Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – Is The Newer, The Better?
Samsung’s new foldables are here – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. How does this fare with Galaxy Z Fold 4? Let’s compare!
KEY TAKEAWAYS – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a new hinge design, the Flex Hinge, which makes Galaxy Z Fold 5 thinner and lighter. The phone now folds flat without leaving space between the folded display.
- Both phones have similar displays – an inner display of 7.6 inches and a cover display of 6.2 inches. The inner display in Galaxy Z Fold 5 is brighter at 1,750 nits compared to the 1,200 nits of Galaxy Z Fold 4.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the fastest chipset on the market. Galaxy Z Fold 4, on the other hand, is powered by Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
- Both phones have triple back cameras – 50 MP primary, 10 MP 3X telephoto, and 12 MP ultrawide cameras. The phones also have two selfie cameras; the cover display is 10 MP, while the under-display camera on the inner display is 4 MP.
- Both phones have a 4,400 mAh battery, 25 W wired fast charging, 15 W wireless charging, and 4.5 W reverse wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Samsung launched Galaxy Z Fold 5 with an updated Flex Hinge, which makes it thinner and more compact.
Pros
- Great performance
- Good cameras
- Optimized One UI for foldables
- No gap when folded
- IPX8 rating
Cons
- Slow charging speeds
- No dust resistance
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Samsung Z Fold 4 is a great foldable phone, and with the price cut it has received, it is even more affordable now.
Pros
- Good performance
- Good cameras
- Optimized One UI for foldables
- No gap when folded
- IPX8 rating
Cons
- Slow charging speeds
- No dust resistance
Design
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 brings the biggest change in design in the Z Fold series ever since Samsung introduced it.
Samsung calls the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 “slimmer, lighter, and more portable than ever.” That’s because Samsung has introduced the redesigned Flex Hinge, which folds the phone without space between the fold. This makes the phone 2mm thinner when folded than Galaxy Z Fold 4 and 10 grams lighter.
Besides the hinge and folding mechanism, the design has largely remained the same, although the phone now has a more flat frame. The phone looks similar when unfolded, and the cover display looks similar too. That’s the same case with the camera array as well. What’s fresh is the new set of colors Samsung offers the phone in: Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream, Gray, and Blue. Galaxy Z Fold 4 came in three colors: Graygreen, Phantom Black, and Beige.
Displays
The screens on both phones remain mostly the same:
- Inner display: AMOLED panel of 7.6 inches, 1812 x 2176 pixels resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate.
- Cover display: AMOLED panel of 6.2 inches, 904 x 2316 pixel resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate.
The only change between the displays on these phones is the peak brightness of the inner display. The display on Z Fold 5 can go up to 1750 nits of peak brightness, while the one on Z Fold 4 tops out at 1200 kits.
Performance
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, making it one of the best-performing phones currently.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 uses the previous flagship Snapdragon chipset, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It isn’t as fast as the one in Z Fold 5, but it’s still super fast.
Cameras
Samsung didn’t update the cameras; Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 have the same exact cameras.
Both phones have a 50 MP primary camera, a 12 MP ultrawide camera, and a 10 MP 3x telephoto camera. The phones have two selfie cameras – the one on the inner display is an under-display camera, which is a 4 MP one; the other selfie camera is on the cover display, which is 10 MP.
Battery
Samsung didn’t update the battery and charging capabilities; both phones have a 4,400 mAh battery, with wired charging speeds of 25 W, 15 W wireless, and 4.5 W reverse wireless charging.
Software
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Fold 4 comes with One UI based on Android. Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes with One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13 out of the box, while Z Fold 4 came with One UI 4 based on Android 12, which has now been updated to One UI 5.1 based on Android 13 now.
Specs Comparison Table
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1 mm Folded: 154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4 mm | Unfolded: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mm Folded: 155.1 x 67.1 x 14.2-15.8 mm |
| Weight | 253 g | 263 g |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by) | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by) |
| IP rating | IPX8 | IPX8 |
| Inner display size | 7.6 inches | 7.6 inches |
| Inner display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Inner display resolution | 1812 x 2176 pixels | 1812 x 2176 pixels |
| Inner refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Display certifications | HDR10+ | HDR10+ |
| Cover display size | 6.2 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Cover display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Cover display resolution | 904 x 2316 | 904 x 2316 |
| Cover display refresh rate | 120Hz | 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 | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1TB | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1TB |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 12mm, 1.12µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 114˚, 1/2.9″, 1.25µm |
| Telephoto camera | 10 MP, f/2.4, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom | 10 MP, f/2.4, 66mm, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom |
| Inner selfie camera | 4 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 2.0µm, under display | 4 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 2.0µm, under display |
| Cover selfie camera | 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm, 1/3″, 1.22µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm, 1/3″, 1.22µm |
| Battery capacity | 4400 mAh | 4400 mAh |
| Charging speed | 25 W | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 15 W |
| Reverse wireless chargin | 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 $1,799 / £1,749 / €1,909 | Starting from $1,199 / £1,249 / €1,365 |
Price & Value For Money
Here are the prices of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5:
- 12 GB + 256 GB – $1,799 / £1,749 / €1,909
- 12 GB + 512 GB – $1,849 / £1,849 / €2,029
- 12 GB + 1 TB – $1,999 / £2,049 / €2,269
Galaxy Z Fold 4 was launched at similar prices to that of Z Fold 5, but the prices have dropped quite significantly. Here are the current prices:
rent prices of Galaxy Z Fold 4 on Amazon:
- 12 GB + 256 GB – $1,199 / £1,249 / €1,365
- 12 GB + 512 GB – $1,269 / £1,769 / €1,705
- 12 GB + 1 TB – $1,999
Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 offer similar features, but the newer phone comes with a better design. Samsung has focused more on refining the foldable form factor with this iteration, but only that.
Sure, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, an improvement over the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 of Z Fold 4. But other than that and a more compact build, Galaxy Z Fold 5 really doesn’t offer anything more than Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The current prices of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 need to be considered while making a purchase decision. Even though the phone was launched at a similar price to Galaxy Z Fold 5, it is now available for a fraction of its launch price.
If you want a solid foldable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 makes a really good case over Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, as you can get it for much less!
Still, if you want the best foldable phone in the market currently, with the best performance, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the one to get.
