Samsung has been at the helm with powerful new-age foldable-screen smartphones. With virtually no equal competitors in the Indian market, one would think its latest foldable the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is an out-and-proud hands-down winner. Is that really the case? 

Design changes

Unlike its smaller sibling, the Z Flip5, this one hasn’t seen any changes in screen size this year. Dimensions-wise, it’s noticeably thinner than the Z Fold4 and a good 10 grams lighter, apart from having the usual millimetre or so shaved off from the length. A subtle but important improvement is the hinge. With a teardrop design, the gap between the screens is now a lot less, compared to the previous iteration. 

The cover display - which mimics the dimensions of a regular smartphone - remains at 6.2 inches across. I like using this only to make calls and for everything else, I prefer opening up the massive 7.6-inch main display. The Dynamic AMOLED display continues to support up to 120Hz refresh rates. The quality of visuals and experience is on par with what you’d expect from a flagship foldable. 

The crease running along the middle is a little more conspicuous than the one on the Galaxy Z Flip5, just because it stretches across a longer area. The crease seems marginally less evident than its predecessors, and the more I watched content on the phone, the more I tended to tune out this visual interruption. With doom-scrolling Instagram reels or YouTube Shorts, I notice that the audio quality on the smartphone is loud and punchy, with clear vocals - definitely flagship-worthy!

Camera

If you’ve read my review of the Z Fold4 last year, you’d know that I’m a big fan of the snappers. Samsung too seems to like the setup so much that they haven’t bothered upgrading it for this year. So, you get a neat vertical line of three lenses - a 50-MP wide lens, a 12-MP ultrawide and 10-MP 3x telephoto lens at the rear. 

The camera continues to deliver crisp, well-saturated photographs. Nightography continues to impress with minimal blurs and grains. There are technically two selfie cameras - a 10-MP one on the top display and a 4-MP sensor under-display when I open up the phone completely. While the 10-MP, which is part of the top display, delivers good enough results with self-portraits, the 4-MP one under the main display relies heavily on post-processing to sharpen up images and selfies. 

The processor is now upgraded to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, customised for Galaxy, and under the hood is a whopping 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage - which is the base variant. You can also opt for the 512 GB and 1 TB storage options. Considering it’s pretty much a micro-PC, the device is snappy and smooth all the time - whether it be browsing multiple tabs or playing games.  In terms of multi-tasking, the taskbar now lets me switch between frequently used apps. I can open photos and screenshots, “hold” it with one finger and use another finger to drag it onto Samsung Notes. With a hidden pop-up, an app can continue running in the background, allowing users to watch video content on full screen and chat with friends in a floating pop-up on the side of the screen.

The battery also has a bump-up, it’s now a 4,400 mAhbattery under the hood, which goes on for more than a full day of use while checking emails, watching reels, and catching up on the latest Netflix K-Drama. There’s a new, slimmer trendier S-Pen but it doesn’t ship with the smartphone, and has to be bought separately.

Verdict

Look, I’ll be honest. The two-handed operation on a massive smartphone is not everyone’s cup of tea. While many multitaskers hail the presence of a split-screen (both at the hardware and software level), it might end up being overwhelming to some others. But if you’ve seen or played around with the Galaxy Z Fold5 even for a short while, you know by now if it’s the kind of form factor you’d love to own one day. If a Fold has been on your wish list, I’d say this is the best large-screen flagship foldable in the Indian market right now, with virtually no competitors that can keep pace with its performance, camera chops, and battery life. And, this is despite the fact that this year’s version has not seen any mind-blowing upgrades. So, while you might end up loving the smartphone, be prepared for your wallet to feel significantly lighter once you’ve made up your mind. 

Price - ₹ 1,54,999 onwards

Pros - Unique multi-tasking, brilliant display, great photography, long battery life

Cons - Expensive price tag, upgrades are minimal

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