The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is far from perfect, but it still has my heart

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 the premier foldable smartphone on the market? It's a mixed bag.

Based on my experience with its predecessors, I'd argue that Samsung greatly benefits from substantial competition.

In the non-foldable smartphone domain, competition is intense, which prompts Samsung to exert dedication in standing out or at least keeping pace with other contenders. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, for instance, consistently sets or matches new standards.

But what about large foldable smartphones? Samsung has long held the lion’s share of this market, not necessarily due to unparalleled quality. Competitive brands are mainly confined to China (like Xiaomi), are late to western markets (like Honor), lack Google's services (such as Huawei), or are just tentatively venturing into the market (such as OnePlus). Thus, Samsung can easily break sales records without breaking a sweat.

My significant criticism of Samsung's foldable smartphone relates to the ridiculously narrow external screen. Most competitors have figured out that the device, when folded, should resemble ordinary smartphones as closely as possible. However, using the folded Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, particularly its on-screen keyboard, feels incredibly cumbersome to me.

Moreover, when folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 measures a thickness of 0.52 inches, which is thicker than other models like the Honor Magic V2, Huawei Mate X3, and OnePlus Open. Among the four, Samsung also has the heaviest body and the smallest battery.

Samsung's cameras feel underdeveloped in their foldable smartphones. Luxurious features such as a 200-megapixel sensor or 10x telephoto are reserved for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, leaving Galaxy Z Fold 5 users with a camera borrowed from the markedly cheaper Galaxy S23. It has been suggested that this was done for weight reduction, but foldable Huaweis and OnePluses have periscope telephoto lenses and better zoom, all while being lighter than Samsung.

The upside is that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is Samsung's first foldable smartphone that folds in parallel with no visible gap. The competition, however, had this feature much earlier.

In terms of construction, the Galaxy Z Fold 5's redeeming qualities are its certified water resistance and the inclusion of wireless charging, a combination only matched by the Huawei Mate X3.

Samsung's extensive experience in devising software for foldable smartphones shines brightly. For years, competitors have only been able to craft pale copies.

For starters, the One UI provides a robust foundation for expansion, arguably offering the most advanced and user-friendly interface.

The Gallery alone has a host of ingenious functions, such as text copying from photos, ...

... object extraction from the background with one click ,...

... removing unwanted objects, ...

... adding a background blur effect to standard photos, ...

... and highly accurate upscaling via AI.

Although these features are also available in other Samsung devices, the sizeable screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 extends the capability of multi-window operation, making it a multitasking powerhouse.

The examples I've mentioned only apply to photo editing, but the One UI also comes with a potent video editor, an excellent notebook, an advanced PDF reader, a dictaphone with an interview mode, and many other helpful tools. As such, multitasking proves beneficial in numerous scenarios. Trying to enumerate all potential uses would be as arduous as summarizing the universe's history in a tweet.

While rival smartphones also have similar features, they mainly exist only in theory. For instance, on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, I can freely adjust the window size, whereas the OnePlus Open only allows me to choose between two layouts.

Describing all the differences can be challenging as they often come down to subtle details. However, it's due to these precise details that I prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 5 over any other foldable smartphone.

Furthermore, operating two full-screen applications simultaneously is highly beneficial. Video editing, for instance, is particularly seamless when I can utilize a full-sized video editor in one window and simultaneously explore and modify media in the other.

Not to forget arguably the most crucial aspect - while most foldable smartphones are not easy to manage single-handedly, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 works flawlessly with the Samsung One Hand Operation + app. This moves the navigation bar to the screen edge.

I cannot think of another device with such a large display that offers quite the same comfort of use.

Many users - myself included - lament the lack of a housing space for the stylus in the foldable designs, which we've seen and appreciated in the Galaxy Note series and the recent Galaxy S Ultra.

Support for the stylus was added with the "third generation" model, but the specialized accessory, which came in the form of a pen, either had to be carried separately or attached to an inconvenient, wobbly holder on the case.

Keeping the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in mind, Samsung has introduced a new two-part case featuring stylus storage. A specially designed version of the S Pen is flattened and conceals nicely in a subtle extension at the back of the case.

The stylus is a game-changer for such a large screen where signing documents or editing photos is a delight. It retains many functions known from earlier Samsung devices, including pressure sensitivity detection. However, compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it lacks only Bluetooth.

During my tests, I found the protective layer of the screen (because of its protruding edges) quite annoying and ended up removing it, opting only for the overlay with the S Pen.

Is this the perfect solution for the lack of a stylus in a foldable smartphone? No. Is it the best currently available solution? Yes.

Samsung has equipped its foldable smartphone with a:

• 50 Mpix primary camera (1/1.57 inch) featuring Dual Pixel autofocus, optical image stabilization, and an aperture of f/1.8;
• 12 Mpix camera with an ultra-wide lens and an aperture of f/2.2;
• 10 Mpix camera with a 3x telephoto lens, optical image stabilization, and an aperture of f/2.4.

I have argued that the Huawei Mate X3 and OnePlus Open outclass Samsung with their periscopic telephoto lenses. Besides the subpar zoom, there isn't much to fault as the Galaxy Z Fold 5 does produce very high-quality photos.

I appreciate Samsung's algorithms which finely enhance but don't over saturate colors, and effectively manage overexposures. The software also ensures high repeatability of images and usually a consistent color scheme across all lenses. The only exception being the ultra-wide lens which can sometimes struggle with white balance in challenging lighting conditions.

The foldable design lets all lenses and camera functions be utilized for selfies or vlog recording.

Powered by an almost 8-inch screen and a 4400 mAh battery, it doesn't exactly seem promising. Yet, the S23 Ultra has demonstrated that Samsung can work optimization wonders with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip.

If I was able to get 8-10 hours of on-screen time in a day on the S23 Ultra, the Z Fold 5 offers around 6-7. This still allows for a full day of intense activity or two days of moderate use.

The 12/256 GB version of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is priced at 8799 PLN ($2195), whereas the 8/256 GB version of the Galaxy S S23+ costs 4699 PLN ($1171).

In essence, it seems as though Samsung is charging an additional 4000 PLN ($1000) for additional RAM and the capability to double the screen size. Is this price jump justified? Probably not, but let's be honest - this isn't a phone for budget-conscious consumers.

From my perspective, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 possesses the best software on the market, and it's fantastic to use. However, comparisons with competitors' products illuminate the ways that the design could have been improved.

If you're interested, I'd recommend testing the external screen at a store since its width is, in my opinion, the most significant drawback of this design. If you can come to terms with that, the rest of the features can be quite enchanting.