Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Minimal improvements on one of the better foldables

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The exciting world of foldable phones is slowly gaining momentum, with more top brands getting involved and providing some much-needed competition. Samsung can be credited with making the most significant push in markets worldwide so far with its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series of phones, but how does its latest flagship foldable stack up against the previous model, or even the best Android phones? Let's find out in our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4 face-off.

As you've probably already assumed, there isn't that much difference between the two. The year-on-year improvements are modest, to say the least, making it hard to justify upgrading to the Fold 5 if you already have the Fold 4 - actually, I just wouldn't.

Both phones are very impressive, though, especially from a productivity standpoint. So, if you're seeing tempting prices on either device and weighing up what you might be missing on the newer Fold 5, this guide can help fill in those details. I've had extensive experience using both phones as my daily driver for months at a time.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Design

As also seen in our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Flip 4 comparison, Samsung has redesigned the hinge on the Fold 5 to create an almost zero-gap experience that allows the phone to close better.

In addition to being much more pleasing aesthetically, it also means you won't have to wipe off pocket fluff every time you open up the phone, as previous models are notorious for this. We perhaps don't notice it on regular phones as the act of pulling them from our pockets usually wipes them clean.

With the Fold 4, I'm constantly wiping the inner display down to clean away irritating pocket debris (where the hell is it all coming from!), but the problem has pretty much gone from the Fold 5.

The redesigned hinge and slightly narrower profile are more pleasing (the phone is 10 grams lighter now, too), especially when you put the Fold 5 and Fold 4 side-by-side, but I can't say it's noticeable in the hand, and if you really feel that 2.4mm difference in the pocket, those skinny jeans might be a touch too small.

One odd downgrade I spotted was the finger sensor gesture feature has been removed from the power button/fingerprint reader on the side of the phone. On the Fold 4, you can slide your finger down it to pull down the notification bar, which is much more intuitive than reaching the top of the screen. It's strange to see this cut from the Fold 5.

As for colors, Samsung continues to run a somewhat muted set. The Fold 4 has black, gray/green, beige, and green. The Fold 5 is available in pale blue, black, and, cream, with exclusive gray and darker blue options available at Samsung.com.

At least you can choose something more lively when protecting the phone with one of our picks of the best Galaxy Z Fold 4 cases or Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases. At the very least, make sure you add one of the best Z Fold 5 screen protectors - which will also fit the Fold 4.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Displays

The specs comparison above shows that the front and internal AMOLED displays are the same on the Fold 5 and Fold 4. Regarding image quality and refresh rate (still a silky 120Hz), we can't really complain, as both are excellent.

The Fold 5 does pull ahead in one aspect, though, as it's a bit brighter than the Fold 4, coming in at 1750 nits, a nice bump up from the 1200 nits of the Fold 4. Those numbers can be a little misleading, though, as the jump up isn't as big as those numbers suggest when you put the two phones side-by-side. It's noticeable, sure, but not by much. Direct sunlight or aggressive fluorescent tube lighting can still make things difficult, especially with light sometimes reflecting more off the display crease in such conditions.

When looking at white images, like most website backgrounds, I noticed a slight yellow tinge to the Fold 5, and some colors appear a touch muted on the newer phone, too. Not in a bad way, though, as the contrast between shades is a touch more refined.

Let's talk about the crease. Despite a redesigned and flatter hinge, the crease has no visible reduction. It's not particularly visible when viewed head-on most of the time, though, and it really doesn't bother me that much. What bothers me is how Samsung isn't trying to flatten it out over the last three phones now when various Chinese foldables are getting very close to eradicating the crease, even if it seems to be coming at the cost of water resistance.

Without fail, the crease is the first thing mentioned whenever anyone peeking over my shoulder asks me about the phone, and I feel there are a lot of potential buyers out there just waiting for the crease to go before making the jump. And for Apple to finally hop over the fence and join the foldable fun.

Whenever you're considering buying a foldable phone, you naturally might be more interested in what that big internal screen has to offer, and yeah, that is where all the magic happens. However, we must talk about the cover screen first, as you'll still use that one.

The cover display is the same on the Fold 4 and Fold 5, and that's a big problem. Or, more to the point, an irritatingly narrow one that's simply not working and the biggest reason not to buy either phone.

The narrow ratio just isn't a good fit for most apps and websites as everything's a little off, with images often cropped weirdly both vertically and horizontally - dating apps, in particular, are basically unusable unless you open the phone. Scrolling through longer articles is a chore, with far fewer words fitting into each line. There's a reason nobody is buying Sony's similarly-ratioed Xperia phones.

By far, the biggest inconvenience, though, is the keyboard. I'll admit, I'm not the best mobile typist; I still mourn the Blackberry and its immaculate physical keyboard, but typing on the cover screen is as awful on the Fold 5 as it was on the Fold 4. Both are better than the slightly narrower Fold 3.

Every Google search or text reply is just about the wrong side of irritating, and these annoyances really add up on both phones. And just to be sure, I've extensively tried switching from the default keyboard to Google/Microsoft options, but all with the same results. If you use swipe typing more often than not, you might fare a little better, but when needing to enter rarer words or names, you'll have to enter it manually with slow, precise taps that will give passers-by the impression you've just bought your first phone.

