Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: the rumored upgrades

Samsung is set to announce its new foldable smartphone series in late July. This will almost certainly see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 replaced by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

While we obviously won’t know what the full deal is until that launch event takes place, we have a pretty good idea. The internet rumor mill being as active and insightful as it is, we’ve heard plenty of whispers about how Samsung’s new flagship foldable is shaping up.

We always advise our readers to take pre-launch rumors with a healthy grain of salt, but equally, we’d be lying if we tried to suggest that we’re expecting many surprises. The truth is almost certainly out there in plain view.

With that in mind, let’s corral those Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 rumors and compare them to the specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which we know intimately. Are we likely to be looking at a major upgrade, or an iterative half-step forward?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: specs comparison

First, before exploring the specs and rumors in detail, here's a brief overview of the key specs we're expecting from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 based on the rumors we've heard so far. You can see them in the chart below, along with those of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, for an easy comparison.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 arrived in shops on August 25, 2022, about a fortnight after its August 10 announcement.

Prices started at $1,799.99 / £1,649 / AU$2,499 for the 256GB model, while you could double that storage for $1,919.99 / £1,769 / AU$2,699. Finally, the 1TB range-topper arrived at a price of $2,159.99 / £2,019 / AU$2,999.

We know that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is being announced in late July, 2023, with some sources claiming that July 26 will be the specific date. This would likely mean a release in early to mid August, with some claiming that it’ll arrive on August 11.

Reports suggest that Samsung will be keeping the pricing the same as the previous model, at least in the US, which would mean another starting price of $1,799.99.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: design

Samsung has been pretty iterative with its foldable design work so far, with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 looking much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 before it, only a little thinner and lighter.

We expect the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to follow suit, with some rumors even suggesting that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 design will be ‘boring’ in its level of familiarity. One big new design feature could be a claimed waterdrop-shaped hinge, which will enable the two sides of the device to lay completely flat against each other.

That would be a big improvement over the Fold 4 aesthetically. It should also make the Fold 5 appear thinner when closed, with the Fold 4 ranging from 14.2 to 15.8mm thick.

The new hinge mechanism could also reduce the depth of the crease running down the middle of the Fold 5, with some reports alleging a 15% smaller size for said valley.

An even bigger design change may be even less visible. It’s being claimed that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 may finally have a measure of dust resistance. It could manage an IP58 rating, which would be major progress and another step towards foldables attaining basic parity with non-foldable phones.

For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has an IPX8 rating, which means it's water resistant but has no dust resistance. That said, not all sources agree about dust resistance, so the Z Fold 5 may also end up with an IPX8 rating.

With a slimmer, stripped-back hinge, it’s being claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 could also be even lighter than the Fold 4, perhaps to the tune of 254g compared to the Fold 4’s 263g.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 debuted compatibility with Samsung’s S Pen stylus. Would it be too much to ask for a proper housing for this on the Fold 5? Probably, but we can dream.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: display

We’re not expecting any great changes on the display front, which is fine by us. Samsung knows what it’s doing on the screen front, and everyone else is largely playing catch-up.

Reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will pack the same 6.2-inch AMOLED cover display as the Fold 4, with the same 904 x 2316 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.

It’s a similar case with the all-important internal display, with a claim that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have broadly the same 7.6-inch AMOLED screen with the same 1812 x 2176 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.

There may be a couple of telling differences though. We’ve already discussed one, in the form of a smaller crease, which will likely improve both the tactile experience of using the screen and the coherence of full-screen content.

We’ve also heard that the Fold 5 screen could be more durable than before. Given that these soft screens are the Achilles heel of most of these foldables, that could be huge.

Another improvement, according to the rumor mill, is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 display will be brighter, going beyond the Fold 4’s peak of 1200 nits.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: cameras

Don’t expect sweeping changes in the camera department. Samsung struck upon a pretty nice balance with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and it’s not likely to mess with that formula too much.

We described the Galaxy Z Fold 4 set-up as “quite good” in our review, which equates to a huge endorsement within a foldable field that invariably has to make compromises due to space and budgetary constraints.

Reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will pack in another 50MP main sensor, like the Fold 4, with a 12MP ultra-wide (ditto) and a 10MP telephoto (ditto x2).

Despite the ostensibly identical nature of the two camera systems, however, it has been rumored that at least one of the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s sensors will be new.

Expect the same 10MP cover screen camera and 4MP internal display camera as before, with the latter sitting underneath the display. But the latter may reportedly be improved this time around.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: performance

If we were to lay real money on any of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 rumors that are floating about, it would be this one. It’ll almost certainly run on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which will represent a half-generational upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and its Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.

That doesn’t sound like much, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has been impressing us so far, running faster for longer than the Gen 1 series.

Besides, this will likely be the same ‘For Galaxy’ version of the chipset that found its way into the Samsung Galaxy S23 range, which runs a little faster than the regular version of the Gen 2.

We’ve heard that the Fold 5 will come with 12GB of RAM as standard, just like the Fold 4, and it’s also said that there’ll be the same 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options.

One particularly detailed spec leak also claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 would feature improved speakers and haptics, so fingers crossed for a foldable that sounds and feels better.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: battery

With reports that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is getting slimmer and lighter, we wouldn’t hold out hopes of a bigger battery. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 had a slightly weedy 4,400mAh battery, and reports point to the same 4,400mAh for the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Not that this is a terrible situation by any means. Four generations in (and soon to be five), Samsung is becoming an expert at eking out the juice from a compact battery for a device with a massive display.

In our experience, you can squeeze around 13 hours of usage out of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, with more if you go lighter. We’d hope for an advance on that in the Fold 5, thanks to the more efficient chipset and another year of Samsung’s optimisations.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 wasn’t exactly rapid in the recharging department, with 25W wired support. We’re not expecting the upcoming phone to get any faster, judging from early Galaxy Z Fold 5 certification listings.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Z Fold 4: verdict

We’re not expecting a massive foldable revolution with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, with all reports pointing to an iterative upgrade on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. And do you know what? We’re fine with that.

We liked the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 an awful lot, scoring it 4.5 out of 5 and calling it “a do-everything device that presents few compromises”. It’s arguably still the best full-sized foldable on the market, even with the Google Pixel Fold joining the party.

Besides, Samsung is unlikely to stand completely still, with reports of an improved hinge, souped-up performance, and greater durability from the Fold 5.

The real question is, will the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s subtle refinements make it preferable to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 once the latter has received its inevitable price slash? The Fold 4 is unlikely to become cheap overnight, but every $100/£100 lopped off the bill will bring it closer to mainstream viability.