While hearing whispers of an "early" announcement and release for a major upcoming Samsung product (or two, or three) is certainly not unusual, it's starting to look like that could actually pan out as far as the company's next big foldables are concerned.
In keeping with the tradition of the last few years, you were probably expecting to see the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 break cover at some point during the first half of August. But as was the case with the Galaxy S23 family several months ahead of its debut and other Samsung flagships in the recent and not-that-recent past, speculation of a slight change of plans compared to "normal" emerged last week.
This rumor calling for an Unpacked event scheduling sometime in July came just a little over a week after a generally reliable analyst hinted at a similar timeline as that of the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 last year, but now that same analyst appears to have jumped to the "early launch" camp.
Is Samsung looking to "create distance with the iPhone 15 launch"?
This is (most likely) how the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will look.
The reason is fairly easy to guess, and at its core, it's the same one invoked every time this kind of schedule revision pops up in the rumor mill. Samsung is purportedly aiming to avoid going up against Apple's next-gen iPhones for as long as possible while also rushing to replace two previous-gen foldables that aren't exactly selling like hotcakes of late.
The iPhone 15 series launch is almost surely taking place in September and there's even a chance that the family's Pro and Pro Max members will end up being pushed back to October due to chip production issues, thus creating a perfect opportunity for Samsung to get a nice head start on its biggest competition for the title of best phone available in 2023.
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Of course, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and, say, the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or Ultra) are not exactly comparable devices, but they will clash for the attention of (roughly) the same public, which could convert into lower or higher sales numbers.
But wait, what about the Galaxy Z Fold 5?
Don't worry, there's (probably) no hidden reason why the Z Fold 5 is not explicitly mentioned in Ross Young's latest tweet about the Z Flip 5 launch schedule. There's simply no way the two super-powerful foldables will see daylight separately on two different dates, especially given how incredibly similar the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to look to last year's Z Fold 4.
The Z Fold 5 will (almost certainly) look (almost) the same as the Z Fold 4 (pictured here).
It's also worth highlighting that the doubling in Samsung's Z Flip 5 production compared to its predecessor doesn't necessarily mean that the company thinks it will sell twice as many units this year as in 2022.
Granted, that could prove to be true... as unlikely as it sounds during a slow growth phase for the foldable market as a whole. But in the context of this particular tweet, it just means that Samsung wants to have many more Z Flip 5 devices ready to go on sale earlier than the Z Flip 4.
Considering how different and... original the Z Flip 5's cover screen will most likely look compared to the Z Flip 4, actually pulling off an accelerated launch schedule would be a pretty impressive achievement for Samsung. Can it be done? Probably. Will it ultimately pan out? More and more insiders seem to think so, but... we'll see.
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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