Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “I’m NEVER Going Back”.
I have been using folding phones ever since the Z Flip 1 back in 2020, but by far the number one question I get is “. What’S the point of a folding phone, They’re, fragile, they’re, expensive and what’s the point I have a phone. That’S perfectly fine! In my pocket right now ,”, and to that I would say, yeah you’re right., The phone in your pocket is perfectly fine, but there’s something about the folding form factor which has truly captured me.. So today I wan na tell you a little bit about not only the brand new Z Flip 5, as well as the Motorola Razr Plus, but on top of that, the reason why I have spent the last three-and-a-half years using folding phones and why that is not Changing anytime soon. We’ve all gotten so accustomed to phones being massive and taking up all the space in your pocket or your bag or whatever.
Then, when it comes to using a device, that’s a little bit smaller to me, it’s really freeing to be able to just toss my keys and my headphones in the same pocket or throw it in a little purse or a bag or whatever.. So the form factor is one thing that I think it’s easy for you to just kinda write off of like “. Ah phones are fine, whatever.” And I’ll admit. I’M someone who uses a iPhone mini a lot. So I get the idea that maybe I’m not the standard person, but for me the most important element of a phone is how comfortable it is to use not to carry around not to put in your pocket how comfortable it is to use.. So take the Z Flip 5 for example., It’s thin, especially once you’ve opened it up, and on top of that, it’s really great for one-hand-ability.. That’S a big thing for me., Because this phone is a little bit on the taller side, but it’s a little bit narrow. It means that for me, it’s very comfortable to use with one hand., Then there’s the utility.
For the phone to be able to stand up on its own is a big deal for me, because not only do I not need a PopSocket when I’m watching video, but On top of that, it functions as a built-in tripod.. I can set this up pretty much anywhere grab. Some photos grab some videos., It’s something which doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I use it all.
The time., The bigger much more expensive Galaxy Z Fold, gets a lot of the attention.. Really the Razr from Motorola is the only proper competition. So technically that device actually did come out before the Z Flip.
It came out in late 2019 and the phone is well. It was certainly full of character, I’ll give them that.. The problem was, it was very half-baked, so the screen had like an actual gap. When you opened and closed it, the specs were terrible. The camera was bad, like it was a very early flipping device and Motorola has improved it over the last few generations to the point where we now have this: the Moto Razr Plus, which is also known as the Razr 40 Ultra in some markets, because branding. Long Story short, while it is certainly not a perfect device, there is a lot to like with the Razr that makes it.
In my opinion, the first true competition for the Galaxy Z, Flip line. – Apologies for the facial hair jump scare, but I’ve been using the Razr for a couple of weeks, and I have a lot of thoughts.. First and foremost is absolutely the cover display.. It is massive and it really does open up a completely different way of using one of these flippable phones..
I use it all the time to use the outer display for scrolling through Twitter or Threads or checking email or whatever.. It’S really useful in a way that previous Z Flip displays just simply weren’t.. The downsides, though, are relatively substantial.. Camera quality is one right, So you’re, looking at video directly off of the Razr right now, and while this is quite a high dynamic range scene, the video is not good..
Something else has ( laughs ). You can’t see this, but this screen the outer screen is just dimmed, because I believe that the phone’s about to start overheating.. So it should be no surprise that I am pre-ordering the Z Flip 5.. I guess everyone does this for phones, but it feels a little bit ironic that Samsung go “.
Hey you sure you don’t want some Samsung Care ?” For me. I always buy my own devices when I’m going to use it for an extended period of time. I don’t wan na rely on a Samsung phone that I have to ship back in like two or three months.. The cover display is a legitimately huge improvement, but also it’s not quite there in my opinion.. So, on the plus side, this is so much more useful than previous Z Flips, which had much much smaller displays that worked okay as a camera preview, but they were very, very small. Now the Z Flip 5 allows you to have not only very customized home screens.
You’Re able to easily check your notifications and actually respond to them with a full-size keyboard, but you also have a nearly full screen: camera preview.. That is a big improvement and there are some apps that work. Now emphasis on some, because, first of all, you need to go into the settings and turn this on as a Labs feature and the apps that you can turn on are very minimal.. For me. Youtube messages there’s only a handful that actually work right. Now.
I’ve seen that there is a GoodLock feature that you can enable other apps to work. I haven’t tried that yet I definitely plan to, but when you compare this to the Razr, it’s more polished in some ways but way way. Behind. Now Samsung are making a big deal about the fact that this hinge has no gap.. So every previous Z Flip did have a little bit of a gap toward the hinge and they’ve removed that this time around, which does mean that the entire phone has been slimmed down a little bit.. I have honestly kind of forgotten that the gap was even gone to begin.
With. Like it’s like two millimeters and what’s two millimeters between friends, ( lips, smacking, ), There’s just something very tactile about it in a way that a slab phone just feels boring in comparison. That might not matter at all to you, but I use the Z Flip, because it gives me a little spark of joy that just it’s just something about the hinge, something about the the form factor that you know.
It’S the same reason why I think a manual shifter feels good or a mechanical watch like there’s something very tactile, that’s almost kind of hard to describe, but it’s something I just like.. Is that weird, It probably is. Most people don’t look at hinge-feel when they’re purchasing their next smartphone, but I do.
