Can a two-year-old foldable with fresh software updates compete with brand-new hardware? That’s the real question hanging over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in early 2025, especially now that Galaxy AI has landed and competitors like the OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold are undercutting it on both price and hardware ambition.
The short answer: the Fold 5 is still good, sometimes surprisingly so, but it’s no longer the obvious default. Galaxy AI adds useful tricks, but it doesn’t magically turn this into a future-proof productivity machine. If you already own one, you’re in better shape than you might think. If you’re on the fence, things get more complicated.
Design and durability: better hinge, same awkward front
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 was Samsung’s fifth attempt to normalize a book-style foldable, and from a hardware perspective, it mostly succeeded. The switch to a redesigned waterdrop hinge finally allowed the phone to close almost flat, cutting down the wedge gap that made older Folds feel like prototypes. Long-term, that hinge has held up impressively: no creaks, no wobble, and the IPX8 water resistance is still a genuine differentiator next to many rivals that skip any meaningful rating.
But some choices are aging poorly. The cover screen is still a tall, narrow 6.2-inch 120Hz AMOLED that feels cramped for typing and browsing. After spending time with the more natural 6.3-inch outer display on the OnePlus Open and the shorter, wider 5.8-inch panel on the Pixel Fold, going back to the Fold 5’s letterbox vibe feels like a compromise Samsung refuses to fix.
On the inside, the 7.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED main display is bright and smooth, hitting around 1200–1300 nits in typical use and more in HDR. The crease is still there, visually and under your finger, but you do tune it out. The inner screen’s Ultra Thin Glass plus plastic top layer has held up decently with normal use, though long-term owners still report the occasional micro-scratch or bubble around the fold line by year two.
The phone’s 253g weight remains noticeable. As flagships like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max slim down or use lighter alloys, the Fold 5 keeps feeling like a tiny tablet first, phone second. If you’re coming from a slab, there’s an adjustment period; if you’re upgrading from a Z Fold 3 or Z Fold 4, it’ll feel familiar, just slightly thinner and more polished.
Performance, battery life, and thermals in 2025
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, paired with 12GB RAM and 256/512GB or 1TB UFS 4.0 storage, still delivers more than enough horsepower. Day-to-day multitasking with three apps on screen, Dex-style workloads, and gaming on the inner display are all smooth. The 120Hz refresh on both panels helps keep animations feeling responsive, even as One UI adds more background processes.
In 2025, performance comparisons shift from raw benchmarks to sustained efficiency. The 8 Gen 2 holds up well here. It runs cooler and more efficiently than the old 8 Gen 1 and even compares decently to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in real-world usage, unless you’re pushing heavy 3D games at max settings for extended sessions. Thermal throttling exists, but it’s controlled. Sessions of Genshin or Call of Duty on the main display do warm up the right half of the phone, yet they rarely drop to unplayable frame rates.
Battery is the bigger sticking point. The 4400mAh cell, combined with two large OLED panels, is just okay in 2025. Light days with mostly cover-screen use and some messaging, maps, and social apps will get you through to evening. But if you actually use the Fold like a mini-tablet — Slack, Chrome with multiple tabs, YouTube on the inner display, and some photo editing — you’ll still be hunting for a charger by late afternoon.
Charging doesn’t help the story much. The 25W wired charging and 15W wireless are behind the curve when Chinese foldables push 67W and beyond. Topping up from near empty to about 50% in roughly 30 minutes is fine, but not competitive for a device sold as a multitasking workhorse.
Galaxy AI: useful upgrade or marketing patch?
Samsung’s big 2024 move was pushing Galaxy AI beyond the Galaxy S24 series to older flagships, including the Z Fold 5. On paper, that’s a big win for owners. You get features like Circle to Search, live translation, note summarization, and AI-assisted photo editing via One UI 6.1.
In real use, Circle to Search is the standout: long-press the home button or gesture, circle anything on screen, and Google serves up results. On the Fold 5’s inner display, it’s even more useful because you can research products, places, or text without juggling split-screen apps manually. It’s one of those features that genuinely makes a foldable feel like a more capable browsing machine.
