Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Galaxy Z Flip 4: Which foldable phone wins?

Samsung's been making foldable phones for a long while now, and with that comes the drive for perfection. In this Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 versus Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 face-off, we'll explore all of the iterative changes of its latest foldable phone to see how much better it is over last year's model. There's no denying that this is probably the biggest leap in the series since the first one came out in 2020;

Things have changed in the landscape since then because Samsung's once tight grip in the foldable space has loosen with newcomers proving they're legitimate contenders for some of the best foldable phones around. We've seen it already in our Google Pixel Fold versus Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 face-off face-off, so there's urgency within Samsung's camp to fend off the competition.

Within the clamshell foldable space where the Z Flip 5 is competing in, there's competition from the critically acclaimed Motorola Razr+, which is shocking given Moto's past efforts. That phone actually held its ground in our detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 versus Motorola Razr+ comparison.

If you're holding onto the Z Flip 4 and considering upgrading to the Z Flip 5, we'll dial into all the differences in our comparison.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Specs

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Design

One of the most notable changes with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is its new Flex Hinge, which effectively eliminates the gap seen with the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It may not be a big deal for some, but it's the iterative change that the newer Flip 5 offers to stay in conversation against other phones that have already implemented no-gap designs — namely the Oppo Find N2 Flip and Motorola Razr+.

Both phones are still incredibly sleek, and apart from the larger outer screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung didn't do much aesthetically to change things up this time around. Due to that larger screen, however, you won't be able to have the same customizations that are available to the Bespoke edition of the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

We've been using the Z Flip 4 since it launched last year, and we have to admit that the crease held up well during that time. In fact, it doesn't look any different from what we see on the newer Flip 5. We're hoping that the Z Flip 5's crease will age graciously as good as its predecessor given its new Flex Hinge design

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Displays

Well, the rumors turned out true for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which dons a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED. It's a substantial upgrade in every way when we compare it to the 1.9-inch AMOLED outer screen of the Z Flip 4. In fact, the cover screen is so large that it takes up almost half of the exterior case.

If you look closer at the Galaxy Z Flip 5, that enlarged cover screen has a small "fin" on the bottom left, which offers some screen space to the side of the Z Flip 5's dual camera array. Much like how its predecessor display widgets on its outer screen, you get larger sized widgets to interact with on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

More importantly, though, the Z Flip 5 can run select apps in full screen mode with its cover screen. It's actually an experimental feature that Samsung is overseeing, so technically not all apps are supported. While this is a limitation when you compare it to the Razr+, it's still a significant change over the widgets-only access of its predecessor.

When it comes to their main displays, it's hard to tell which is better on paper since they're so similar. The Flip 5 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X, while the Flip 4 has a 6.7-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2x.

Since they're both AMOLED display, they exhibit the same qualities — like their wide viewing angles and punchy colors. What's really compelling here is that Samsung effectively doubled the display brightness of the Z Flip 5. In our testing, it reached an incredible peak brightness output of 1,504 nits, which is nearly double the Z Flip 4's meager 772 nit brightness. It's really easy to tell the difference outdoors when the sun's out.

When you combine its larger Flex Window and bright main screen, the Z Flip 5 easily wins this category.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Cameras

Everyone loves talking big about how the cameras are much more improved with their new phones, and Samsung's one of them. You might be scratching your head after looking at the camera specs of both phones, seeing that they have the same dual camera arrangement — a 12-megapixel main camera paired with a 12-megepixel ultrawide one.

Samsung assures that there's an improvement with the Z Flip 5 because it's leveraging an AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm that boosts the sharpness and quality, especially those taken under low light. You should know that undeniably true when you read about the same image we captured under extreme low light.

When it comes to their respective camera apps, they're no different and offer the same set of tools. Despite this, the Z Flip 5's larger outer screen makes it the better camera phone. That's because we're able to see more of the shot, versus how there's a cropped due with the tinier cover screen of the Z Flip 4.

Frankly, these two phones handle photographs very well with their main cameras. You can see it in the photo above, where the Z Flip 5 produces slightly sharper results and a more even exposure throughout the scene. The Z Flip 4's shot isn't shabby at all, but we do notice it's a tad softer in the details and tends to boost the shadows to give the entire image a slightly more exposed look.

We can also say the same thing about their ultrawide cameras, which both feature 123-degree field of views. Again, the Z Flip 5 casts a more realistic exposure throughout the scene while applying sharpness to draw out the details a little more.

