Samsung Galaxy Flip 5. We finally have a fold for everyone?

Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 will go on sale any day after its great holiday premiere. This year’s phone folded like classic clamshell designs seems to be quite a revolutionary device, especially against the backdrop of rather restrained changes in the Galaxy Fold 5 folded like a notebook.

How does the latest proposal of the Korean giant work on a daily basis? Is it worth the price? We summarize Flip 5 after two weeks of testing.

External screen – Galaxy Flip 5’s biggest breakthrough

The great advantage of this year’s Flip model is the enlarged external screen – the so-called Flex Window now measures 3.4 inches and takes up almost the entire half of the phone. This one element practically completely changes the use of the smartphone in complex mode and deserves a detailed description.

Without opening the phone, we will perform many basic but crucial tasks. I mostly used the uncomplicated timer, calendar and weather widgets. “What am I doing today”, “will it rain” – these are very simple questions that automatically appear in the head, and we want to know the answer in a second or less. The fact that I don’t have to fiddle with the hinge for this is invaluable.

However, this is only the beginning, because the enlarged screen also gives us more possibilities. A very interesting option is to launch Google Maps on the external screen. Again – walking somewhere in a foreign district, we usually look at the next turns every few minutes. Opening the flip of the phone every time would be a chore. The large cover screen completely eliminates this.

On the external screen, we will also reply to the SMS you just received. It can be convenient, because we have not only quick answers at our disposal, but also a full QWERTY keyboard. In my tests, however, I mostly preferred to open Flip if I wanted to type something longer than “I’ll be there in 5 minutes”. The keyboard is quite small for my thumbs, and we can forget about typing and looking at the conversation history at the same time.

So far, however, the number of applications officially supported from the external screen is small. After running the appropriate option in the Labs menu, we get access to Google Maps, Netflix, messaging applications and YouTube. We will get more possibilities using the external Good Lock application in the Galaxy Store. However, I would like in the future Samsung to allow you to use all phone applications without opening it.

Galaxy Flip 5 design and ergonomics

If we switch from a classic cell phone and use the Galaxy Flip 5 every day – you definitely need to get used to a few things. The proportions of the phone are just different. In folded mode, it still feels quite bulky in the hand and it took me a while to get used to how it “carries” in the pocket.

When unfolded, the dimensions of the 6.7-inch screen are also a bit unusual. Although the Flip 5 does not differ much in size from traditional models, it immediately seems taller, but slightly thinner – the proportions are rare 22: 9. The hand, however, gets used to it quite quickly.

I had more difficulties with reconciling myself with the recess of the screen formed in the place of bending the halves. The “invitation” can be seen against the light, but with the screen on it does not interfere with viewing the content. However, it is quite noticeable under the finger, especially when scrolling up and down.

In this year’s model, the big advantage is the new hinge design, which folds the phone completely flat, not in the shape of a drop of water with a small gap between the halves. This means that small particles are less likely to end up in the wrong places. The last thing I want to hear when folding Flip is an unpleasant crunch in the mechanism or the sound of a grain of sand rubbing against the screen halves.

Galaxy Flip 5 – Cameras, Performance, Battery

The photographic performance of Flip 5 is good, although the camera team has been completely copied from Flip 4. So on board we have a 12 MP main lens and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Samsung’s photo software is very convenient and refined – in most ordinary applications we can count on good quality photos and vivid colors. I didn’t notice the annoying shutter lag either.

Of course, the main advantage of the Flip 5 is that it is a real beast for selfies. The new, large cover screen makes spontaneous photos or videos much easier. The software allows us to take a self-portrait in a second and with just three clicks. In the complex mode, we also use the main, strongest lens of the phone. There is also an internal 10 MP selfie camera on board, but in practice it is not used very often.

In terms of performance, you can’t say a bad word about the smartphone. The flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor is absolutely top shelf, and 8 GB makes animations or other watched content run very smoothly. Data space of 256 or 512 GB is a standard that should be enough for the average user. Especially since storing photos in the cloud is becoming more and more popular.

As for the battery – it’s ok, although it could be better. 3700 mAh is quite a small capacity by today’s standards, because phones from lower shelves already boast of 5000 mAh batteries. However, the company can be forgiven because it presses the links into an unusual, foldable shape. In my case, a full charge was enough for one day of use. Heavy users, however, should always carry a charger with them (however, this is not included with the phone).

Summary – is it worth buying the Galaxy Flip 5?

With each premiere of a foldable phone, one question is repeated over and over again – will companies finally be able to convince average users to the concept? Last year, models folded in half like flip phones were treated rather as curiosities for gadget lovers who are willing to sacrifice some functionality for the wow effect.

Galaxy Flip 5 already seems to be a proposition that can be recommended not only to fanatics, but also to people simply looking for a new phone. The wow effect is still welcome and the flip flop is satisfying every time. However, you no longer have to jump over numerous obstacles that hinder the daily use of your smartphone.

However, innovation has its cost. We will pay PLN 5,599 for the most basic version of Flip 5 (8/256 GB). The edition with 512 GB of data space is PLN 5,999. Although prices have not jumped too much compared to last year’s model, not everyone is willing to spend so much on a smartphone.

Samsung’s foldable phone is an interesting proposition especially for people who often shoot selfies, as well as for users (or rather users) with smaller hands and pockets. A foldable phone is the only logical answer to the market’s desire for larger and larger screen diagonals, which may simply become inconvenient to use.

On the other hand, if the folded aspect of the phone does not convince us – we probably have nothing to look for here. Even in Samsung’s offer, we can find cheaper phones with similar specifications, and with a better 50 MP camera or a larger battery. The displays will also be perfectly smooth, without a specific fold.