iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: To Flip or Not to Flip?

Introduction

If you’re looking for a compact yet powerful phone, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 might fit the bill. It’s a clamshell foldable, just like foldable phones of the past, so it gets incredibly compact, isn’t too expensive, and when it launches in August, it should run on the latest Snapdragon chip.

Design and size

A flip phone or a compact traditional phone?

The difference in design between these two is really obvious: one is a foldable clamshell phone that packs into a neat, miniature package, while the iPhone is a relatively compact standard phone.

As obvious as it may be: this is the crucial difference between these two. Despite expectations for a much larger cover screen on the Galaxy, you still need to open it every single time for most tasks, and doing it dozens if not hundreds of times a day can quickly turn from something nice into a real chore. routine. Also, most people would have to use both hands to open the phone, which adds a bit of complexity when you’re busy doing something.

In that regard, the iPhone may not be all that innovative, but for some people, it may be the more practical form factor.

In terms of durability, we don’t have major concerns about the folding mechanism and hinge of the upcoming Galaxy Flip 5, as Samsung has already made four generations of the series, so it has certainly improved the technology and you will also get protection from water. Remember, however, that you have to be very careful with dust as it can potentially cause damage to a foldable phone.

Show differences

The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to feature a 6.1-inch screen, while the Galaxy Flip 5 will have an almost full-screen front and open to a main screen with a size of 6.7 inches and a 22-by-9 aspect. higher than the usual ratio.

It’s too soon to know more about these other than they will be OLED screens but check back here after the phones launch when we have exact display measurements which should tell us which one has the most accurate color balance and highest brightness.

For biometrics, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to rely on the familiar Face ID system, while the Galaxy will use a fingerprint scanner built into the power button on the side. Both should do a good job and it’s a matter of personal preference which one you like better.

Performance and software

Apple A17 vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Under the hood, the iPhone 15 Pro gets the new Apple A17 Bionic chip, which is the world’s first mobile chip built on the cutting-edge 3nm technology. This is a big deal as it should provide a significant boost in performance speed, but more importantly also power efficiency.

The Galaxy, on the other hand, is expected to run on Qualcomm’s latest and most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, one of the most capable processors Qualcomm has ever made. However, that one is built on 4nm technology and expectations are that it will be slightly below the performance power of the Apple chip.

We’ll know for sure closer to launch, so be sure to check back here to see our performance benchmarks and real-life tests which should better explain the exact differences.

The iPhone is also expected to run with 8GB of RAM and come with 128GB of storage for the base model, while the Galaxy is also expected to launch in a similar 8/128GB model, but Samsung may surprise consumers. users favorably with a 256GB base model, which would certainly add to the Galaxy’s value proposition.

We’re not going to get into that, but you probably already know which one you prefer. The main advantages of iOS are the overall ecosystem with cross-device features like AirDrop and the support for various popular Apple gadgets like Apple Watch and AirPods.

Android, on the other hand, has advantages like more customization options, split-screen multitasking, and a few other tricks.

As far as software updates are concerned, the iPhone guarantees at least 5 years of system updates, while Samsung promises 4 years of updates on its Galaxy phones.

Camera

The iPhone has a zoom camera

With a dual camera system on the Galaxy and three cameras on the iPhone, it’s clear the iPhone has an edge.

The third lens that the Galaxy lacks is a zoom camera, so it won’t be able to perform as well as the iPhone in this regard. Apple devices are also expected to support 2X zoom sensor cropping and thus a native 3X zoom lens.

The other two cameras are similar to each other: a main/wide shooter and an ultra-wide angle camera.

It’s too early to know the exact image quality, but history tells us that Samsung usually uses very exaggerated colors while the iPhone uses slightly less crazy hues, but both still have that typical smartphone look.

The Galaxy also supports some cool tricks like 8K video, but in fact, rumors say that Apple may also introduce 8K video recording with the iPhone 15 Pro, so we’ve yet to see that.

Audio quality and haptics

Both phones are expected to feature a dual speaker system with a bottom primary speaker and then a secondary speaker in the earpiece, but for actual speaker quality we’ll need to listen to them first and then update you.

Battery life and charging

Can a flip phone match a regular phone for battery life?

Considering that the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to maintain the overall dimensions and physical dimensions of the previous model, we have no reason to expect any major changes in battery capacity, so it is likely that it will come with a 3,200mAh battery.

The Galaxy, for its part, may have a slightly larger battery than the 3,700mAh one used in the previous Flip 4 model.

But don’t think that the Galaxy’s larger battery size automatically translates into longer battery life. In reality, the iOS ecosystem seems better optimized for energy efficiency, and we’d expect the iPhone to slightly outperform the Galaxy, especially with that new, more energy-efficient chip. But those are compact phones, keep in mind that still expect about a day of real-world battery life, not much more.

The big news for the iPhone is that it finally comes with a USB-C port for charging, the same as most other tech gadgets out there. This is fantastic news!

However, don’t expect this to mean any increase in charging speeds, and our expectations so far are that the Galaxy could beat the iPhone in charging speeds. The Galaxy Flip 5 is expected to support 25W wired charging, while the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to support 23W charging speeds.

Both support wireless charging at 10W speeds on the Galaxy, while the iPhone has 15W MagSafe, which definitely seems like the simpler wireless solution.

Specification comparison

Here are the expected specifications for iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy Z Flip 5:

Summary and final verdict

So… which one should you choose? The cute and compact Galaxy Z Flip 5 or the more traditional iPhone 15 Pro?

Of course, we have to wait for the official launch of the Galaxy Flip 5 in August and the debut of the iPhone 15 Pro in September to know the full picture, but let’s explain the main advantages of both.

The foldable Galaxy, we’d argue, doubles as a fashion statement, which some will appreciate, and gets a welcome upgrade with a front-facing screen you can actually use for many tasks. This is huge as you don’t have to open it every time. Expect other minor improvements across the board as well, with faster performance and so on.

The iPhone 15 Pro, however, seems like the best fit for those who care about the Apple ecosystem and those who want a zoom camera and great video recording. Longer software updates also give the iPhone a slight edge.

But which would you choose and why?