Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: A comparison

With its re-engineered slim zero-gap hinge, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is Samsung’s lightest Fold yet.¹ Joining the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 in this Winter’s product releases, which also includes a new Watch6 and three Tab S9 tablet variants, here is a phone that can keep up with you – thanks to the compact yet mighty camera, big foldable screen and S-Pen compatibility (S Pen sold separately). Add to this the fact that the Galaxy Z Fold5 has an IPX8 water-resistant rating and is wrapped in extra strong glass on the outside with Armour Aluminium casing, and you’ve got yourself a smartphone built to withstand life’s little ups and downs.²

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Z Fold5 in mid July just a few days before the pre-order date of 26th July 2023, and was really impressed with the premium feel and design of the phone. Thinking specifically about the ability to add an S Pen (sold separately) and almost tablet-like unfolded screen that can have multiple tabs open at once³, I can see many commuters enjoying the ability to maximise time spent on commuting – whether for entertainment or knocking over work tasks to free up time at home^*.

Are you ready to do more, effortlessly? Let’s look closer at the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 specifications:

You can also jump ahead to the Fold5 vs Fold4 specs table if you prefer to compare the phones that way.

With a choice of 3 eye-catching colours – Phantom Black, Icy Blue and Cream – plus 3 different storage sizes of 256GB, 512GB and a whopping 1TB, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is poised to make waves when hitting our shelves this year.

Built to withstands life’s little accidents, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is wrapped in extra strong glass² and also features a sleek Armour Aluminium casing and hinge cover. These durable yet lightweight materials are used to protect the Fold5’s interior without bulking out the exterior. Plus, the extended immersion IPX8 rating for water resistance provides peace of mind around splashes².

Dimension-wise it’s really impressive that the Fold5 comes in slightly smaller than its predecessor, the Fold4, measuring 154.9mm (L) x 129.9mm (W) x 6.1mm (H) when unfolded in all its glory. When folded, that width measurement shrinks to just 67.1mm.

There are a number of similarities between the two generations of Z Fold phones, including the wrapping of the phone’s back and cover screen in extra-strong Gorilla Glass and use of Armour Aluminium casing and hinge cover. These elements help provide a sense of durability to each of the phones without overly bulking up the design.

Impressively, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is a whole 9g lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold4 – with the Fold5 weighing 254g compared to the Z Fold4’s 263g. What’s even more impressive to me is that the Fold5 is also actually smaller in size than the Fold4 by a mm or few here and there, which seems to be testament to the fact that Samsung has really squeezed in as much additional functionality and capability as possible while staying true to the desired form factor of the devices. After all, this is the phone Samsung claims can always keep up with you – so it being light and easy to hold in the hand are key to achieving this.

Where the Fold5 has the edge over the Fold4 for me is in the improved cooling capabilities on both the cover and main screens – helping to prevent overheating so you can fully immerse yourself in content without worrying your battery could be being damaged in the process.

Look forward to your morning commute thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold5’s huge 7.6inch inner display – letting you seamlessly switch from cover screen to main screen. Whether that’s for doing work on the fly or decompressing with your favourite game, enjoy smooth scrolling and clear graphics thanks to the adaptive refresh rate – toggling between 1 and 120Hertz depending on the content you are displaying.

If it’s work you’re doing, master multitasking on the Z Fold5 thanks to the ability to have multiple windows open at once on the big screen³, known as Multi Window or App Pair. And if you add an S-Pen to your set-up (sold separately), you could take notes while watching a presentation at the same time. Then convert your handwritten notes into text with just a tap and share them with your team.

On the flip side, use Flex Mode for hands-free viewing⁵ of content such as watching a movie during your commute or video calling a loved one – the Fold5 has you covered.

Meanwhile, on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 cover screen, the extra-strong Gorilla Glass protects against deep scratches and the adaptive 48-120Hertz refresh rate helps display content in an optimal way for clarity and a smooth experience.

Looking first at the differences between the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Fold4 display screens, and there’s actually not a lot separating them. Both the main screens and cover screens are identical in size, 7.6 inches and 6.7 inches respectively, and backed by a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. Resolution wise they are also neck-and-neck, with a 2176 x 1812 main display and 2316 x 904 cover screen display.

As the story is so similar between the two devices, it’s likely going to be another feature that will help you decide between the two models.

The compact camera on this folding phone packs a serious punch. Shoot like a pro with the 50MP main camera, and if you need to, take advantage of the 3 x Optical Zoom lens so you can capture incredible snaps even when you’re not up close and personal4. I was able to use this feature to capture wildlife shots while out on a morning hike and was really impressed with the image clarity. Though there was a little deterioration in image quality when using the Optical Zoom lens, as is the way when zooming in to take photos.

Supporting this main 50MP on the phone’s rear side are a 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide lens. Then on the front of the Galaxy Z Fold5 you’ve got a 10MP selfie snapper plus a cheeky 4MP under-display camera as well. Lots of options to help you capture clear, bright photos day and night.

And thanks to Z Fold5’s Flex Mode, it’s also really easy to stage the perfect group photo without having to sacrifice someone from the line up5. Simply set your phone on a hard surface at an angle between 75 and 115 degrees and it’s basically a tripod – set the timer and get into the frame for the ultimate flex!

