Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs, info and release date: everything we know
Increased competition means the next Galaxy Fold needs to be a winner
When it comes to foldables, Samsung has long been a trailblazer. We don’t just rate the Galaxy Z Fold 4 as an excellent folding phone – it’s one of the best smartphones on sale right now. But there’s always something newer and better in the pipeline, so it’s time to look at its imminent successor, the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
The next generation flagship foldable is still months away from making its debut, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of rumours doing the rounds on what to expect. Here’s everything we’ve heard so far, along with a wish list of features we’d love to see Samsung include.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 expected release date and price
Folding phones are the new high-end battleground – and are one area where Samsung categorically has the lead over long-time rival Apple. A Galaxy Z Fold 5 is all but certain, and should make its first official appearance later this year. Originally, we’d have said the smart money was on a reveal being in August 2023, and a quick look back at previous launches explains why:
- Galaxy Z Fold 4: launched 10th August 2022
- Galaxy Z Fold 3: launched 24th August 2021
- Galaxy Z Fold 2: launched 5th August 2020
The original Galaxy Fold was an outlier, arriving in March 2019, but all subsequent models have landed in August. That said, a recent report from Korean news site The Elec suggests Samsung is bringing this year’s launch forwards by two or three weeks, which will mean a late July reveal. The 26th of July is the rumoured date, with sales expected to start a week later.
It’s far too early to start spitballing about prices. Global cost of living increases, more expensive raw materials and higher shipping costs mean everything could change between now and launch. But for context, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 arrived at a heady £1649/$1800. We’d expect a successor to cost slightly more, unless Samsung pulls off a minor miracle with its supply chain.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 hardware rumours
The current consensus among leakers and tipsters is that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will look an awful lot like its predecessor, with a 6.2in external screen and 7.6in inner display. The bezels might shrink a bit though, bringing overall dimensions down ever so slightly. It should also be thinner overall, meaning it doesn’t bulge out of your pocket like the current model. Cream, Blue and Phantom Black colours are rumoured.
More importantly, Samsung looks set to finally banish the gap between the two halves of the phone when folded shut. It’s a trick rival foldables have pulled off with a teardrop-style hinge, which also helps minimise the visible crease down the centre of the screen. Samsung even showed off a concept device to Korean blog Naver at the CES trade show in January, proving it had the tech ready to go.
Underneath, the Z Fold 5 will almost certainly use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Qualcomm likes to give its chips mid-life refreshes around May and June time, so there’s a possibility this may be a yet-to-be-announced Plus variant. But seeing how Samsung and Qualcomm teamed up on a bespoke version of the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the Galaxy S23 series, that silicon might make a reappearance. Twitter tipster Yogesh Brar suggested as much recently, and also gave some insight as to what cameras could show up on the device.
It seems like there will once again be three snappers: a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto. New sensors are expected, but whether all three will get them is unclear.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 feature wish list
As much as we loved the Galaxy Z Fold 4, it only earned four stars in our review. There’s plenty of room for improvement, and these are the areas we reckon Samsung should address first so its next model scores even higher.
Fold flat, with no gap
This one’s pretty obvious: almost every folding phone that landed after the Galaxy Z Fold 4 made a huge deal about being able to fold completely flat, instead of leaving a gap between the two halves as Samsung has done. The next-gen Z Fold 5 needs to pull off the same trick in order to stay ahead of the pack. The latest rumours suggest it absolutely has done.
A shorter, wider outer screen
This is very wishful thinking on our part, given Samsung seems set on keeping the tall, skinny screen seen on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but we’d love to see some different dimensions instead. The Oppo Find N2 and Google Pixel Fold have shown us a shorter and wider outer display is a lot easier to use while folded shut, single-handed or otherwise. Samsung following suit would make the Z Fold 5 much more usable as a phone, rather than a tablet that can be folded up to fit in your pocket.
Find room for an S Pen
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 officially supports Samsung’s S Pen digital stylus – but you don’t get one in the box, and there’s nowhere to store it inside the phone itself like there is on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. We get that folding inner screens are more delicate than a traditional phone display, but another year of research into materials hopefully means the Z Fold 5’s display will be tougher – meaning more owners can be trusted with a stylus.
