Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Phone Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 gives a nostalgic nod to smartphones while still firmly having its spec set firmly in the 21st century and we’ve been putting the nineties-inspired smartphone to the test, capturing sample photos to see if its performance matches up to its looks. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is now available on Vodafone with prices starting at £17 a month (£49 upfront cost).

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Features

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5’s main feature is that it folds in half down to a rather compact 85.1×71.9×15.1mm which easily fits in a pocket. The main display, when unfolded, measures a decent 6.7-inch and there’s also a handy 3.4-inch cover display so you can access information and take photos without opening the smartphone up. 

The main camera on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is a 2MP f/1.8 24mm wide with Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS which is supported by a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens. Digital zoom is available up to 10x and you can capture video in 4K up to 60fps. There’s a 10MP f/2.2 23mm wide selfie camera but you probably won’t use it too much as you can use the cover display as a selfie camera, utilising the main rear camera as your photography tool. 

Other features include a 3700mAh battery, 256GB/512GB storage (8GB RAM) and it’s available in Mint, Lavender, Graphite and Cream with other colours exclusively available via Samsung. 

ASUS Zenfone 10 Specs:

• Rear Camera: 12MP f/1.8 24mm wide with Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide
• Front Camera: 10MP f/2.2 23mm wide
• Video: Up to 4K@30/60fps
• Display: 6.7 inches (1080×2400)
• Dimensions: 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm unfolded and 85.1 x 71.9 x 15.1mm folded
• Weight: 187g
• Storage/Memory: 256GB/512GB and 8 GB RAM
• Battery: 3700mAh

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Handling

The obvious design feature is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is a clamshell foldable smartphone and we love it. There’s something nostalgic about it yet modern and it just looks cool. If you’ve owned a previous Galaxy Flip phone the design will be familiar with its polished finish, aluminium frame and rear circular cameras that sit away from the glass back of the smartphone. The one slight niggle with the shiny finish is that it attracts fingerprints so we found ourselves cleaning it quite a bit. We also had to be careful how we picked the device up so as not to mark the camera lenses. Buttons and volume rocker fall nicely under fingers/thumb both when folded and open and you also get a USB-C port at the bottom of the smartphone. The larger outer screen means that only the outer side of the smartphone will have the colour option you choose but this isn’t a negative as the bigger screen is really useful. 

A big improvement over past Galaxy Z phones is that the hinge has been worked on so now the two halves of the smartphone sit perfectly flat when folded (no more annoying gaps). The fact that the smartphone folds is brilliant but when you want to view photos or video full screen, the crease can take some getting used to and at first, when you’ve not used a Galaxy Z smartphone before, it can be distracting. It’s more prominent from an angle and you can feel it if you touch the display. Placing it on a surface and angling it so you can read a recipe or watch something without the worry of the device falling over is great, though. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 has an IPX8 water resistance rating which is always welcomed and the aluminium frame is meant to bring improved protection from scratches but we really didn’t want to drop the smartphone to find out if this was true so we’ll take Samsung’s word for it. 

The ‘Flex Window’, as Samsung calls it, fills most of one-half of the phone’s back and it’s a really useful size. You can quickly and easily see a clock, your calendar etc. and there’s also support for other third-party apps. It’s also really great for video calls when working from home, taking selfies and group shots. A quick double-tap activates the smaller display and moving from that to the full phone to see apps in more detail is a seamless process. Both displays are bright, colours are accurate and you can view them easily outdoors. It does feel tall when fully open but we think that’s down to a slightly narrower width when you compare it to other smartphones. This does mean the size is compact when folded, though. 

Camera-wise, you get a 12MP f/1.8 24mm wide and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide on the rear and a 10MP f/2.2 23mm wide selfie punch-hole camera at the top of the display. The specs all sound rather generic but where the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 stands out is with the FlexCam as the improved cover display makes it really easy to capture selfies and group shots. In fact, we reckon you won’t use the selfie camera at all. 

The camera app is very much like all other camera apps available with various modes built-in, options for adding filters, ways to create bokeh and Pro modes for those who want more control. 

Camera Specs:

• Rear Camera: 12MP f/1.8 24mm wide with Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide
• Front Camera: 10MP f/2.2 23mm wide
• Video: Up to 4K@30/60fps
• Various camera modes including Portrait, Night and Panorama
• Cover Display can be used for capturing selfies or group shots 

Battery life –  The battery is rated at 3700mAh which isn’t poor but it’s not amazing. Having said that, we did get a full day’s use out of the smartphone without having to reach for a charger. 

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Sample Photos

Sample Photos – You get a real mixed bag of results with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 as some images are excellent while others lack some oomph. When the dynamic range isn’t too varied, images are great and colour reproduction is good all of the time but when you get high levels of bright light, shots can look a little washed out and lacklustre. You do get a good amount of detail, though, and bokeh is lovely. The selfie camera performs well but you’ll probably never use it as the FlexCam makes it really easy to capture group shots and selfies with the rear camera setup. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Lens test images

Lens Performance – The ultra-wide and wide lenses perform well with good colour reproduction and sharpness. It’s rare we say this but in the sample images captured, we actually prefer the quality of the ultra-wide over the wide shot. 2X digital zoom is fine to use, as is 4X, and both produce very usable results but at 10X, quality does fall off rapidly. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Digital filters

Digital Filters – Plenty of digital filters are built in which you can apply live and shoot in-camera. You can also create your own filter looks if you want to. 
 

Panoramas – Panoramas are easy to capture and are stitched well. Colours are accurate and the results are decent. 

Source: Photography News
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Phone Review
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