As you can see from the spec table, making a comparison between the Samsung Fold5 vs Samsung Fold4 camera is a bit difficult in light of the fact that they are almost identical.

Potentially disappointing to those phone users who expect to see an uptick in camera lenses with each new generation of smartphone, I’d say it’s more of a good thing than bad as it means Samsung has focused on other elements of the Fold4 to improve. What’s more, the collection of lenses – including a 50MP main camera, 12MP + 10MP telephoto and ultrawide lenses on the rear supported by 10MP and 4MP cameras on the front – is more than enough to satisfy most users. Plus, the camera on both the Fold5 and Fold4 can record video up to 8K resolution for exceptional detail and clarity.

Processor-wise we’re in for a treat with the Galaxy Z Fold5 as it features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen2 – something certain users online are calling the best chipset on the market at the moment. Leveraging groundbreaking AI technology to help deliver accelerated performance and connectivity, the feeling is that we’ll see this processor powering many high-spec smartphones in 2023 and into 2024.

This is because, and I know from being lucky enough to get a Galaxy Z Fold5 sample ahead of the official launch, the addition of an extra performance core (when compared to the previous generation) appears to have made a big difference to available computational power – supported by 12GB of RAM. I was really impressed with the speed of switching between applications and overall smoothness of operation. If you’re considering buying a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 because you like the multitasking elements of the design, the fact this Snapdragon Gen2 processor is inside powering that functionality is something that could seal the deal for you.

The Galaxy Z Fold4 draws its power from the Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 processor while the Galaxy Z Fold5 relies on the Snapdragon 8 Gen2. This half-generational difference in processor technology is evident in the responsive and speed of the devices – with the Z Fold5 feeling much speedier than the Z Fold4.

12GB of RAM, found inside the Fold5 and Fold4, helps keep more processes active at the same time. This results in a fast experience when toggling between different modes and functions of the phones.

If you’re someone who likes a speedy and responsive phone, the newer and faster processor on the Fold5 could give it the edge over the Fold4 as the phone for you.

Inside the Galaxy Z Fold5 is a non-removable 4,400mAh battery, which is also the same size battery inside the Z Fold4. What is interesting when thinking about the Z Fold5 battery is the inclusion of the Snapdragon Gen2 processor just mentioned, as this has the potential to improve battery life as well as performance on the Galaxy Z Fold5.

Another feature of the Z Fold5 that may help boost the battery life of the phone is the improved cooling capabilities of the Samsung Fold5’s main screen and cover screen. As overheating of a smartphone directly impacts its ability to function efficiently, this additional tweak from Samsung in conjunction with the efficient Snapdragon Gen2 processor could actually help improve overall battery performance and efficiency.

As the Fold 5 and Fold4 batteries are the same capacity of 4,400mAh and they both support 25W charging speeds, there isn’t much to compare between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 batteries. Where the two phones likely differ is in the overall efficiency of the battery, with things like the processor and cooling capabilities mentioned above being key factors in that.

My final thoughts on the Galaxy Z Fold5 are that it is a great foldable phone with plenty of features to keep most smartphone users very happy. Huge tablet-like screen – yes please. Opening multiple tabs at once for mastering multitasking – would love to. Capturing hands-free selfies and flawless group pics with Flex Mode⁵? Oh go on then.

And all this on the lightest Fold yet? Take my money now Samsung!

If you’re ready to do more, effortlessly, you can buy your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 from Optus today outright in select channels or on a 12, 24 or 36-month phone payment plan.

Need help switching?

Transfer data from your old phone in just a few steps with Smart Switch⁷.

Mobile innovation never stops, with the latest Galaxy S25 Series finally landing in Australia. The new Galaxy S25 Series features new Galaxy AI tools, as well as upgraded processors and camera lenses. Check out the Galaxy S25 Ultra for a look at Samsung’s newest flagship phone.

Samantha Shilton works for Optus. A dog mother and nature lover, she gets down to the beach most mornings for walkies and a quick dip. On the weekend, you might spot her whizzing past you on her Kawasaki.

^{1 Compared with previous Galaxy Fold devices.}

^{2 Gorilla Glass limited to the cover screen and back of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, not the main screen. The phone is rated IPX8. Based on test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. Not advised for beach or pool use. Ensure the charging port is dry before charging. Click here https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/water-and-dust-protection-ip68-rating/ or refer to your phone’s user manual for further care instructions and limitations.}

^{3 Certain applications may not support Multi Active Window or App Pair.}

^{4 30x Space Zoom includes digital zoom which may cause image deterioration.}

^{5 Flex mode supported at angles between 75°and 115°.  It may be difficult to maintain Flex Mode while moving due to shaking or other movement. It is recommended to keep the phone stationary while in Flex Mode. Certain applications may not support Flex Mode.}

^{6 Compatible phone plan required. This device is capable of working on the Optus 5G network, which is available in selected areas (excl NT) and on selected plans. When not in a 5G coverage area, the device will switch to the Optus 4G network where it is available. For more details, check optus.com.au/5GCoverage.}

^{7 Wired transfers require at least Android™ 4.3, iOS 5, or Windows Mobile OS8.1 or OS 10 on your old device. Devices with an older OS must use wireless transfer options. If you do not have the required USB cable/connector for a wired transfer to Galaxy, you can also use wireless transfer options. Open the Smart Switch app on your new Galaxy phone or download Smart Switch for PC/Mac.}