Samsung debuted the latest generation of its folding smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, in August. However, the Korean behemoth isn’t sitting quietly, as rumors regarding its successor, the Z Fold 5, are already circulating.
Here’s all we know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 so far.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 be released?
There is no official timetable from Samsung as of yet, but the firm does have a very consistent release schedule for its flagship models. When did the preceding generations arrive?
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold: September 2019
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: September 2020
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: August 2021
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: August 2022
Because the previous two generations were announced in August, we believe the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be unveiled in August 2023.
How much will the Galaxy Z Fold 5 cost?
Folding phones are still considered premium products, so when Samsung updates the Fold portfolio, you can bet it won’t be cheap. Here’s how the last two generations lined up as a hint to the costs you’ll be looking at:
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4:
- 256GB: $1,799/£1,649/€1,799/₹154,999
- 512GB: $2,009/£1,769/€1,919/₹164,999
- 1TB: $2,249/£2,019/€2,159/₹184,999
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3:
- 256GB: $1,799/£1,599/€1,799/₹149,999
- 512GB: $1,899/£1,699/€1,899/₹157,999
As you can see, certain pricing remained constant between models, while others increased. With global inflation still present, it is doubtful that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be significantly cheaper, and costs may even climb somewhat.
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A decent indicator may be how much the Galaxy S23 series costs more than its predecessors, which we’ll find out when it comes on February 1st.
What about new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs and features?
Although it will be some time before the updated Fold is released, rumors regarding what Samsung wants to include in the update have begun to circulate.
So far, the biggest leaks have come from the Korean tech blog The Elec, which revealed that, like the future Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the new Fold 5 would be powered by the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU, which was released late last year.
According to the story, Samsung will remain with the triple camera array in the Fold 5, which will have a 50Mp primary sensor (the Samsung ISOCELL GN3) flanked by a 12Mp ultrawide and a 10Mp telephoto, as seen in the Fold 4. The Elec does mention that the selfie camera will have a 12Mp sensor, which is a little improvement over the 10Mp sensor seen on the Fold 4.
We’ve heard conflicting allegations from Vietnamese site The Pixel, which claims that the Fold 5 will sport a new Snapdragon CPU – possibly the as-yet unreleased 8+ Gen 2 – as well as a camera upgrade.
The site anticipates a 108Mp primary camera with OIS and an aperture of f/1.7, along with a 64Mp 2x zoom camera and a 12Mp ultrawide. That would imply a large resolution increase for both the primary camera and the telephoto, as well as a reduction in zoom from 3x to 2x on the latter – however with Samsung’s digital zoom skills, the gap could easily be made up in post-processing.
Nonetheless, we have reservations regarding The Pixel’s story. For one thing, the site lacks the track record of previous leakers and does not reveal its source. However, we have some reservations about the rumor because some of its specifics appear to be incorrect – the source indicates that Samsung will return to the taller, thinner unfolded dimensions of the Z Fold 3, which would feel like a step backwards from the well-received proportions of the Fold 4. We find that change difficult to accept, which makes us distrust everything else in here as well.
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Nonetheless, The Pixel joins other sites in speculating that 2018 might be the year when Samsung eventually incorporates the S Pen pen within the phone with a dedicated slot. According to The Elec, Samsung indicated in a meeting with component suppliers that a dedicated S Pen slot is one of the characteristics needed to push its foldables to the next level of appeal, alongside thinner and lighter designs and greater camera performance.
Meanwhile, Naver, a Korean news site, reports that Samsung is switching to a waterdrop hinge design for the Z Fold 5. This is the technology that rivals are now using, which bends the display into a curved droplet form when it folds, having two effects: it allows screens to entirely shut when folded, with no gap between, and it decreases the size of the crease when the screen is flat. This has been the Z Fold’s key competitive advantage in the previous year or so, so this move would help Samsung demonstrate that it is still the leader in foldables.
According to leaker yeux1122, Samsung brought a prototype foldable with a waterdrop hinge to CES 2023, and he posted this image of the prototype (right) compared to an actual Z Fold 4. This isn’t a clear indication to the design of the Z Fold 5, but it does imply that if Samsung does use this improved hinge, it might enable it make a smaller and lighter folding, in addition to the display improvements.
Otherwise, the Fold 5 might have many of the same specifications as the Galaxy Z Fold 4, such as a 6.2-inch AMOLED cover display and a 7.6-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G, a 4400mAh battery that supports 25W charging, and an IPX8 waterproof rating were also included.
Obviously, we’ll be updating this post as more information becomes available, so keep checking back. In the meanwhile, check out our top smartphones and best phones coming in 2023 roundups to see what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be up against.
