Based on pretty much all recent rumors, it's safe to assume your level of excitement around Samsung's next-gen flip-style foldable is directly correlated with how important the cover screen is for your personal ease of use.
That's by far the biggest change the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is widely expected (and all but confirmed) to bring to the table compared to its already reasonably well-reviewed and relatively popular predecessor in terms of both design and usability.
But Samsung is of course preparing a number of other upgrades, some of which may seem largely predictable and unexciting while a few are basically impossible to discern with the naked eye when taking a comparative look at specifications.
Downgraded battery size, improved battery life?
Believe it or not, such an unlikely scenario is very much possible right now... with the important mention that the battery capacity reduction will be barely noticeable, even on paper.
As you're probably well aware of, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 packs two different batteries, one with a rated capacity of 2,555mAh and the other adding 1,040mAh of juice to a total score of 3,595mAh. The Z Flip 5, meanwhile, is all but guaranteed to bump up the size of the larger cell to 2,620mAh and shrink the smaller battery to 971mAh for a combined capacity of 3,591mAh.
That's ever so slightly lower than the Z Flip 4's number, although the two are likely to share the exact same 3,700mAh typical battery capacity for marketing purposes. And while it's clearly too early for guarantees regarding real-life performance and battery life, it feels relatively safe to assume that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will step things up from the Z Flip 4 in the latter department.
That's because the Z Flip 4's already powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor will predictably be replaced with an even faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 under the Z Flip 5's hood that also happens to reduce energy consumption.
That's abundantly clear on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, for instance, which packs the exact same battery as the S22 Ultra and yet squeezes many more hours of life out of said cell with the help of a more powerful and more frugal Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (for Galaxy) SoC.
Keep in mind that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 has already improved the real-world battery endurance of the Z Flip 3 by packing a larger cell, which would make any further Z Flip 5 upgrade in that field that much more remarkable.
Blame it on the secondary screen!
If you were hoping to see the Galaxy Z Flip 5 follow its predecessor's example with a straightforward battery size increase, it's pretty clear that's not possible due to the massive enlargement of the cover display.
That's expected to go from 1.9 inches on the Z Flip 4 all the way up to 3.4 inches, essentially forcing Samsung to rearrange a few of the internal components and at the end of the day reduce the size of the smaller battery. Of course, the company could have simply chosen to make the Z Flip 5 overall thicker and heavier and thus try to please everyone... apart from fashion-focused customers.
Larger screen = smaller battery
The primary screen, mind you, is likely to go unchanged, and the same probably goes for the two 12MP rear-facing cameras and single 10MP selfie shooter. It remains to be seen if Samsung will afford to reduce the starting price of this bad boy compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the face of an apparent global foldable market slump.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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