Under extreme low light conditions, we can also see how the optimizations of the Z Flip 5 lead to the more favorable results. Don't get us wrong, we love how both came out bright for the conditions, but the Flip 5's AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm tweaks the final result enough to make it the better looking of the two.

Portrait shots may look identical, but we can see upon closer inspection how the Z Flip 5 does a better job at detecting edges. You can see how the Z Flip 4 loses the focus around the ear, whereas the Z Flip 5 dials in right to the edges.

While we recommend taking selfies using the better rear cameras with the help of their external display, the Flip 5 does a better job of capturing them with its 10-megapixel front-facing camera. We can see how it produces sharper details, which we can make out in the leaves in the background and the pattern of the shirt.

Video recording tops out at 4K 60 FPS on both flip phones, but in terms of performance, it's a close tie with both of them delivering good looking footage. While their dynamic range performances evens out the exposure, we do notice a slight improvement when using the 10x digital zoom of the Flip 5. Again, this is due to the newer algorithm it's leveraging.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Performance

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which is commonly available in Android flagships that launched in the latter half of last year. While that chipset is no slouch, the newer Galaxy Z Flip 5 benefits from having the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. 

While the two foldable phones exhibit the same amount of responsiveness navigating around the interfaces, the benchmark tests we ran shows that the Flip 5 gains the edge with its newer piece of silicon.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy has already proven its worth in benchmarking tests, absolutely thrashing the Gen 1 chip in single- and multi-core CPU tests. In fact, the Z Flip 5 scored 1,354 and 4,288 in Geekbench 5, while the Z Flip 4 reached 1,291  4,015 respectively. Graphics processing is also improved on the Flip 5, which maintained the better 18 frames per second rate with 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. And lastly, the Z Flip 5 took 42 seconds to render a video in Adobe Premiere Rush — a whole two seconds faster than the Z Flip 4.

It's worth mentioning that Samsung generously increased the base storage capacity of the Galaxy Z Flip 5. It's now 256GB, whereas last year's Galaxy Z Flip 4 started out at 128GB. We think that's a big deal.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Battery

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 didn't fair well in our battery life test when we reviewed it. The phone clocked in at 8 hours 57 minutes with its display set to standard mode, which limits its refresh rate to 60Hz. 

It’s far from the worst battery life we’ve seen on a Samsung phone in recent years, but running the same battery benchmark test on the Z Flip 5 reveals the efficiency of its newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Specifically, it lasts nearly longer with a total time of 9 hour and 53 minutes. That's the kind of boost we want to see in any successive device, but it still trails some of the other longer lasting options in our best phone battery life list.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Software

On the surface, it doesn't appear to be a whole lot new with the Samsung OneUI experience running on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. All of the same Flex Modes present on the Flip 4 are present once again, providing for optimized layouts whenever the phones are folded half way. We think some of them are more useful than others, like how it feels like we're holding a camcorder when we run the camera app in Flex Mode.

The biggest change to the experience is the extra functionality of the Z Flip 5's larger Flex Window. With the Z Flip 4, its smaller sized cover screen provides access notifications and widgets, but it's nowhere close to the richer experience of the Z Flip 5. Not only are the widgets more dynamic, but we love how we can run some dedicated apps through the Flex Window. And as we mentioned in the camera section, the larger external display is even more helpful at capturing selfies and videos of ourselves.

Both phones are also equipped to handle multitasking very well by initiating their split screen views and then running a floating app, which essentially allows you to run up to three apps simultaneously.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4: Verdict

Really, it was inevitable for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 to come out in top with this face-off. From its newer hardware under the hood, to its refreshed design, the Galaxy Z Flip5 proves it's the meaty upgrade that the series has been waiting for.

There's about a $100 difference with their prices, so knowing that, we still feel that the Z Flip 5 is the better option if you're looking to buy a foldable phone. We're also inclined to admit that Z Flip 4 owners should be confident about buying the new phone is they're mulling over the idea of upgrading, mainly because it's functionally a different phone. Did we mention that it also benefits from having double the storage capacity?

More from Tom's Guide

• What to expect from foldable phones in 2023
• iPhone Flip: Everything we know about Apple's foldable phone
• I'm over foldable and rollable phones we can't buy — it's time for some real Samsung rivals