One thing: that’s not particularly improved is the crease., So all folding phones have a crease. Now the size and the depth of that crease varies, and I Will say that this is basically the same as earlier: Z, Flips.. Now importantly, there’s no additional protection against dust or water, so this is still IPX8-rated, which is a big deal.. I really rely on having some waterproofing on my device, but there’s no technical support for dust. Resistance.
Mind you: the fact that the hinge is completely folded flat means that there’s less you know space for dust to get in there, but technically this is not any more durable against dust than previous models.. Now I do have to be honest about durability.. It is a concern., So I’ve used every generation of the Z Flip and I’ve had some problems on most of them..
So I’ve had a lot of issues with the screen protector which, on like a standard phone, if you’re used to that you know screen protectors, are easy. With these folding phones, the screen protectors are a little bit more important.. Technically, you can take them off, but they’re not meant to be taken off and they are a little bit part of the, not necessarily the structure of the display, but certainly part of the durability. Now mind you Samsung do have the ability for you to go into One of their like approved service centers, or I think some Best Buys – will do it and whatnot.. They will replace the screen protector once for you for free, and there is a deal where they’ll give you a discounted like one time screen replacement if it’s outside of warranty. Like it’s, not as if Samsung support is terrible., Mind you. I know it’s not great in certain regions.
I can only speak for the US here, whereas the only time I actually had a broken Z Flip screen in the past. They were quite quick and easy to replace it and send me a new unit. So I can only say from my personal experience. I’ll also say that the Flip 5 is really snappy., That Snapdragon 8. Oh, I said snappy and Snapdragon.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is a very, very solid chipset.. So it’s a little bit quicker than both the Razr and the Z. Flip 4, not a life-changing amount, but I do notice that everything happens a little bit snappier. Fa, Something that’s also pretty decent is the battery life on the Z Flip.. So I just got back from a trip where I was using this as my main device, and the thing that really stood out to me is that it is a substantial improvement over the Z Flip 4., So you’re not going to have like two-day battery life like Some other devices, but it was easily able to last a full travel day for me and that’s always the big test, because when I’m out and I’m taking photos videos using Google Maps all of that kind of stuff.. So I will say that it’s a small improvement over the 4, but very very usable and a lot better than the earlier Z Flips.. So when we’re talking camera, we can compare this to the Razr in which the Razr is not good. On stills and bad on video., The Z Flip 5 has, I would say, quite good photos as long as you’ve got decent lighting and good video as well.. But when you compare it to other devices in the $ 1,000 price point, it does sort of lack a little bit.. So obviously you only have two cameras here. You’Ve got a main sensor as well as an ultrawide, and these are largely unchanged from the Z Flip. 4, which was only a little bit of an improvement from the Z Flip 3.
Technically you’ve got like a better anti-reflective coating and there’s a couple of small software tweaks, and I will say it again: in good lighting and good conditions, you can take super-contrasty punchy images.. I think a lot of people will be happy with images in good light, but as soon as you get into a little bit more of like an actual like regular situation, it does fall a little bit flat.. But I wan na be honest right. Folding phones are still early technology and there still are potential downsides..
However, the price one is the one that I don’t necessarily agree with with people., So I will completely admit: folding phones are expensive.. So when you look at something like both the Z Flip 5, as well as the Moto Razr Plus these here in the US cost $ 1,000, not cheap, but it gets way crazier if you go to a folding type phone, so something like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold or the Pixel Fold, these phones are like 17 1,800 bucks., I mean almost $ 2,000 on a smartphone is a lot. But for me I like the flips for one big reason., The comfort and the size, and there is still utility there, but they’re, not absolutely insanely. Expensive.
$ 1,000 is a lot. Do not get me wrong, but in a world where most decent flagship phones are in that sort of $ 7 to $ 1,000 range. I think it’s not crazy. There, water behind me, That’s …, Think we’re gon na get sprinkled on right now..
The thing that I really want to impart, if you take nothing away from this video, is that folding phones have gotten a lot. Better.. The Moto Razr Plus, while less than a perfect device, has gotten a lot closer to being proper competition for Samsung, which is important because here in the US, if you want a folding phone, Samsung are by far the dominant sort of player.. I mean yes, Google has the Pixel Fold, but it’s really Samsung or bust for the most part..
That’S changing, but it’s nice to have that competition. When it comes to the Z Flip 5, though, while I may have some slight concerns, it’s a terrific device.. It really really is. Outside of some relatively small nit-picks.
I really have to say that I am tremendously happy with where folding phones are and for me, going back to a slab phone feels archaic. It feels old and you may not share that opinion and that’s completely. Okay, because folding phones are not for everyone., But if you’re bored with the phone you’re using right now, if you hear any of what I’ve said today and think “ Hmm, maybe I should give that a try.
,” then the water’s never been warmer, my friends and, if you’re considering a folding phone today, I truly believe that the Z Flip 5 should be at the very top of your list. I really feel that strongly about it.. It is not a perfect device. You are going to have to slightly change the way you use the phone when it comes to durability, maybe don’t take it in a sandstorm but outside of some relatively minor inconveniences. I think that the trade-off is absolutely worth it..
I’M not sure why I’m filming this video on the ground, but if you enjoyed make sure to subscribe to the website. I’ve been working on this video for weeks.. Let me know what you think about the Z Flip 5, the Moto Razr and the state of folding phones in the comments below, and I will catch you in the next one.
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