera setup – a 12 MP primary camera and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera. They also have the same 10 MP selfie shooter as well.
- The battery and charging capabilities of the phones are the same as well – 3,700 mAh battery, 25 W wired charging, 15 W wireless charging, and 4.5 W reverse wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
With the latest flagship Snapdragon chipset and a better hinge design, Samsung improved upon the already good flip foldable formula of Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Pros
- Great performance
- Good cameras
- IPX8 rating
- Less display crease
Cons
- Small battery
- Slow charging speeds
- No dust resistance
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung perfected the flip-foldable formula. Galaxy Z Flip 4 has been the go-to flip foldable for the masses for almost a year.
Pros
- Good performance
- Good cameras
- IPX8 rating
Cons
- Small battery
- Slow charging speeds
- More prominent display crease
- No dust resistance
Design
Like Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the major change coming with Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the new and improved hinge – the Flex Hinge. Every other foldables now fold flat without leaving any gap. Samsung is also going for that with the new hinge design that allows the phone to be shut without any space between the screen when closed. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 folds, leaving a small space between the display.
The other design change from Galaxy Z Flip 4 to Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the bigger cover display. It’s not as big as the cover display new Motorola Razr+; it is still a great step up from the smaller cover display of Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Display
Talking about the cover display, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cover display is much bigger at 3.4 inches, with a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels, compared to the smaller 1.9-inch display of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The cover display of Galaxy Z Flip 5 is designed like a folder icon, and the bottom part hosts the navigation button. Samsung calls this screen the Flex Window and brings various new functionalities enabled by the bigger area available. You can even run full-sized Android apps on the cover display, although it is currently possible with a select number of apps. You can also reply to messages, pay with Samsung Pay, use various widgets, and more.
The inner display has largely remained the same, even though Galaxy Z Flip 5 uses a different hinge. Both phones have a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2640 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz, and both displays cap at 1200 nits of peak brightness.
Performance
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC, while Galaxy Z Flip 4 uses Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 chipset, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, is the same chipset used in the Galaxy S23 series, and it is obviously better than the one on Galaxy Z Flip 4. However, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is still a very capable chipset.
Camera
Samsung didn’t update the cameras on the latest Z Flip. Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 have a dual camera setup consisting of a 12 MP primary camera and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with a field of view of 123˚. The selfie shooters are the same, too, with a 10 MP camera.
Battery
Samsung also played being lazy with batteries – with Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 coming with the same 3,700mAh battery. Both phones have the same charging capabilities – 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Software
As Samsung phones, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, come with One UI skin based on Android. Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13, while Galaxy Z Flip 4 came with One UI 4 based on Android 12, which has since been updated to One UI 5.1 based on Android 13.
Samsung offers one of the best foldable experiences with One UI on its foldables. One UI 5 offers all the customizations you could ever think of in Android, and Samsung offers the best software support for its phones on the Android side. There’s little to whine about One UI; it is also widely loved by Samsung fans.
Specs Comparison Table
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm Folded: 85.1 x 71.9 x 15.1 mm | Unfolded: 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm Folded: 84.9 x 71.9 x 15.9-17.1 mm |
| Weight | 187 g | 187 g |
| Build | Plastic front (opened), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame | Plastic front (opened), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM |
| IP rating | IPX8 | IPX8 |
| Inner display size | 6.7 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Inner display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Inner display resolution | 1080 x 2640 pixels | 1080 x 2640 pixels |
| Inner refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Display certifications | HDR10+ | HDR10+ |
| Cover display size | 3.4 inches | 1.9 inches |
| Cover display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Cover display resolution | 720 x 748 pixels | 260 x 512 |
| Cover display refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| Cover display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1×3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Adreno 730 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB |
| Main camera | 12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS | 12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1.12µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1.12µm |
| Selfie camera | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.22µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.22µm |
| Battery capacity | 3700 mAh | 3700 mAh |
| Charging speed | 25 W | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 15 W |
| Reverse wireless charging | 4.5 W | 4.5 W |
| Operating system | One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13 | One UI 5.1 based on Android 13 |
| Price | Starting from | Starting from |
Price And Value For Money
Here are the prices of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5:
- 8 + 256 GB – $999 / £1,049 / €1,209
- 8 + 512 GB – $1099 / £1,149 / € 1,329
Here are the prices of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4:
- 8 + 128 GB – $999
- 8 + 256 GB – $1059
- 8 + 512 GB – $1179
The price of Galaxy Z Flip 4 shown above is the sticker price. But the phone comes at a discount all the time at a much lower price. You can get the 8 + 128 GB variant of Z Flip 4 for $599 on Amazon and the 8 + 512 GB variant for $799. At that price, it is an incredible value, and you might even get the phone for even less now that its successor is here.
Conclusion
Samsung didn’t update many things with Galaxy Z Flip 5, leading to the fact that both Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are very much similar. The major difference is with the new chipset and updated hinge design.
Unlike Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, the difference in hinge design in the Flips isn’t that pronounced, making the differences between the phones even less.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 are absolute beasts in terms of performance, but the newer chipset is obviously the better.
So, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 offer similar stuff but at vastly different prices. As one year has gone through after Galaxy Z Flip 4’s launch, its prices have decreased considerably. Comparing it with its successor Galaxy Z Flip 5’s price, you would be more tempted just to get the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and save some money!
But if you want the best performance out of your phone and want a cutting-edge hinge design, Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the one to go for!
