Since 2019, Samsung has been offering foldable phones: a feat that is impressive given the highly competitive smartphone market. It all began with the Galaxy Fold, which transforms from a mobile into a tablet. However, it was the Galaxy Z Flip that brought foldable phones to the masses thanks to its design and affordability. Drawing inspiration from the classic flip phone, the Galaxy Z Flip closes into a compact square and unfolds into a full-scale smartphone. As Samsung reaches its fifth generation with the Galaxy Z Flip series, the focus remains on enhancing essential features and looking ahead to 2023. While the Galaxy Z Flip 5 continues to retail at $999, Samsung has finally incorporated a decent-sized Cover Screen and improved its hinge. A week spent with the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 revealed improved functionality and design, ensuring it retains its title as the best folding flip phone in the market, despite some minor flaws.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5's selling point is the larger front screen, which Samsung calls the Flex Window. This represents a considerable design improvement, especially when compared to previous generation models. For instance, the size difference is dramatic when considering it has increased from a 1.9-inch display on earlier models to the current 3.4-inch display. Unlike the Razr+, Samsung chose not to cover the entire front of the phone with a screen, wrapping the clear and vibrant 3.4-inch Super AMOLED display around the camera unit instead. Previous Z Flip screens offered mini widgets with limited control, but the fifth-generation introduces greater functionality with access to your calendar, weather forecast, set alarms, activity tracking, and the ability to respond to messages with a full QWERTY keyboard - all achievable without having to open the phone.

A notable favorite feature is the ability to use the outer screen as a viewfinder for photos and videos. This advantage allows for the quick capture of selfies with friends by double-tapping the power button. The new viewfinder offers a superior experience compared to earlier models, effectively framing selfies or shots. Additionally, the feature provides the convenience of quickly switching between the wide or ultra-wide lens and activating portrait mode for the distinctive bokeh effect. As the Cover Screen utilizes the Super AMOLED display technology, it delivers great detail and brightness, ensuring text, photos, and interface elements are readable even in bright sunlight.

Concerning aesthetics, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 stays true to its traditional form—maintaining its characteristic square shape with rounded edges and a glossy stainless steel frame when closed. The rear portion sports colored glass that loves fingerprints, and the phone's front part features two primary cameras and an LED flash. Even when closed, the rectangular, pocket-friendly Z Flip 5 measures more or less two regular smartphones stacked on top of each other—a thickness of 15.1 millimeters. It conveniently fits inside a shirt, pant pocket, or bag, making the Z Flip 5 highly portable. Once you fold it out, the Z Flip 5 becomes as thin as a standard smartphone at just 6.9 millimeters in thickness, thus revealing the conventional smartphone user experience. This transition is made possible by the new "Flex Hinge," an essential and crucial part of the folding phone.

Unlike previous versions, Galaxy Z Flip 5 does not make any compromises compared to a traditional smartphone but adds more useful features. Most of the phone's features remain familiar to previous Galaxy Z Flip users, except for the highlight upgrades: the Flex Hinge and Flex Window. The phone's inner display maintains the superior quality associated with Samsung displays, featuring bright and punchy colors that make viewing videos or gaming a gratifying experience. Another significant upgrade is the addition of Flex Mode. The Flex Mode feature of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 permits the device to act like a mini-laptop when put at a right angle. The whole experience with the phone remains smooth and fluid. Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 has proven to be a resounding success, pushing the boundaries of the foldable flip phone market with its top-notch design, impressive features, and solidified durability.