Galaxy Z Fold 5: Everything you need to know

Samsung's flagship foldable smartphone is turning five this year, with the arrival of Galaxy Z Fold 5 .

Ever since Samsung's most recent Unpacked showcase, we've had a pretty good idea about what Aussies should expect from the follow-up to last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. If you missed the official reveal, here's everything you need to know about the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

As of the 18th of August, both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 are officially on-sale in Australia.

If you're already sold on buying one, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available now through all the usual suspects, including Samsung's online store, The Good Guys, Amazon, JB HI-FI and more.

Fancy the new flippable device instead? Head over to our guide to Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals for the run-down on how to save on the latest Z Flip.

If you'd prefer to pay out the cost of your Fold 5 off over time, rather than all at once, these Australian telcos will hook you up with a plan that allows you to spread your payments over 12, 24 or 36 months. 

If you're looking to pick up the Galaxy Fold 5 on a postpaid plan for as little as you can, chances are you'll want to go with Vodafone. Paired up with Vodafone's $45 Small plan, you're looking at $117.19 per month on a 36-month contract.

While Vodafone doesn't have the same level of coverage as Telstra or Optus do, it does have a cheaper price. You also get excess-charge-free data, $5 per day roaming when you need to go overseas and 5G coverage where you can get it.

What's more, Vodafone is currently running a promotion that knocks $300 off the price of the Galaxy Z Fold. This means you're looking at $108.85 per month rather than the rate above when it comes to signing up for the device on a 36-month plan.

Check out the widget below for a round-up of the Vodafone's Galaxy Z Fold 5 plans.

If you need better coverage than Vodafone can vouch for but don't want to deal with the higher prices that Telstra commands, then Optus might be the best bet for picking up the Galaxy Z Fold 5 on a plan.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available through Optus on either a 12, 24 or 36-month plan. Those who take Optus up on that offer will have to pair it with one of the provider's postpaid mobile plans. These plans will come with excess-charge-free data, a discounted rate on Optus Sport, $5 roaming and the ability to save on your monthly subscriptions via SubHub.

Check out the widget below for a round-up of the Optus's Galaxy Z Fold 5 plans.

Telstra's mobile plans are the most expensive of the big three, so it'll probably be the most expensive option for those looking to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5 on a postpaid plan.

That said, that higher price does come with plenty of perks. Those who sign up for a Galaxy Z Fold 5 plan with Telstra should expect to be able to pay off their device over a 12, 24 or 36-month period, excess-charge-free data for the lifetime of their plan and access to Australia's biggest mobile network.

Check out the widget below for a round-up of the Telstra's Galaxy Z Fold 5 plans.

The Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 won't look all that different from the previous model when it comes to the broad strokes. The new device will still offer a thinner 6.2-inch screen when folded and the ability to expand to a larger 7.6-inch tablet-sized canvas when needed.

Where the design of the Z Fold 4 kept hardware changes to a minimum, the follow-up brings with it several tweaks to the formula. The new foldable ise both lighter and thinner, thanks to a new hinge design that allows for it to fold flat in the same way that competitors like the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra can.

In short, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a form factor that's largely similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 plus a few quality-of-life improvements. Check out the video of last year's Galaxy Z Fold 4 below for a sense of what to expect. 

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor found inside the Galaxy S23 Ultra plus up to 12GB of RAM.

Storage-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes in the same storage variants as last year's Galaxy Z Fold 4. The new device starts at 256GB but is available with as much as 1TB of onboard storage. Unfortunately, then support for storage expansion via MicroSD is not supported.

As for battery size, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be powered by a 4400mAh battery on par with the one found in the previous model. That's not likely to be a step back, but nor is it a reason to celebrate. 

In his review of last year's handset, Alex Choros found that "the battery situation left me wanting more.

As with the tech specs, the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 shares a lot with previous models when it comes to the number of cameras on the device and what it can do with them.

The device will feature a triple-lens setup on the back that boils down to a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lens. There's also a 10MP camera adorning the external display and 4MP under-display camera built into the 7.6-inch AMOLED screen akin to the one found on last year's Galaxy Z Fold 4. 

Software and sensor improvements aside, it's safe to say that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a pretty similar setup to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 4. For better or worse, it looks like the Galaxy S23 Ultra will hold onto its spot as the top dog when it comes to Samsung smartphone photography hardware for a little bit longer.

Australian pricing for the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 starts at $2599. That's $200 more than the starting price of last year's Galaxy Z Fold 4 and a sum total that makes it one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy in Australia right now. Only the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung's own Galaxy S23 Ultra come close.

Check out the table below for a quick round-up of how much each model of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 costs from a selection of Australian retailers.

With the exception of legacy features like the headphone jack, it's relatively rare for a new Samsung device to ditch features that the previous model had, so no surprise that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has the same level of 5G connectivity as the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Of course, you'll need to be located in an area with 5G coverage in order to actually make use of this feature. To see where is 5G available in Australia, use the coverage map below.

Click the big orange button, select your desired network provider from the dropdown (e.g. Telstra, Optus or Vodafone). Then, find out if you have 5G coverage in your area by using the (+) and (-) icons in the top-left corner of the map to navigate to your local area.