You’ve probably heard about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5, but what’s the difference between those and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 collection?
While the Galaxy Z and Galaxy S collections are comfortably premium, the two lines have completely different focuses. While the Galaxy S line is dedicated to top-end candybar smartphones, the Galaxy Z collection focuses on foldables, with clamshell and book-style options available to consumers.
There’s much more to it than design though – and that’s where we at Trusted Reviews come in. We’ve been using various Galaxy Z and Galaxy S smartphones for years now, and here are some of the key differences between the two lines to help you decide which is best for your needs.
Design and build
It’s in the design department that the Samsung Galaxy Z line really differs from the Samsung Galaxy S collection.
You see, while Samsung’s Galaxy S collection is a flagship range of standard candybar smartphones, the ‘Z’ of Galaxy Z refers to Samsung’s newer foldable collection, comprised of the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold.
It’s probably easier to delve into the specifics. Let’s take a look at the S23 collection; the regular Galaxy S23’s display measures a rather compact 6.1 inches, the S23 Plus measures 6.6 inches and the top-end S23 Ultra measures a whopping 6.8 inches. All are crafted from a combination of Armor Aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for a high-end look and feel, and they’re available in a variety of colour options too.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip line, including the recent Z Flip 5, resembles clamshell flip phones from the early 00s, though with one key difference; the foldable display. The Z Flip 5 sports a 6.7-inch inner display but, thanks to its ability to quite literally fold in half, it measures in at a rather compact 85.1 x 71.9 x 15.1mm when closed. That’s a pretty stealthy 6.7-inch display right there.
The Z Fold line takes things in a slightly different direction, sporting a design that resembles that of a book. There’s a smaller, narrower 6.1-inch display on the outside and a larger, more expansive 7.6-inch display hidden within. The boxier aspect ratio lends itself well to split-screen multitasking, but it’s just as good for watching a movie on Netflix or delving into World of Tanks for a quick online battle.
The issue with foldables is durability; while the Galaxy Z foldables boast IPX8 water resistance, the best among foldables right now, it can’t quite protect itself from dust. That’s a stark change to the Galaxy S phones (and most other flagship phones) with IP68 dust and water resistance.
There’s also an issue with the crease caused by the folding displays. While Samsung has come a long way since its first foldable, the crease is still there, and it’s slightly more noticeable than foldables from other manufacturers – just food for thought.
Cameras
Broadly speaking, you’re probably going to get better overall camera performance from candybar smartphones like the Galaxy S23 range than the Z Flip or Z Fold lines, though it’s a trend that’s beginning to change somewhat in 2023.
The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus easily beat the Z Flip 5’s dual 12MP main and ultrawide snappers with a trio of lenses comprised of a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3x telephoto lens.
That difference in camera prowess is even more prevalent when comparing the Z Flip 5 to the top-end S23 Ultra. The S23 Ultra and its industry-leading combination of a 200MP main, a 12MP ultrawide, dual 10MP 3x and 10x telephoto lenses and the ability to zoom up to 100x digitally is a clear winner.
It’s partly down to the fact that it’s hard to implement high-quality lenses in a foldable smartphone while keeping it relatively slim and attractive.
That said, the larger Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers a setup similar to the S23 and S23 Plus with a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3x. It’s still not quite enough to compete with the S23 Ultra or most other true flagship smartphones, but it’s a step forward from the Z Flip 5 and the one to go for if you want a foldable with decent snapping capabilities.
Performance
While foldables haven’t always been as powerful as their candybar counterparts, that tide has begun to change in the past few years and, as of the most recent Galaxy S23 and Z Flip/Fold 5 lines, both smartphones are on par in terms of overall performance.
That’s down to the fact that both the S23 series and Flip 5 and Fold 5 all sport the same custom version of Qualcomm’s latest top-end chipset dubbed Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy.
As the name suggests, it’s exclusive to Samsung devices, meaning the smartphones have the edge in performance even compared to other 2023 flagship smartphones, with an additional GPU core and a higher CPU clock speed getting the very best performance possible out of the mobile chipset.
There is some disparity when it comes to RAM and storage, however. The S23, S23 Plus and Z Flip 5 all sport a healthy 8GB of RAM as standard, but the S23 Ultra and Z Fold 5 boast an improved 12GB of RAM for better multitasking capabilities on those large displays.
That said, you’re unlikely to notice much difference in everyday use, with the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z smartphones offering rapid performance with near instantaneous app loading, super smooth scrolling from 120Hz displays and rapid image capture with their custom ISPs.
Software
In terms of software, the Samsung Galaxy Z and Galaxy S lines broadly run the same software in the form of Samsung’s OneUI, though as you might expect, there are slight differences in the specifics to suit the design of the phone.
The book-style Galaxy Z Fold 5, for example, sports an iPad-esque toolbar at the bottom of apps for quick multitasking, while the Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers in-depth customisation for its cover display. Neither of these are needed for the standard Candybar Galaxy S23 series.
That said, the general experience is near-identical across the brand’s collection of smartphones, with the same UI and swathe of Samsung-branded apps from Samsung Pass to Samsung Internet and Bixby, Samsung’s replacement for Google Assistant.
Other notable features include the ability to view widgets on the lock screen by tapping the clock icon and AI-powered app suggestions based on your recent usage.
The good news is that whether you go for Z or S, you’ll get the same incredibly strong software update promise of four OS upgrades and five years of bi-monthly security patches. Google does not even match that, and when it comes to foldables specifically, it’s the longest support you’ll find right now.
Pricing
Both the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Z collections are top-of-the-line, premium options with price tags to match – though the price varies from £849/$799 to £1749/$1799 depending on the smartphone you want.
It starts with the Samsung Galaxy S23, starting at £849/$799, followed by the £1049/$999 Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus. That matches the price of the Z Flip 5, which starts at £1049/$999, followed closely by the £1249/$1199 S23 Ultra.
At the top of the collection sits the Z Fold 5, which with a starting price of £1749/$1799, is comfortably one of the priciest phones on the market right now.
