Samsung announces new Galaxy Z Flip 5G foldable smartphone
Samsung has announced the sequel to its horizontally-folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G.
The phone is almost identical to its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip, apart from the addition of 5G radios and a faster processor.
Samsung has upgraded the device from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus to the Snapdragon 865 Plus.
The company has also made some minor software tweaks to its new smartphone: the multi-window tray is now “more robust” which should give users a full Galaxy edge panel, and it is now easier to shoot from higher and lower angles.
YouTube has also been updated to better integrate “Flex mode”, which is when the bottom of the device is used as a stand and the top is used to view content.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G will be available in the UK in Mystic Grey and Mystic Bronze from August 7, with a price yet to be confirmed. The original Galaxy Z Flip cost £1300.
Apart from that, the differences between the new Galaxy Z Flip model and the old one is minimal. Customers still receive a 6.7-inch, 2636-by-1080 pixel resolution AMOLED screen with a 10MP selfie camera.
On the back is a dual 12MP ultra-wide and wide-angle camera, with an 8x digital zoom and HDR10+ recording capabilities.
Inside, the phone has 8GB RAM with 256GB of storage, and a 3,300mAh battery.
The most important aspect of the phone is its hinge. In The Independent’s review of the original version we found that the hinge was durable and felt long-lasting, but the phone’s protective screen was less hardy.
This is not the case for every Samsung foldable; the Galaxy Fold, the company’s first vertical foldable phone, suffered breakages in under two days and Samsung had to infamously recall units.
The South Korean tech giant is expected to announce a sequel to the Galaxy Fold as well, alongside its Galaxy Note 20 Ultra flagships.
