Can the Galaxy Z Flip5 be used without unfolding? We gave it a shot
Samsung recently launched the new Galaxy Z Flip5, the latest in the flip part of its foldable series. The latest generation of the Z Flip comes with a number of upgrades. These include generational upgrades like a new, more powerful processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 paired with lots of RAM and storage, improved camera quality and battery life (in terms of performance, as the numbers remain the same) and an upgraded OS. There is, however, one new feature – Samsung has introduced a much bigger cover display on the new Galaxy Z Flip5. The device comes with a bigger 3.4-inch Super AMOLED display as compared to the smaller 1.9-inch one on the Galaxy Z Flip4. This is truly the biggest change in a Galaxy Z Flip since the first Galaxy Z Flip came around.
Table of Contents
Living on the Flex Window Edge for a day!
You can make and receive calls smoothly…but be ready for the world to hear
Messaging is fine, but keep media attachments out
Great app experience, but limited apps (relax, Netflix is there)
Super selfies!
This Window is quite a Flex, but the internal display need not worryLiving on the Flex Window Edge for a day!
While the main display on Galaxy Z Flip5 is very good (6.7 inches FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X), it is the cover display that actually gives the phone a very distinct appearance. At 3.4 inches, it is actually only 0.1 inches smaller than the display on the original iPhone, although more square in shape than rectangular. What’s more, it even has a higher resolution at 720 x 748 as compared to 480 x 320 on the OG iPhone. In simple terms, you actually have a lot of display real estate on the Z Flip5 even without opening it. Samsung has also thrown in a lot of features on this display, which it calls Flex Window, so much so that you can do a lot on the device without needing to flip it open. It is not just a large notification area that its predecessor was on Z Flip4, and gives one access to a lot of the phone’s functions and features even when it is shut.
But can one actually survive an entire day with the Galaxy Z Flip5 without opening the phone and relying entirely on the Flex Window? Well, we tried to do exactly that. We kept the Flip5 Unflipped for an entire day.
You can make and receive calls smoothly…but be ready for the world to hear
We knew the task we were undertaking could be an uphill one as the Z Flip5 is not designed to be used while flipped shut. Still, we were hoping that the view from the top (or rather the Flex Window) would be worth it. As expected, we faced quite a few hurdles in this folded journey, starting with the most basic thing that a phone is supposed to handle– calls.
The problem with taking calls with the Galaxy Z Flip5 folded is that you have to be ready for the rest of the world to hear your conversations because you can only take calls on speakerphone.
