Yesterday Samsung unveiled the latest iteration of foldables in the form of the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5. While the former is indeed the more expensive and premium of the two, it is the latter which is the hero product, with the theme for this week’s Galaxy Unpacked event being “Join the Flip Side”.
Samsung Mobile South Africa is even planning to host pop-up events across the country on a roadshow called Fliptown over the coming months.
As for the actual device itself, we got some hands-on time with it yesterday at the local launch, and will be weighing in with our initial impressions here.
Starting with design, from afar, the Flip5 does not look much different from its predecessor. When we reviewed that particular device last year, we were impressed with the build quality and focus that Samsung placed on the experience.
For this year’s variant, it feels much the same.
The key difference, however, is the cover screen, or what Samsung calls the Flex Window. Taking a play out of OPPO’s book with the Find N2 Flip, the Flex Window is larger than ever before, along with touting a number of standalone features focused on multitasking, customisation, and operating the device without needing to open it.
In terms of dimensions, the Flip5’s cover screen is not that much larger than the Find N2 Flip’s. The former is 3.4″ while the latter is 3.26″. The orientation of Flip5 flavour creates the illusion of far more real estate.
It is likely something that competitors will look to emulate too, and we not be surprised to next year’s clamshell-style foldables boasting as large a cover screen as is possible.
What makes the Flex Window “special” is just how many widgets it supports, which is more than a dozen at the time of writing, and could even be more should developers look to cater to it too.
To that end, Samsung is stating that this cover screen is more than a notification bar, with full controls for music playback, settings, quick reply to messages thanks to a full QWERTY keyboard, and a few niche applications like weather and finance. There’s also a Dynamic Island style interface to facilitate multitasking, along with the ability to take selfies and setup the Flip5 to record video.
We’re also intrigued by the NFC-based cards that can be inserted into the clear plastic cover of the Flip5 in order to transform the look of the UI of the device, and the Flex Window. We’ve spoken to Samsung Mobile SA, which says these cards are heading to South Africa, and there is even talk of getting local artists involved too.
From a hardware perspective, the Flip5 still feels a little iterative, and a proper two-week long review will be needed to discern the tangible differences between generations, but the Flex Window is where all the attention from the South Korean firm appears to have been focused.
As intriguing as it is, it is also worth noting that the Flip5 is considerably more expensive than its predecessor. The Flip4 cost R20 999 (RRP) at launch while the Flip 5 will retail for R29 999.
It is a big ask, especially as the device is aimed at a younger consumer, but Samsung appears confident it will be able to sell this new foldable to Gen Z consumers.
