Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G Specs

On a different side of the board, there’s the Galaxy S23 Ultra — a camera-centric, S Pen-toting beast of a smartphone that has its own pros and not a lot of cons. So, it’s fair to ask the question, if you want a premium Samsung smartphone, do you get the more familiar chocobar Galaxy S23 Ultra or go all out for a crazy foldable?

So, it’s fair to ask the question, if you want a premium Samsung smartphone, do you get the more familiar chocobaror go all out for a crazy foldable? OK, obviously, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has the more radical design here with a large 7.6-inch screen on the inside that allows you to use 3 apps at the same time… somewhat comfortably.

So, ergonomics when trying to use it as a “normal phone” aren’t ideal — dual thumb-typing on the narrow screen requires a bit of focus, and adds frustration if you use a case with it. But let’s not forget, there’s no experience quite like opening up a Z Fold to read a long article, watch a YouTube video while scrolling through something else, or even playing some games.

So, with the Z Fold 5 you will obviously trade off some ergonomic convenience to get a tiny square tablet that can fit in your pocket and provide enough real estate for some multitasking on the go. So, with theyou will obviously trade off some ergonomic convenience to get a tiny square tablet that can fit in your pocket and provide enough real estate for some multitasking on the go.

The wide area provides plenty of space for thumb-typing and viewing web pages in comfort — no need to do an extra motion of “unfolding” the phone. Yes, Samsung and Qualcomm partnered up on this effort and put a slightly overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside these phones. However, the message this moniker sends is that Samsung has been heavily involved in the making of the phone’s hardware, which inspires more confidence in the new Galaxies. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 does slightly better in raw benchmarks — we imagine there’s extra room for thermal management in there.

Thedoes slightly better in raw benchmarks — we imagine there’s extra room for thermal management in there. And it still supports the Edge Panels that the S23 Ultra has so yes, essentially the Z Fold 5 ‘s UI adds some features on top. To be fair, it doesn’t look amazing past a certain point, but it’s pretty incredible to have that much magnification on tap, and it does have its niche uses.

The Galaxy Z Fold series has a slightly weaker camera module — we guess due to space limitations but also pricing concerns. Yes, the Z Fold doesn’t dabble in Space Zoom, Moon Shot, and all of those bells and whistles. Those things aside, we can see that both phones deliver great dynamics with their aggressive HDR — both the highlights and shadows are visible, giving us a nicely balanced image with any scene. These phones have the impressive ability to pull color and detail from the darkest of scenes, though you do need to make sure there’s no movement while taking a snap — otherwise the slow shutter will blur things up. Those things aside, we can see that both phones deliver great dynamics with their aggressive HDR — both the highlights and shadows are visible, giving us a nicely balanced image with any scene.

Thetends to lean towards a slightly warmer cast.When it’s night time, whatever small differences exist between the two cameras seem to spirit away. These phones have the impressive ability to pull color and detail from the darkest of scenes, though you do need to make sure there’s no movement while taking a snap — otherwise the slow shutter will blur things up.The, of course, has the upper hand here — with a dedicated 10x zoom camera and the software chops to go all the way up to 100x, you’ve got plenty of zooming headroom.

Interestingly, we can see the Galaxy S23 Ultra go for more boosted colors when you start zooming in — an inverse of the regular 1x samples above. Both phones can use their 3x cameras for Portrait Mode shots, which is excellent — we get good subject isolation, straight lines, and a very adequate “fake” bokeh in the background.

Hair, fur, and glasses are typically the bane of any Portrait Mode algorithm. The last image does look horrible, but here’s the context — this particular area was very much engulfed in pitch black darkness, yet the cameras were able to pull colors and details from the chairs.

In daylight, they perform pretty much identically — some oversharpening can be seen, color shades are close to reality, even if saturation is a bit turned up.

Both phones can use their 3x cameras for Portrait Mode shots, which is excellent — we get good subject isolation, straight lines, and a very adequate “fake” bokeh in the background.

Hair, fur, and glasses are typically the bane of any Portrait Mode algorithm.Absolutely identical performance from the ultra-wide cameras here — one can say these pictures have been taken with the same phone. In daylight, they perform pretty much identically — some oversharpening can be seen, color shades are close to reality, even if saturation is a bit turned up.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 ‘s speakers sound loud, airy, and with a good amount of bass (for a phone, come on). It’s not massively huge, but an impressive capacity considering how much space the cell has to fit into.

Maybe you’d need to plop it on a wireless charging puck between poweruser sessions, but otherwise it was capable of lasting a day. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh cell, which was able to give us quite a respectable usage time — like 8 hours of non-stop video streaming. So, looking at a specs sheet, we can see that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is very much an S23 Ultra on the inside… just one that unfolds, and has a somewhat inferior camera module. However, if you simply can’t deal with its bulk or the demand to always open the device to be able to use it to its full potential — the Galaxy S23 Ultra is here!

So, you need to make a call — camera-centric choco bar of a phone in a familiar shape, or a big-screened jewel of mobile technology that focuses on multi-app usage? So, you need to make a call — camera-centric choco bar of a phone in a familiar shape, or a big-screened jewel of mobile technology that focuses on multi-app usage?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which should you buy?

