Highlights

• Samsung is the leader in the foldable phone market, set to unveil its fifth-generation foldable smartphones, Galaxy Fold 5 and Z Flip 5. 
• Galaxy Fold 5 is rumoured to run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, with unchanged screen dimensions and a triple-lens camera setup.
• Z Flip 5 is expected to also use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform and feature a large cover screen on its clamshell design.
• From the pioneering Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip to advancements in Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Flip 3, and the feature-rich Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, Samsung has come a long way.

Foldable smartphones are now all the rage in the market with Samsung having a rather big headstart on all its competition.

Today the company is set to announce the fifth generation of its foldable smartphones ie. Galaxy Fold 5 and Z Flip 5.

The South Korean electronics giant has had a lot of time to refine its products and it is no wonder that Samsung is the biggest player in the foldable industry.

With the launch of its latest additions, there is little doubt that this lead is going to extend even further. So how did Samsung manage to keep the competition at bay?

Let’s look at some of the company’s early foldables.

Samsung Galaxy Fold5 and Z Flip5: What we know

Before looking at the past, we must first look at the present. As is with most smartphone launches nowadays, several key specifications about the upcoming Samsung foldables have already been leaked.

For instance, it can now be assumed that the Samsung Galaxy Fold5, the company’s productivity-focused tool, will be running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform.

It is also rumoured that the dimensions of the device will remain the same as the previous iteration, that the inside screen will be 7.6-inch and the outside will be 6.2-inch.

The optical apparatus on board should also consist of a triple-lens setup although the exact sensors will be revealed at the event.

Less is known about the Z Flip5, although it is also expected to run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform.

Apart from that it is also believed that Samsung is going to take a page out Moto’s book and use a large cover screen on its clamshell design, very much like the latter’s Razr 40 Ultra.

Rest of the specs remain a bit unknown. However, the event is today at 4.00PM IST and all doubts will be clear once the device is officially revealed.

All Galaxy Fold and Z Flip devices leading up today

There are seven foldable devices revealed as part of Samsung’s push for this brand-new form factor in smartphones. Let’s check each of them briefly.

Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip

Samsung’s cutting-edge smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, were the first devices to redefine the mobile market with their inventive foldable design.

The Galaxy Z Fold had a sizable, flexible display that could be opened to resemble a tablet, giving users plenty of space on the screen for multitasking and video consumption.

Once folded it became a small and thick smartphone that fit inside your pocket.

The Galaxy Z Flip, on the other hand, has a distinctive flip-phone design with a folding display that folded vertically, making it exceedingly portable and fashionable.

High-end features on both handsets, like as potent processors, high-resolution cameras, and Samsung’s One UI, guarantee a fluid user experience.

However, being 1st-gen devices inflicted various problems on both devices, particularly with the folding display. Both devices were not durable at all and were priced exorbitantly high.

Galaxy Z Fold 2

Learning from the past mistakes on the previous iteration, Samsung made sweeping improvements to its next generation of foldable devices.

The Galaxy Fold 2 got a much larger outer screen at 6.2-inch as compared to 4.3-inch on Galaxy Fold, giving it more resemblance to modern-day smartphone screen sizes.

As for the folding interior display, the screen became more expansive by getting rid of the camera cutout and instead using a punch hole.

There were durability measures introduced like hubcaps on the foldable display’s top and bottom to prevent any dust from entering.

By all accounts, the device was more successful than the original Fold thanks to the overall design improvements. However, its pricing was still a hard pill to swallow.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3

With the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Samsung offered even more improved durability and enhanced multitasking features with support for DeX and also introduced extra protection on the folding screen as well as the outer screen.

The device ran the fastest SoC provided by Qualcomm and introduced an in-display selfie camera.

Finally, the device also had support for the S-pen, which was earlier exclusive only to Samsung’s Note series.

The Z Flip 3 got a much-improved outer display capable of display much more than just the time.

There was also an IPX8 rating introduced to add more protection against accidental splashes.

The internal screen size remained the same but the processor inside was the Snapdragon 888, same as the one on the Z Flip 3.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 upheld Samsung’s pinnacle of foldable innovation with several new improvements over an already stellar smartphone design from last year.

The hinge design was made better to accommodate a wide range of resting positions for the screen.

A full blown IP68 rating was also provided, and both the inner and outer screens got the same 120Hz smooth refresh rate.

Even the in-display selfie camera had been concealed in a way that it was almost impossible to spot. Of course, the phone was also packed with Samsung’s latest optical hardware and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC for very smooth performance.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 also saw some minor improvements. The device was offered an IPX8 rating for better durability and the interior screen was a fluid AMOLED panel with the folding crease in the middle virtually invisible.

Processor-wise the device was also bumped up to run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC Also the device was launched at a lower price point than the Z Flip 3, which made it more available to the masses.

The Z Flip 4 is currently one the best-selling foldable phone and with any luck the upcoming Z Flip 5 is likely to emulate or break its sales numbers.

Comparison of previous Galaxy Z Fold devices