Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: A larger cover screen and redesigned hinge make the new foldable option a better buy

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Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 may look similar to the previous Galaxy Z Flip 4 model at a glance, but it represents a bigger update to Samsung's "clamshell" foldable phone series than a standard annual refresh. 

Aside from typical updates like a new processor, the Z Flip 5 has a larger cover display than the Z Flip 4. It might not drastically reduce how often you need to unfold the phone to use it, but it's multitudes more useful, simply because it can fit more information.

Samsung also made strides with its hinge design so the Z Flip 5 can fold completely flat, making it sleeker compared to the Z Flip 4's noticeable gap, and it reduces the risk of pocket debris from damaging the main display. And while the camera system is nominally the same on both models, the Z Flip 5 takes appreciably better photos. 

While the Z Flip 5's changes are worthwhile improvements, we're still waiting for significant enhancements to battery life, which remain sorely lacking compared to a traditional flat phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Design

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 5 look similar at first glance, but Samsung has introduced one major design update in the Z Flip 5 — a new "Flex Hinge" that allows both halves of the phone to fold completely flat. As a result, the Z Flip 5 has a cleaner look when folded than the Z Flip 4, which has a slight gap at the hinge when folded. 

Functionally, the Z Flip 5's flatter fold dramatically reduces the risk of scratching or damaging the main display with dust and debris that would otherwise squeeze into the Z Flip 4's gap. Both phones have IPX8 water resistance, but no dust resistance.

Other than the flat-folding hinge, Samsung introduced eight new colors for the glass back, four of which come with a frosted texture, and the other four with a clear glass texture. The Z Flip 4 only came in four colors, all of which had a frosted glass texture.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Displays

The main, unfolded displays on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 5 are nearly identical, which means they both deliver the beautiful brightness, color saturation, and contrast that's typical on Samsung displays. They both run at a silky smooth 120Hz, too.

The major difference is extra brightness on the Z Flip 5's display, which makes it easier to see what's on the screen in direct sunlight.  

The crease where the screen folds is also just as noticeable on the Z Flip 5 as it is on the Z Flip 4, but it's not a deal breaker by any means — you forget it's there after a while.

The external cover displays are where it gets interesting.

The Z Flip 5 has a larger and more useful 3.4-inch cover display, called the "Flex Window," that makes the Z Flip 4's 1.9-inch cover display look obsolete.

The Z Flip 5's larger cover display shows significantly more information in widgets that are easier to read and manage, like notifications, weather, music controls, calendar, clock, and so on. You can even respond to texts with a full size keyboard, and the camera's viewfinder and controls are much easier to see and interact with. You can also enable some third-party apps to run on the Z Flip 5's cover display, like YouTube and Netflix, but support is limited so far.

In turn, it means you don't necessarily have to unfold the Z Flip 5 to get more information from these basic widgets, or to quickly reply to a text. Meanwhile, the Z Flip 4's smaller cover display wasn't all that useful and forced you to unfold the phone more often.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Performance and storage

 The Z Flip 5 runs on a version of the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor designed specifically for Samsung Galaxy phones compared to the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor in the Z Flip 4 released in 2022 that has no specific phone in mind. 

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 running the Z Flip 5 performs better in benchmarks, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the Z Flip 4 is still a champ. There's very little perceived difference when it comes to opening and running apps at the time of the Z Flip 5's launch, if any. With that said, the Z Flip 4 should start showing its age a year or so before the Z Flip 5.

Worthy of note is the Z Flip 5's 256GB base storage at the $1,000 price point compared to the Z Flip 4's 128GB base storage for the same price (at launch). That's a great upgrade for those who need as much as 256GB of storage. Yet, I would have liked to see a 128GB Z Flip 5 for a lower sub-$1,000 price for those who don't need that much storage.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Cameras

There aren't any major differences to report for the cameras on the Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 5 — both models have 12 megapixel (MP) main and ultrawide cameras, and 10MP front (selfie) cameras. Samsung fans will be familiar with the Z Flip 5's photo quality, which often appears edited for you with boosted brightness and saturated colors. 

However, Z Flip 5 users will enjoy some improvements. Both devices are capable of 10x digital zoom, but Samsung enhanced the 10x optical zoom quality in the Z Flip 5. It's a meaningful update for a phone that doesn't come with a zoom lens. We also noticed the Z Flip 5 is faster to take a photo when we press the shutter button, whereas the Z Flip 4 has a slight lag. 

Both models have the same 4K and 1080p video recording abilities at either 30 or 60 frames per second. The Z Flip 5 also has improved night video quality with enhanced detail and colors and less visual noise.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Battery life

Both the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the year-old Z Flip 4 ended our battery test with a 56% charge remaining, which are relatively uninspiring results for high-end phones with 6.7-inch displays, though foldable phones tend to have shorter battery life than their flat phone counterparts.

Either phone should get you through the day, but you may need a midday top-up if you put either through particularly intensive use. 

Both phones offer 25W charging, which is also comparatively unimpressive for phones of this size and price range, especially when Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus, with its 6.6-inch display and $1,000 starting price, offers 45W charging.  

The Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 4 both feature a standard and suitable 15W wireless charging. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Price

Both models cost $1,000 at launch, but you shouldn't buy the Z Flip 4 for its launch price considering it's an older model. The Z Flip 4 currently starts at $900 from Samsung with 128GB of storage, while the Z Flip 5 starts at $1,000 with 256GB. 

The best price we've recently seen for the Z Flip 4 is a trade-in offer for your old phone with Samsung to get a substantial $725 off, bringing the Z Flip 4's price down to $175. As usual, the trade-in amount depends on which phone you want to trade in and its condition.

Samsung has typically good trade-in offers for its new devices, and the company is also offering up to $600 off the Z Flip 5, again depending on which phone you want to trade in and what condition it's in. 

Carriers like Verizon tend to have even better $1,000 trade-in deals, even for old phones like the Google Pixel 3 or iPhone 7, to essentially get the Z Flip 5 for free. These carrier deals typically have conditions, however, like signing up for certain eligible 5G plans if you're not already on one. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Which should you buy?

Along with its newer processor, the Galaxy Z Flip 5's larger cover display, improved hinge design, and enhanced cameras make it a no-brainer, especially if you take advantage of a trade-in offer from Samsung or a carrier to drastically reduce the price of the Z Flip 5. 

If you're paying any significant sum of money for the Z Flip 4, you're already overspending compared to the superior value and usefulness of the Z Flip 5 and the considerable trade-in offers you can find for both phones.

If you're unable to trade in for either phone, the $100 difference between the Z Flip 4's $900 starting price (with 128GB of storage) and the Z Flip 5's $1,000 starting price (with 256GB) is well worth stretching for, due to the Z Flip 5's aforementioned advantages and the increased storage.