There are rumours afoot that Samsung will reveal its Galaxy Z Flip 5 clamshell phone next week at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. And it's got me thinking: just what new goodies could Samsung cram into its flip phone to make it not only the best folding phone of 2023, but the best ever?
It's not as if there's been no movement in the flip phone market either, with Motorola upping the bar with its Razr 40 Ultra in recent months, and various rumours that Samsung is set to challenge this bigger-screen rival in a variety of ways. Future phone-makers are sure to get in on the action too – Google Pixel Flip, anyone?
Here are the three new features that I'd love to see in the rumoured Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 – the kind of features that I think will make it the best flip phone ever. But will my wishlist come true and will this new clamshell be a big upgrade over the previous Galaxy Z Flip 4? Let's get into it...
1. The largest Cover Display
Pictured: the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
In late June a rumour surfaced that the Z Flip 5 was going to feature a huge cover display, i.e. the screen on the front of the folded device. The early (and possibly not real) imagery doesn't look exemplary of what I'd expect a final device to look like, but it's a decent estimation of what could be in store.
I really think a large cover display would make the Z Flip 5 stand out. After all, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a 3.6-inch cover display, which is genuinely useful and you can even run full apps within it. It'd be great to see Samsung better this with even more of the front of the next Z Flip becoming a responsive display, as it'd open a world of possibilities with app operation, notifications and other functionality.
I already think Samsung does a good job in how the cover display acts as a window onto the bigger internal display of its Z Flip devices. It gives sensible purpose to having two screens, too, because if the front got so large it would diminish the need for the internal one. So getting the right balance of form and size is important – and I wouldn't want the Z Flip 5 to be too massive, as that'd hinder its appeal too.
2. Upgraded cameras
Pictured: the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4's cameras
For many people the best phones are effectively the best cameras too. There's that adage about the best camera being the one that you have on your person. And with phones they're almost always in a pocket or bag, not far from reach. Samsung delivers great cameras in its devices in general, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra being exemplary.
But the Z Flip devices? They've never really pushed the camera game to the forefront or matched up with Samsung's best-of-best in the camera game. It's not an easy thing to solve, either, as better cameras might require a larger sensor and therefore more physical space, or a wider aperture and, again, a larger lens scale as a result. And you couldn't really slam gigantic lenses and sensors onto the Z Flip 5.
Where I think the forthcoming flip phone could get an easy win, however, is with upping the resolution. The Z Flip 4's 12-megapixel main camera is low in the flagship game, and while a 50-megapixel addition won't solve all problems, it would give better opportunity for multi-pixel processing, digital zoom, and increased appeal. I don't want more cameras on a device like this, that's for sure, just improved ones.
3. Internal screen improvements
Pictured: the Google Pixel Fold internal screen
I wouldn't expect the Z Flip 5 to be an altogether larger device than its predecessor (at least not by more than a couple of millimetres). I think that Samsung has got the scale on point, and when flipped open a 6.7-inch screen is perfectly decent. The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a larger 6.9-inch internal, which I'd happily see on the Samsung phone too – but it's less the scale and more the technology that I'd love to see improve.
This is far more on the 'wishlist' side of things, as I doubt that Samsung is going to have a magic fix for some of the inherent issues associated with folding screens. The current Z Flip design is well-formed in keeping the gap to a minimum when folded, sure, but when unfolded there's still the visible crease and unavoidable reflective qualities associated with a folding OLED screen.
Can Samsung fix these issues? It's got a serious research and development department and I'm sure those teams will be looking into how to, for example, minimise fingerprint smearing on a folding screen's surface, or create a hinge that can truly mitigate the visibility of any crease. I don't think the current tech is a write-off by any means, but using these phones unfolded in daylight isn't as good as it could one day be – and maybe the Z Flip 5 will be the device to step toward solving these issues.
