Galaxy Z Flip 5: The only Samsung folding phone you should care about has only one problem now

If you’re a regular PhoneArena reader, you might know I recently wrote that I’d like Samsung to approach the large cover display of the Flip 5 as a smartwatch screen – in other words, to give it tailor-made widgets that don’t feel as awkward to use as running an app made for a larger display. Many of you disagreed, saying you think the cover screen of the Flip 5 should function just like a regular one, being able to run any app. Well… Samsung made all of us happy!Apart from having a bunch of custom-made widgets that let you run various optimized apps (Samsung says more will come soon), the South Korean company will also let you enable the option (via settings) to run any third-party app on the new cover screen of the Flip 5! Take that, Motorola. The only downside right now is that you need to download Samsung’s Good Lock app to unlock the full functionality of the Flip 5’s cover screen.Anyway… Another thing I said recently was: “Sorry, Fold fans, but this is the year of the compact folding phone”, and after seeing the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, I’m glad (and full of myself) to say… I told you so.

Although it might seem like “just a larger screen” on the surface, the huge cover display of the Flip 5 makes the clamshell foldable the device it was meant to be from day one, and has the potential to change the way you use your phone, which is something we, tech people, don’t get to say very often.

Here’s why the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the first Samsung foldable that really makes me regret my iPhone doesn’t fold.

Huge cover display makes Galaxy Z Flip 5 a completely different beast than Galaxy Z Flip 4: The only Samsung folding phone you should care about this year?

Although I love the gapless hinge, and I think this design change makes the Galaxy Z Flip 5 much more visually appealing (I really do!), what truly sets the Galaxy Z Flip 5 apart from any other Galaxy Flip that came before it is the massive cover display, which is about 200% larger compared to the Z Flip 4’s.

But why do I think the new cover screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has the potential to change the way you use your phone? I’m pulling out the bullet points…

• The fact that your Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be closed by default means you’ll need to open it every time you want to use it like a “normal” phone, and considering how lazy we’re becoming, this extra step might actually help reduce your “doomscrolling” time; smartphone addiction is a real problem, and while I’m not saying the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will encourage you to “go outside and touch more grass”, I’m sure it can help some people reduce their screen time

• Meanwhile, the larger cover screen on the Flip 5 might be exactly what you need to stay more focused on the things you actually need to do, as it promises to be usable enough not to be annoying but not large enough for encourage you to scroll through social media or watch YouTube videos

• As an iPhone 13 mini user, of course, my favorite part of using the Galaxy Z Flip 5 would be that this one will now be completely usable with one hand (thanks to the large cover screen); that’s extremely convenient for one-handed typing, navigation when on the go, but also, pocketability, which is why I haven’t given up my mini iPhone for anything else (yet)

• Weirdly enough, the massive cover screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 should also let you take better photos and videos (of yourself); a big cover screen means a big camera viewfinder – you can now easily use your back cameras to take high-quality selfie photos and videos, and even for video calls, I suppose

• Finally, while I don’t necessarily relate to the flip phone nostalgia, I suppose the satisfactory flipping that comes with a flip phone will make a certain part of the population particularly happy; particularly those 30 years old and up

The cover screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has one problem but you’ll probably get over it

Samsung played it cheap with a 60Hz refresh rate on the cover screen of the Flip 5.

So, the new cover screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is basically pure perfection, right? Well, I’ll have to enter my “nerdy” mode now, and tell you it’s not exactly perfect, and that’s thanks to Samsung’s bizarre decision to cap it at 60Hz. This means the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cover screen won’t feel as smooth as the inner one, which refreshes twice as fast, at 120Hz.While I’m well aware the average Joe might not be able to tell a 60Hz phone screen apart from a 120Hz one, things might be slightly different when we’re talking about the same phone. In other words, jumping from the fast 120Hz inner screen to the 60Hz cover display might prove to be a bit jarring for those used to a 120Hz panel.

For the record, I guess I see why Samsung thought it was OK to go with an old 60Hz screen here as you’re way less likely to be scrolling on the smaller cover screen (which is when refresh rate matters most), but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a bizarre area of the phone to cheap out in, considering the Flip 5 is made by one of the world’s largest display makers itself.

Galaxy Z Flip 5: The clamshell folding phone of your dreams steals the Fold’s spotlight this year, but (sadly) the folding phone of my dreams runs iOS

Flip over Fold this year. But still no iOS. But that’s my problem.

In the end, five years after the first clamshell foldable made by Samsung, I can finally say I’m sold on the Galaxy Z Flip form-factor, and I honestly envy those who aren’t locked into Apple’s ecosystem and can buy a Galaxy Z Flip 5 without thinking twice.