• Samsung unveiled its newest folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold5 at its Unpacked event in South Korea this afternoon.
• The Galaxy Z Fold5 is said to be the most durable Fold yet with an IPX8 rating and a hinge rated for 200 000 folds.
• The Galaxy Fold5 arrives on shelves in South Africa on 25th August.

For years Samsung has been trying to argue that its smartphones could be used in place of a PC and today, it may well have actually delivered on that promise.

At this afternoon’s Unpacked event Samsung revealed the next generation of foldables including the Galaxy Z Fold5. The handset sports a thinner design, as promised by TM Roh which ultimately leads to a near-gapless fold compared to previous models. Perhaps more importantly the engineers at Samsung have rated the hinge for 200 000 folds.

The Galaxy Z Fold5 is also 10 grams lighter than the previous generation and despite this weight loss, it’s more durable. With an Armour Aluminium case, Victus 2 Corning Gorilla Glass and an IPX8 rating, the Fold5 has come a long way from the first Samsung foldable. 

The silicon within this handset is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Samsung spent a lot of time talking up the performance one can expect from this premium handset. Samsung says that the Fold5 performs particularly well in games much like the non-folding Galaxy S23. What caught our attention however, was talk of a “PC-like experience”.

Here Samsung has introduced an advanced taskbar that allows for quick access to multiple applications. Like a PC, the taskbar occupies the bottom of the enlarged inner display and it looks rather swish in action. To further draw on this PC comparison the Fold5 enhances the ability to manage multiple apps at once and even introduces enhanced two-handed navigation and a more intuitive drag and drop. 

The main screen measures 7.6 inches while the cover display measures 6.2 inches.

In terms of camera, there is a triple snapper array on the rear with two 12MP and a single 50MP sensor. Opening up the display reveals – although we use that term loosely – a 4MP under-display selfie camera.

This camera is very well hidden and you’re going to have to look rather closely at the display to spot it. Samsung spoke at length about its Pro-Grade camera and the ability to take wonderful snaps wherever you are. Comparisons were drawn to the Galaxy S23 which is great as that points to parity between Samsung’s premium smartphone options. 

As for storage, South Africa will have the option of a 256GB and 512GB iteration of the folding smartphone in either an Icy Blue, Phantom Black or Cream colourway.

The S-Pen returns as the Slim S-Pen which is now 40 percent thinner than its predecessor. The low profile feels better in the hand and the cases for the Galaxy Fold5 incorporate the stylus wonderfully.

Overall this is a promising-looking smartphone but it’s likely going to come at a price when it launches locally on 25th August.