Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Motorola Razr+ — which foldable could win?

It won't be long before we can see which foldable flip phone emerges from the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Motorola Razr+ face-off. In fact, Samsung's new phone should be arriving in the next week.

With rumors heating up about this device, we're eager to see if the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 can regain the lead among the best foldable phones. It was a position the Z Flip 5's predecessor held onto, until a newcomer came along to depose it.

That challenge — the Motorola Razr+ really surprised us with its many refinements from past models. The latest version of Motorola's clamshell foldable smartphone featured a gapless hinge design, versatile external display, and useful tools for content creators.

In our previous Motorola Razr+ versus Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 comparison, Motorola's foldable nearly completed a clean sweep win — a testament to how the phone maker was able to cover the gap versus its previous offerings. However, Galaxy Z Flip 5 leaks paint big things for Samsung’s next-generation clamshell foldable.

Using those leaks for guidance, let's consider how a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Motorola Razr+ comparison might break down.

Samsung’s been engineering foldable displays longer than almost everyone else, but we have to give Motorola credit for creating a gapless design with the Razr+. With the new hinge design, the Razr+ left zero room for any gap scrunched in between its inner display when the phone was folded closed. It’s a refinement that some people may not care much about, but nonetheless a noteworthy one that shows how Motorola's design has evolved since the Razr (2019).

Beyond the hinge, the Razr+ is stylish in every way. Aesthetically, we love the contrast of its vegan leather casing paired with its polished metal frame. And of course, the Razr+ lives up to its name by sporting a skinny 0.27-inch chassis and 6.63-ounce weight, while making for a premium feel in the hand.

In contrast, the rumors are painting all the logical changes for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s design. For starters, Samsung's new phone is reportedly being outfitted with a larger outer display, which we’ll go into more detail below. It means more functionality out of the phone without the need to open it up, whereas it was limited to just a few widgets and notifications with the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Furthermore, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 looks to get the same treatment with a rumored gapless hinge design that will make the two halves of the main inner display flush against each other. It should be interesting to see if it will affect the phone’s water resistance rating. Previously, the Z Flip 4 held an IPX8 rating to protect it against submersion, but it could remain the same for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 given the challenges of a foldable design.

Right now, there is no better looking foldable phone than the Razr+, so the Galaxy Z Flip 5 needs to come back with a serious response.

As we’ve said already, leaks have shown the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with a much larger outer display. That’s great news if it does come to fruition, given how we fell in love with the outer 3.6-inch pOLED panel on the Razr+. Not only was it sharp and detailed, but we loved the added utility it offered with access to all the apps on the Razr+. As a result, we didn’t always need to open the phone up to use apps.

Of course, it looks as though Sammy’s going to be giving its upcoming foldable the proper treatment, according to all the leaks. Moving up to a larger outer screen should boost the Z Flip 5 in making it more usable. The leaks about a larger outer display were bolstered when another leaked image of a protective case for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 showed a larger cutout for the external screen.

While this is good news for Samsung’s foldable, we’re eager to know what functionally it can provide. Previously, we enjoyed capturing selfies with the help of the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s display, but it was too narrow and cropped out a lot of the preview. With a larger display, however, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 could be better suited for content creators looking to video themselves.

There haven’t been leaks that tell us what to expect with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s main display. Apart from the fact that it’s going to be featuring a new hinge design, we suspect at least an upgrade to QHD resolution — which would be a step up over the Z Flip 4’s current resolution of 2,640 x 1,080 pixels.

We’re also hoping to find an even brighter screen with Samsung’s upcoming foldable, mainly because the Motorola Razr+’s 6.9-inch pOLED display reached a peak brightness level of 1,084 nits, which was far more visible outdoors than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4’s weaker 772 nits of brightness.

Foldable phones such as these two take pride in being versatile gadgets for a wide range of users. Whether you’re a professional cranking out work, or a content creator putting together a slick Instagram reel, there are plenty of features with the software that show off the utility of foldables over your standard slates.

Take for instance the most recent iteration of Samsung’s One UI, which was accompanied by Flex Mode on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It optimized some of the apps to fit better when the screen was folded — like how the camera app adjusted to make it feel like you were holding a camcorder. Beyond this, it’s anyone’s guess on how Samsung will evolve the software for the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Motorola’s interpretation was no different on the Razr+ with its “Flex View” mode. You could argue that Motorola just ripped what Samsung did, but the Razr+ is packaged with the same handy gestures we've seen countless times on Moto's phones. For example, the chopping gesture to turn on the LED flash, or the double twist motion to launch the camera app at any time.

Samsung’s Android update policy is one of the best in the industry, with four years of Android software updates and five years of security patches. Itessentially means you’ll get more life out of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with four years of Android software updates compared to Motorola’s commitment of three years.

When it comes to quality, you can bet that Samsung won’t disappoint. That’s because after we pitted the Motorola Razr+ against last year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, we found out that Samsung’s foldable phone still had the superior cameras.

Rumors indicate that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will still maintain the same dual-camera setup as its predecessor, but with perhaps a larger sensor. This would result in giving the Galaxy Z Flip 5 more of an edge, particularly under low light — an area where the Motorola Razr+ struggled. In our own low-light comparison, we saw how the Galaxy Z Flip 4 produced brighter images that drew out more details in the shadows.

Needless to say, it would be a substantial step up if Samsung were able to fashion a telephoto camera into the mix, but there’s no indication of that based on various Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 rumors and leaks we’ve seen.

Being the newer smartphone, we’re betting that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will have the edge when it comes to raw power. That’s because the Motorola Razr+ is running the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, while the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is expected to leverage the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — the same chip that powers the Galaxy S23 line from earlier this year, which inherently gives Samsung the edge here.

However, that doesn’t paint as complete of a picture, considering that the Razr+ handled everything we threw at it with ease in our review, despite running a processor first announced in 2022. Still, we've already seen on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered phones outmuscle Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 devices so that should continue here.

One area of opportunity for Samsung will be to boost the battery life of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 ahead of its predecessor. Given how the Motorola Razr+ still managed to stuff a larger 3,800 mAh battery into a phone with the same thinness as the Galaxy Z Flip 4, it would benefit Samsung to add at least the same capacity to the Flip 5. It would definitely help to extend its battery life, especially when the Z Flip 4 lasted 8 hours and 33 minutes on our battery test — whereas the Razr+ reached a much better 10 hours and 9 minutes.

We’ve seen how the optimizations of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 improved battery life for the Galaxy S23, so we’re expecting longer battery life with the Z Flip 5. It’ll be shocking if all of its newer hardware fails to match the Razr+’s tally.

Samsung finds itself in a good position to once again retake the foldable phone throne based on all the leaks we reported on about the Galaxy Z Flip 5. With Samsung Unpacked 2023 not too far away, we’ll know soon enough if that pan out, especially when we’re at this intriguing intersection with foldable phones in the U.S.

Samsung has long been unchallenged in the space, but as we’ve seen recently with devices like the Google Pixel Fold and Motorola Razr+, the competition is quickly covering the gap and giving consumers more choice on which foldable to buy. If Samsung’s to reassert itself as the dominant player heading into the busy fall and holiday season, it needs to set the bar high with the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Anything short of amazing could help rival phones extend their lead.

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