Samsung Galaxy Z Fold review: or, what Samsung must do to make the next Z Fold a compelling business phone

I’ve spent almost six months using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, during which time I also used the Honor Magic V2 for a month and saw its rivals on the showfloor at Mobile World Congress.

Samsung collected the Fold5 from me this week, and rather than write a straight review I’ll share the reasons I think it doesn’t yet make a compelling business choice – and what Samsung could do with future versions, particularly the Fold6, to change that.

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Galaxy Z Fold long-term review: reduce the price

Since the Z Fold5 launched, we’ve seen the price of folding phones plummet. OnePlus released its OnePlus Open for £1,599/$1,700, but has since offered discounts of £250/$200 so the real price is £1,349/$1,500. Honor’s Magic V2 officially costs £1,700 (it isn’t available in the US), but an e-voucher takes it to £1,450.

Samsung is doing its best to hold firm with the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s launch price. The 512GB version, to match the specs of the Honor and OnePlus foldables, costs £1,849/$1,919, with a £150 discount code taking it down to £1,699 in the UK.

Whichever way you look at it, Samsung is charging a significant premium over its rivals. £249 more than Honor, £350 more than OnePlus. That’s hard to justify.

There can be only one conclusion: Samsung must bring down the price of the Galaxy Z Fold6. Especially if it’s to woo corporate buyers who are on tight budgets.

Include a stylus as standard with all Galaxy Z Fold phones

Without a stylus, the Galaxy Z Fold5 becomes just another folding phone. But thanks to its Galaxy Note series, Samsung has form here. It knows how to build great, slim styluses, and even though it’s probably impossible to squeeze a stylus into the main body there are other solutions.

One is to bundle a case that includes a slot for the stylus. Another is to attach the stylus magnetically; I’ve recently used a tablet that locked the stylus firmly in place via magnets, so this isn’t a pipe dream. Or simply include a stylus in the box and let users figure out where to keep it.

The point is, a stylus turns a foldable phone into a genuinely useful business device. You can annotate, sign documents, sketch diagrams, use it as a mini graphics tablet. Many people don’t realise how useful they’ll find a stylus until they get one.

Slim down the Galaxy Z Fold’s design

Honor sucker-punched Samsung with the Magic V2 by creating a foldable phone that was less than 10mm thick. Samsung can’t dismiss this as a matter of number boasting: side by side, it made the Galaxy Z Fold5 seem fat. Chunky. Old-fashioned.

Even if Samsung does nothing else with the Fold6, it must catch up in the slim-fast race.

Widen the Galaxy Z Fold’s front screen

Then we come to the front screen, which is plain annoying on the Galaxy Z Fold5 as it’s so slender. That makes it more difficult to use the on-screen keyboard, it narrows the view when browsing the web, and it reduces the information you can see on an email or document.

It’s just not good enough, and once again all of Samsung’s rivals are beating it here.

Double-down on DeX

Samsung has taken its DeX environment for granted for too long. It’s one of Samsung’s biggest advantages over all rivals, and could be the key selling point for a professional user trying to decide which foldable phone to use.

If you’ve never used DeX, this video from Samsung Business USA explains what you need to know. The fact the video is three years old says much about how much Samsung has invested in the environment since.

Scrap the 256GB model on all Z Fold devices

Here’s the argument for the 256GB model of the Fold5: it’s the cheapest version so gives someone, including businesses, on a lower budget the chance to buy a foldable phone.

But I just don’t see that. The price of storage to manufacturers has fallen considerably in the past couple of years, and it doesn’t make sense to include 256GB on such an expensive, long-term investment.

Because, at this price, people will want to make their machines last for years. Five seems a respectable goal, and are you really telling me that 256GB of storage will be enough for the type of person buying this phone over that length of time?

No. Samsung needs to get rid of the 256GB model and make 512GB the entry point. And an affordable entry point at that.

Strengthen the sustainability argument with the Galaxy Z Fold range

Wouldn’t it be amazing if Samsung produced the world’s first properly serviceable foldable phone? One that IT tech departments could tear down and repair as needed? One that was supported by affordable, clearly labelled components?

It’s probably too late for the Fold6, but I’d like to see Samsung properly address the repairability of this phone and its lifecycle. How will components be reused when it goes end of life? Will Samsung refurbish the old phone the Fold6 replaces so that it can get a second life? Can end users, and IT teams, repair the phone themselves?

There’s a big right-to-repair movement happening in America, a huge market for foldable phones, and Samsung needs to be ahead of the competition.

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What Samsung doesn’t need to worry about with the Galaxy Z Fold6

There are many areas of the Galaxy Z Fold5 that I really enjoyed. The quality of the screens is more than good enough, whether I was looking at the outer screen or the inner one. I daresay that Samsung will boost the brightness and add better support for HDR content, but it’s not what matters here.

Likewise speed. The Z Fold5 includes a fast processor and plenty of RAM. Together with the 120Hz screens, this means using this phone is a fluid, pleasurable experience. So long as Google and Samsung don’t pile needless fat onto their interfaces, it will be plenty fast enough for years.

I’m certain that Samsung will improve the cameras on the Fold6, too, but from a business perspective there is zero need for this. My (former) Fold5 took great pictures and videos. Sure, flagship Android photos and iPhones produce better images, but improving the cameras adds to the price.