It's telling how poor the typing experience is by the wave of relief I feel when I go back to my Note 20 Ultra. So much so it's clear I'm not ready to adopt Samsung's foldable tablet-phone hybrid full-time until the front display is widened.

Of course, typing on the internal display is fine, a two-handed affair, but opening up when you're on the move is not convenient. You won't want to leave it open all the time at home as to protect the screen. Accidentally applying weight to the rear of the device and going against the hinge could be a disaster.

We're hoping that the new wave of competition might wake Samsung up. Just before the Fold 5 was released in the summer of 2023, Google released the Pixel Fold with a wider cover display that reviewers adored - not so much the gross early-adopter bezels on the inside display. Late in 2023, the OnePlus Open impressed with its wide front display and a great interior one, too, with thin bezels and a much more subtle crease.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Cameras

The cameras' specs and lenses have stayed the same between the Fold 4 and 5. But the Fold 5 does take ever so slightly better pictures thanks to improvements in the software and the added power coming from that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Is it a night and day difference? Not at all, further adding weight to the argument that you shouldn't replace your phone yearly. Something I dearly wish Samsung and Apple would do themselves, too.

I took a trip around Bath in the UK with the two cameras, taking photos of the same subjects at various ranges - without a tripod, sadly, so please forgive the modest differences in framing in the comparison shots below.

I struggled to tell the difference between the two with most shots. While admittedly a step or two behind the flagship like the S23 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro Max, both of Samsung's foldables take nice, detailed pictures on their default settings and are more than adequate for most uses.

It's no surprise that the two phones take such similar pictures, given that the hardware hasn't changed, but when staring at similar shots side by side for way longer than I'd like to admit, the main differences seem to be in shadows and color detail.

The Z Fold 4 adds in extra light to darker areas and shadows, whereas the Fold 5 does a better job of respecting the actual shadows to provide a more accurate image. As for color, look at the sandstone bricks or the tree trunks in the photos below, and you'll notice they have a bit more life on the Fold 5 than the Fold 4, making them a bit more appealing.

When zooming in after taking a picture, the Fold 5 doesn't break up as quickly. But using the 30x zoom on distant objects still produces a blurred watercolor effect; even 20x is a bit muddy on busier scenes. 10x, though, is seemingly the sweet spot for most ranged shooting on both phones.

We hope the Fold 6 can improve with some of the AI tech coming to the S24, as we should be getting flagship experiences here and not feeling FOMO. Sure, most buyers might barely notice the difference, but at $1800, that's not the point. Foldables aren't new anymore, and that price should get you the very best a brand has to offer.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Battery life

Both phones pack a 4,400 mAh battery, which still lags behind the 5,000 in Samsung's S23 Ultra. That being said, I found I could comfortably get through a whole day of average use regularly with both phones with similar screen-on times of 8-10 hours each.

Charging speeds on the Fold 5 remain locked to 25W, so you're looking at around 85 minutes from flat to full as charging speeds slow towards the end for battery preservation, or 30 minutes to 50%.

Yes, given the Fold 5 costs way beyond a flagship phone price, it really should have 45W charging speeds as an option by now, but in reality, you're not saving a huge amount of time between the two (that 85-minute charge would be closer to sixty minutes). I'd always opt for a larger battery over faster charging.

I have found that the battery on the newer Fold 5 gets hotter than the Fold 4's. Charging the phone or downloading large files/updates makes the device heat up quickly. Oddly, it doesn't do the same when gaming to the same extent. If anything, I was surprised at how little it heats up over an hour or so playing Call of Duty or Diablo Immortal on high settings, as previous models start to get hot after about 15 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Fold 4: Price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 launched at $1799/£1749 for the 256GB model, matching the launch price of the Fold 4 in the US - a weaker pound and inflation saw the new model's price rise £100 in the UK, though. So yes, we're still a long way off being able to feature tablet-esque foldables in our best budget Android phone guide.

As with other recent Samsung launches, Samsung offered a free storage upgrade (the 512GB model was going for the 256GB price), but that offer has expired. Samsung and the big carriers regularly run various trade-in deals, although the prices vary dramatically and may fluctuate at different times of year. A few months after launch, we saw up to $250 off an unlocked Fold 5 model at Amazon, so going unlocked is worth considering.

As for the Fold 4, it's no longer sold at Samsung's site. Prices at retail vary widely, but we expect most stock to sell out soon, or you'll be looking at used/refurbished options, which are certainly worth a look if you can take at least $500 off that MSRP.

Which one should you buy?

The Fold 5 is the better foldable phone, but the Fold 4 is certainly still worth considering if you can get an appropriate discount.

What about upgrading from the 4 to the 5? There needed to be more 'newness' or general improvements to the Fold 5 to justify the extra spend. If you already have the Fold 4, I suggest you stick with it for another year. Given the Pixel Fold and OnePlus Open have entered the arena, I'd be shocked if Samsung rolls out another indifferent upgrade for the Fold 6.

If you picked up a Fold 2 or 3 a few years ago, then yes, this is a decent upgrade as you'll appreciate the improvements more, and your window for getting any decent trade-in value on those models is rapidly closing.