Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 announced – set to outsell the Fold in 2023

Samsung has grand aspirations for the success of the next-generation Galaxy Z Flip device in a market now thriving with competition with the device launched in the company’s home country Korea this evening.

While until now Samsung had little to look over their shoulder at when it came to Foldable smartphones, 2023 will be remembered as the year that all changed with Oppo presenting a strong contender in the market, and more recently Motorola putting forward their latest Razr – both with Samsung rivalling features.

But if you speak to Samsung Australia’s Vice President Garry McGregor, he doesn’t seem phased, in fact he welcomes the competition, telling EFTM “We’re seeing competition coming into this space now which is fantastic because it’s creating the idea that actually these devices aren’t going to go away. They’re actually only going to grow in stature. So we we’re excited to see where that will go”.

A rising tide lifts all boats they say, and for 2023 Samsung has really stepped up to the plate.

Amidst my own concerns that they wouldn’t be able to close that hinge gap, or really push the device forward, the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 ticks a lot of boxes.

It has what Samsung call a “Zero gap hinge”, so when closed you’re left thinking “how” – “how is that screen folded in half”. This closure also benefits the screen and device by introducing less dust and dirt when the phone isn’t in use.

When opened up, the Flip5 has a less visible crease in the screen, but the narks out there will still tell you it’s obvious – don’t listen to them, they’ve never used a folding screen to know that it simply doesn’t appear to the user in day to day use.

But what the Flip 5 does do is push further on size. 2mm thinner when closed, down from 17.1 to 15.1, that’s thinner than the Oppo and the same as the Motorola.

This leads Samsung to their latest made-up word, Pocketability. And – I like it, because that is exactly why I love the Flip form factor. It just goes in your pocket or bag without a concern.

In terms of burying the lede though, I’ve really done that – because Samsung’s real party trick here in the outer screen. The “Flex Window”. Shaped not four sided but more like a rectangle with a little tab on it, or a filing folder the screen is far more usable than any Flip before it.

Way bigger than Oppo but not quite a full frontal screen like the Motorola, this is all about pages, widgets and apps.

Pinch the screen to show all your pages and widgets, swipe to move from page to page. Literally compose an SMS on the screen, though awkward if the app you are typing in hasn’t really been designed for that – but we’ll check that out over the week ahead in testing.

Photography will be great using that main camera, with the same sensor as the S23, and performance won’t leave you hanging with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

But here’s the thing. Last year, Garry McGregor told me he felt Foldables would outsell the S series within years. Today, he double’s down – telling EFTM “I think we are two to three years away from everyone using some form of foldable technology in their screens. It’s human nature. Our hands aren’t going to get any bigger but our demand for how we use technology is only going to grow. We want more. We want screens that immerse us. So with that, the only way you can do that is through some form of folding or even rolling glass.”

As for how many they will sell – well, of course, no numbers given – but while the Fold has been the big seller in the foldable Z series, that looks set to change, McGregor saying “What we see is in Australia, the fold actually outsells the flip. For now. I genuinely believe that will change this year”

Together, they look set to break records for Samsung, or at least Garry McGregor thinks so “I think the Fold and the Flip combined will definitely do more than what we’ve had. It’s a category that just continues to grow – that mix between fold and flip, I’ll be fascinated to see how it plays out. I think we’ll see a lot more flip users in Australia this time around than what we’ve had ever before. And I think Fold will continue to do its thing. It’s got that cult following.”

Flip5 will sell in four colours ; Mint, Graphite, Cream and Lavender – and in two memory configurations.

Pre-orders start now, and general on-sale will be August 18.

Trevor Long travelled to Korea as a guest of Samsung Australia