There’s a tall, narrow display on the outside and a larger foldable one inside. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is cheaper (though still expensive) and shaped like a traditional smartphone — a big one.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5’s large foldable OLED is better for multitasking. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Yes, embedded with storage slot

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Global: Cream, Icy Blue, Phantom Black Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, Cream, Graphite, Sky Blue, Red, Lime In our testing, the Z Fold 5 throttles more heavily under sustained load than the S23 Ultra, losing almost half its initial speed. All these panels support 120Hz refresh and have enough brightness to be fully readable outdoors; both Android phones can boost to 1,750 nits in direct sunlight.

When unfolded, the Z Fold 5 feels every bit as stable as a big phone like the S23 Ultra, but it offers even more screen real estate.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 5 both support Samsung’s S Pen, but the S23 Ultra comes with a pen — that’s an add-on purchase for the Z Fold 5. There’s enough space in the S23 Ultra for the pen to stow inside, making it easy to carry around. You’re also limited to the main foldable screen for doodling as the cover display does not have S Pen functionality.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has 8GB of RAM in the base model, which is sufficient, but you can get 12GB in upgraded versions. Aside from the multitasking optimizations on the foldable, both these devices have essentially the same software experience, even if some large-screen apps suit the Z Fold 5 a little better. There are handy shortcuts to stylus-friendly apps, multitasking favorites, and you get full Material You theming.

The S23 Ultra has the kind of heft you’d expect from a high-end smartphone, measuring 78mm wide and 163mm tall. The edges curve to make it a bit easier to hold, and it’s a reasonable 8.9mm thick. The Z Fold 5 is slimmer than past foldables, but it’s still in a different league than the S23 Ultra.

It’ll be folded in this brick-like conformation when you drop it in a pocket or bag. These phones will create unsightly lines in your nice, crisp trousers and ratty jeans alike.

That said, the Fold 5 is much more uncomfortable to haul around, and it’s more ungainly when you fish it out of your pocket, which makes it easier to drop.

Ryan Whitwam / Android Authority Left: S23 Ultra, Right; Z Fold 5

Looking past the form factors, the camera array is the biggest hardware difference between these phones. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 sports a triple camera system with a 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto (3x).

In addition to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 samples below, there’s a full set on Google Drive. Even where the megapixel counts line up (e.g. the ultrawide), the S23 Ultra has larger, brighter sensors. The primary cameras output at similar 12MP resolutions because the default shooting mode uses pixel binning. This allows the sensor to collect more light for brighter images and faster captures. However, the S23 Ultra’s hardware advantage shows, particularly in dimly lit environments. There’s a 10MP sensor in a cut-out in the cover display and a 4MP shooter under the internal folding OLED.

That 4MP module is passable for video calls but doesn’t take good photos. The space constraints of foldables also affect the battery life of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Samsung’s phones are not known for having the best charging speeds, but this is another place where foldables fall behind. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a respectable 45W max speed (65% in 30 minutes), although it’s difficult to find chargers that can actually hit that number. Both phones support the same 15W maximum wireless charging speed and 4.5W reverse power share. Even if you pick one up on a carrier installment plan, the S23 Ultra could add as much as $50 per month to your bill.

Luckily, Samsung does offer generous trade-in values when you purchase one of its high-end smartphones. Even a phone from several years ago can drop hundreds of dollars from the final price.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the most expensive smartphones in the world, with a starting price of $1,200. The extra six-hundred smackers for the Z Fold 5 gets you an unparalleled multitasking experience — it’s really a small Android tablet that fits in your pocket.

For basic smartphone tasks like browsing the web, playing games, and sending messages, the S23 Ultra is more than enough. Yes, both phones have IPX8 water-resistance (30 minutes at 1.5m), but the S23 Ultra is also IP68 rated for water and dust.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: two flagship kings compared

Swipe to scroll horizontally Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs S23 Ultra: specs Galaxy Z Fold 5 Galaxy S23 Ultra Display: 7.6-inch OLED / 6.2-inch OLED 6.8-inch OLED Resolution: 1812 x 2176 pixels / 904 x 2316 pixels 1440 x 3088 Refresh rate: 120Hz 120Hz Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Rear cameras: 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto w/ 3x optical zoom 200MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto w/ 3x optical zoom, 10MP telephoto w/ 10x optical zoom Front camera: 10MP and 4MP 12MP RAM: 12GB 8GB / 12GB Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Battery: 4,400mAh 5,000mAh The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, meanwhile, arrived on February 17 of the same year, with prices starting from $1,199.99 / £1,249 / AU$1,949 for the 256GB model. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a much smaller phone (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd) Samsung has refined that design with a flatter display, but it’s a pretty traditional (if stylish) phone. Talking of which, the hinge also benefits the Fold 5 when open, minimizing the crease that runs down the middle of the display. Nor does the Galaxy S23 Ultra have to worry about dust ingress, with an IP68 rating making it as resistant to fine particles as it is to water. Another key design difference is the fact that the Galaxy S23 Ultra contains a dedicated compartment for its S Pen stylus. That doesn’t match the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s screen, which is a mighty 6.8-inch AMOLED with a 1440 x 3088 (QHD+) resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

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News, Reviews, Tips, Discussions and more about the Galaxy Fold line, but also other foldables and related stuff.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: What is the difference?

has Mail Privacy Protection ✖ Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra ✖ Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Mail Privacy Protection is a feature built into the default email app that blocks senders from using “tracking pixels” to see when you’ve read an email. Competing services upload the photos and perform this on their servers, which requires the sharing of personal data.