The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 could be the most disappointing phone of the year
Seen it all before
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Foldable phones are inherently exciting, but they’re also expensive, so in order for their purchase price to be justified, it’s important that new models have major upgrades. TheSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, however, doesn’t look likely to offer much in the way of new features.
That’s according to@UniverseIce– a leaker with a good track record – who claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have a 6.2-inch cover screen, just like theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Inanother tweet, they say that “the design has been confirmed and will not be changed” for both theSamsungGalaxy Z Fold 5 and theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Unfortunately, I can confirm that the Galaxy Z Fold5 external screen is still 6.2 “😕 https://t.co/isu6YlnhgiMarch 8, 2023
The wording there is a bit ambiguous, especially as the leaker isn’t a native English speaker. They could be saying that the design will be the same as last year, or simply that Samsung has now locked in the design it’s going to use.
Even if they mean the latter, though, the apparent presence of the same-size cover screen on the Z Fold 4 suggests there probably won’t be major design changes.
Visually, then, there might be very little difference between theseupcoming phonesand the current models – though it’s worth noting that we’ve heard elsewhere that the Galaxy Z Fold 5will have a new waterdrop hinge, which could change the appearance of it a little, at least.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 can arguably get away with few upgrades, as it’s likely to be a relatively affordable phone, but something as expensive as the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is sure to be really needs improvements.
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Of course, we’d take this with a pinch of salt, and @UniverseIce is only talking about the design and cover screen here, so it’s possible we’ll see significant spec improvements. Except, well, other sources suggest that’s unlikely, too.
Analysis: few upgrades to be found
If the leaks we’ve heard so far are accurate, then it’s not just the design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 that might be similar to the Z Fold 4. Its cameras could be comparable, too, withanother sourceclaiming that the Z Fold 5 will have a 50MP main camera, just like the current model.
We’ve also heard that the phone willcome with the same storage optionsas the Z Fold 4, and it alledgedlywon’t have any major spec upgrades, either.
Other than a change in hinge design, the only real upgrade that’s been leaked so far for the Z Fold 5 is the presence of aSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which will make it more powerful than the Z Fold 4 – but that’s about the least you could expect from a new iteration of a smartphone.
So, unless we start hearing of other exciting features in the coming months, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 might struggle to rank among thebest foldable phones.
James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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