Over the past few years, Samsung has almost perfected the foldable phone, and the 2023 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to be even better than the current models.
We don’t expect to see this phone until much later in 2023, so there aren’t many rumors around it just yet — but we’ve heard a few things, and you’ll find all of those below, along with info on a possible release date and price.
We’ll also update this article whenever any new leaks or rumors surface, so bookmark it if you want to stay up to date.
Additionally, at the bottom of this article, you will find a wishlist of the main things we want from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, to make sure that it fixes all the issues with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
cut to the chase
- What is this? Samsung’s next flagship foldable phone
- When is the exit? Maybe August 2023
- How much will it cost? Unknown but expect very expensive
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 release date and price
There is no word yet on when we will see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, but the Galaxy Z Fold 4 was announced on August 10, 2022, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 was revealed on August 11, 2021. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Also announced on August 2 of the year of its launch, albeit a little earlier on August 5.
As early as mid-August, it looks likely to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. All of those announcements happened on Wednesday as well, so our best guess for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 release date is Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
As for the price, there’s no word on that yet, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1,799 / £1,649 / AU$2,499, so it’s possible to get a similar price.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 news and leaks
There have been only a few real Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 leaks so far, with the first pointing to the presence of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 foldable chipset.
This would be the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipsets that power many of the flagship Android phones in 2022, including the Galaxy Z Fold 4. So a Gen 2 or Plus version of it always seemed like a possibility.
The same source also states that the phone will feature a triple-lens rear camera with a 50MP main sensor. That’s exactly what the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has – with the other two being a 12MP sensor and a 10MP telephoto camera – so this may mean there aren’t many camera upgrades.
Secondly, the phone appears to be getting a waterdrop-style hinge, which enables the two sides of the device to lay completely flat against each other. That would improve the durability of the foldable device, in theory.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: What we want to see
For Samsung to make the ultimate foldable phone, there are five main things it needs to do, which we’ve highlighted below.
1. Same cameras as Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 aren’t bad at all, but they’re not Samsung’s best, despite being the company’s most expensive phone. Anyone who can afford the kind of money the Z Fold 4 costs will likely want the best of the best, and on the camera front it just doesn’t manage to.
So for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, we want the phone to match the camera configuration of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which based on the previous variant will likely have the company’s best snappers.
2. No visible crease
While Samsung’s foldable displays are impressive, the company didn’t crack the crease, as it was visible and something you can feel when swiping across the screen.
This isn’t a huge issue and something most people quickly get used to, but it’s a flaw in an otherwise excellent display, so we’d love to see Samsung successfully mask it on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
3. Lower price
The single biggest issue with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is simply how much it costs, as it’s one of the most expensive phones on the planet — making the iPhone 14 Pro Max look almost cheap by comparison.
It’s no surprise that the price is high given the screen size and technology involved, but if this foldable line is truly mainstream, the price has to come down, and hopefully Samsung will start lowering it with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
4. Faster charging
Most Samsung phones have rather slow charging, and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is no exception. It tops out at 25W wired or 15W wireless, both of which are well below other flagships like the 150W OnePlus 10T or the 120W Xiaomi 12 Pro.
We don’t expect or need Samsung to hit these types of charging power levels, but we’d at least like to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 split the difference and offer around 60W-80W.
5. Bigger battery
Besides fast charging, we also like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 to have a larger battery. At 4,400mAh, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is average at best, and is actually smaller than the batteries in a lot of conventional phones.
But given that this has a huge foldable display, it could do with a particularly large battery. So at the very least, we want 5,000mAh in the Z Fold 5 — the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has that, so it shouldn’t be too much of a demand.