Live Translate for calls and messaging is more mixed. When it works, it’s impressive: real-time subtitles and audio translation layered over your call. But it still depends heavily on connection quality and the clarity of both speakers. Latency is noticeable, and it’s not something you’ll rely on daily unless you frequently communicate across languages.
Note Assist in Samsung Notes and Transcript Assist for recordings lean into the Fold’s productivity angle. On a 7.6-inch canvas, reviewing AI-generated summaries, highlights, and action items feels natural. The problem: accuracy still fluctuates, and power users often end up double-checking everything. They’re helpful tools, not replacements for actually reading or listening.
AI photo tools like Generative Edit let you move or erase objects and fill in backgrounds. On the Fold 5, editing on the big inner screen is certainly more comfortable than on a regular phone, but the actual AI outputs can be hit-or-miss, especially around complex textures and patterns.
So does Galaxy AI make the Z Fold 5 feel new again? Partially. The features are genuinely useful, especially Circle to Search and text summarization, and they extend the phone’s lifespan in a meaningful way. But they’re software features, not hardware miracles. Missing items like a bigger battery, better cameras, or a more functional outer display don’t get solved with AI.
Cameras and multimedia: fine, but no longer flagship-tier
On paper, the 50MP main, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 12MP ultra-wide setup mirrors the Galaxy S23 tier, and that’s still a decent formula. In good light, the Fold 5 produces sharp, punchy images with Samsung’s usual saturation and contrast. The 3x telephoto holds up well in daylight and moderate indoor lighting, and the ultra-wide is serviceable for landscapes and group shots.
Where the Fold 5 shows its age is in low light and zoom flexibility. The main sensor can still capture usable night shots with Night mode, but noise reduction and sharpening trails what we now see on devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or Pixel 8 Pro. Zoom past 3x and the phone leans hard on digital tricks; anything around 10x feels more like an emergency option than something you’d proudly share.
Video performance is solid: 4K60 is stable, with decent dynamic range and autofocus. But again, foldable design compromises show up in sensors that are good, not class-leading, on a phone that originally launched closer to $1799.
The inner under-display camera is still mainly for video calls. Its quality hasn’t magically improved with age; it’s soft and noisy compared to the regular cover camera. For anything serious — selfies or content creation — you’ll flip the phone and use the main cameras with the cover screen as a viewfinder, which remains one of the Fold form factor’s underrated perks.
Should you buy — or keep — a Galaxy Z Fold 5 in 2025?
So where does the Galaxy Z Fold 5 land in early 2025, especially with Galaxy AI now baked in and prices dipping during sales? If you find it around $1200–$1300 new or under $1000 used, it becomes a much more credible option versus newer foldables.
Who should keep it:
– Existing Fold 5 owners: With Galaxy AI, ongoing security updates, and still-strong performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, you’re not under pressure to upgrade. Unless you’re craving better cameras, a wider cover display, or significantly better battery life, hanging onto the Fold 5 for another year is a rational move.
Who should consider it:
– Power users and multitaskers who want a mini-tablet in their pocket and don’t mind living with okay, not amazing, battery life.
– Productivity-focused users who will actually use multi-window layouts, S Pen support (still no silo, you need a case), and AI-assisted note tools.
Who should skip it:
– Anyone who prioritizes camera quality, battery endurance, or one-handed usability. A standard flagship like the Galaxy S24+ or Pixel 8 Pro is going to be cheaper, lighter, and better in those areas.
– First-time foldable buyers nervous about long-term durability. The Fold 5 is stronger than earlier models, but hinge and screen repairs are still pricey outside warranty.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the Fold 5’s place in Samsung’s lineup now that Galaxy AI has landed. The software upgrade genuinely stretches the device’s useful life and makes it more competitive than you’d expect two years in. But it also highlights the hardware ceiling: small battery, narrow cover screen, and merely decent cameras on a device that still often sells for more than non-foldable flagships.
If you can find the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at the right price and you understand its compromises, it’s still one of the most capable Android productivity phones you can buy. Just don’t let the AI marketing convince you it’s something it’s not.