The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are real, and could be coming soon

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are among the very best foldable phones you can buy, but this is an increasingly competitive market sector and Samsung can't afford to sit on its laurels for long: Motorola is working on at least one new folding Razr, and rivals such as Honor are making some interesting rivals. So it's not a huge surprise that their successors, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5, appear to be undergoing testing.

According to SamMobile, the two phones – model number SM-F731N and SM-F946N respectively – have been spotted testing unreleased versions of Samsung's One UI firmware. The software, which is based on Android 13, is designed for all Galaxy phones, not just the folding ones.

What do we know about the Galaxy Fold 5 and Galaxy Flip 5?

SamMobile suggests that the presence of the fifth generation foldable phones indicates that a release date could be sooner rather than later, predicting a similar release window to the current versions; that would mean a launch in or around August of this year.

Both phones are expected to have batteries that are easier to replace than in the current models, and recent leaks suggested that the cover display of the Flip 5 will be significantly bigger than in the current model without adding extra weight. Both phones will reportedly "feel thinner" thanks to a new water drop-shaped hinge that folds flatter than the Flip 4 or Fold 4.

If Samsung is indeed planning an August launch then we'd expect both of these new phones to start production in June – and when they do, we'd expect that information to leak pretty much immediately. Samsung isn't as obsessive about leaks as Apple is, presumably because it's well aware that such leaks do a great job of raising awareness about and building excitement around products long before they actually ship.