Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 phones unveiled, plus Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9 Ultra, and Galaxy Watch 6: here’s what’s new

The Flip 5 was the star of Samsung’s 2023 flagship show in Seoul, boasting a much larger OLED cover screen, better hinge and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip

The Fold 5 also got a better hinge and brighter main display, while on the tablet front, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra packs the largest battery in any tablet

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s front screen has been given a significant bump to 3.7 inches – three times more screen real estate than the Flip 4. Photo: Ben Sin

Published: 7:00pm, 26 Jul 2023

While traditionally holding product launches in the US and occasionally Europe, Samsung took its flagship show home for the first time this year. Titled “Unpacked”, the event in South Korea’s capital Seoul saw the unveiling of two new foldable phones, a trio of tablets, and two new smartwatches.

As the show’s slogan – “Join the flip side” – clearly suggested, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 was the star.

The outside cover screen of the clamshell foldable got a significant bump to 3.7 inches – three times more screen real estate than before – which finally allows the device to be used fully when folded.

With the larger OLED screen, I can now open any app freely on the outside. Of course, this feature has been available in Motorola’s Razr flip phones for a few generations.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 (left) and the Fold 5 (right). Photo: Ben Sin

However, Samsung’s Flip 5 is more polished than Motorola’s best offering, with superior software and image processing, and a customised Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that has been optimised for Samsung by Qualcomm.