The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is Samsung's latest flagship foldable phone for 2023, designed for enhanced productivity and media consumption. Starting at the same price as its predecessor, $1799, the device is certainly not cheap.

But even if you can afford such a premium device, should you actually buy it? Let's go over some of the pros and cons of the Galaxy Fold 5.

3 Reasons to Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5

Although an incremental update in some ways, the Fold 5 has a number of features that help to make it Samsung's best and most powerful folding phone to date.

1. No Gap When Folded

All Galaxy Fold devices so far have had a gap in the middle when folded shut. Leaving a gap allows dust and water to pass through even when the device is closed, causing the fragile screen to develop dents or sharp gouges over time. It also just doesn't look as good as it could.

But thanks to the new hinge mechanism on the Fold 5, the phone can now shut perfectly flat. To be fair, we've already seen a gapless hinge on a foldable phone, but Samsung is the first to offer it alongside an IPX8 rating for water resistance.

2. The Best Software on a Foldable Phone

You'd think the company that controls Android, Google, would have the best software experience on its foldable phone, but that's not the case. Because Samsung has a three-year head start in the industry, the South Korean giant had more time to refine its software and optimize apps according to the foldable form factor.

That means the software on the Fold 5 is likely going to be more stable and fluid than any other foldable on the market. And with the Taskbar feature that mimics the functionality of the Windows taskbar, you can quickly switch between different apps for easier multitasking—something you'd often want to do on a bigger screen.

3. Bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Chip

The Fold 5 is powered by the same bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip that was one of the best features of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. That means the device is not only more powerful than its predecessor but is also more efficient and better at heat management. This leads to reduced throttling issues, faster graphics rendering, and slightly longer battery life.

3 Reasons to Avoid the Galaxy Z Fold 5

Sadly, nothing is perfect. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is one of the most expensive phones on the market. Before you buy, you should be aware of some of the potential downsides.

1. No Dust Resistance and Mediocre Charging Speeds

While the Fold 5 is water-resistant, let us remind you that the "X" in its IPX8 rating means that the device is not officially rated for dust resistance. A bit of dust is probably not going to wreck it, but when you're spending $1799 on a phone, it's nice to have the reassurance.

Speaking of reassurance, Samsung hasn't increased the charging speed on the Fold 5 either—it's still capped at 25W. Compared to the charging speeds other Android brands are offering today, 25W seems downright slow.

2. Quick Depreciation and High Repair Costs

A big reason why we don't recommend foldable phones is that they lose their value very quickly. For context, if you trade in your $1799 Fold 4 for a Fold 5, Samsung will only offer you up to $595 in exchange value (assuming there's no promotion applied). That means in just under a year from launch, the former has already lost almost 67% of its value.

Don't forget that foldables are also more likely to get damaged than regular phones, especially their fragile flexible display panel. And since the parts that these phones use are specialized and not readily available, a repair can sometimes cost a fortune.

3. It's Not Intended for Regular Users

The average user uses their phones for simple tasks such as browsing social media, calling, texting, watching movies, online shopping, light gaming, and similar.

All of these things can easily be done on a regular phone; a larger display is nice to have but still unnecessary. Having so much more screen estate would only make sense if you plan to multitask on your phone most of the time and are finding your current device limiting.

The Fold 5 Is a Minor but Welcome Upgrade

Samsung is currently the only major player in the foldables market, and so without competition, there isn't much incentive to innovate. Although the Fold 5 is very technically impressive and would be a godsend for a small group of people, we wouldn't recommend it to most people for a variety of reasons.

Still, if you can benefit from a bigger screen, the Fold 5 is the best option on the market right now with hardware that's built to last and software that molds to your needs.