Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 battery life and charging speed

For years, Samsung managed to maintain a comfortable lead in the foldable smartphone market. But in 2023, rival smartphone brands like Google and OPPO have finally started to challenge this dominance. Against this backdrop, Samsung has launched its latest Galaxy Z Fold 5 with a revamped hinge, slimmer design, and faster internals. But to most people, the day-to-day usability of a smartphone matters much more than the exterior. So in this article, let’s analyze the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s charging speeds and find out how long its 4,400mAh battery will last you.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 retains the same battery capacity as last year’s Z Fold 4, which translates to a 4,400mAh battery. We’re still conducting our battery life tests for the full review, but we expect the same battery life as last year. That translates to approximately five and a half hours of screen-on time based on our review of the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Similarly, if you were hoping for a revolution in charging speeds, you might have to wait as Samsung has maintained the status quo for yet another generation. If you’re starting with a completely drained Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung says that the 25W fast charging will help achieve 50% charge in just 30 minutes. That’s the same as last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. Moreover, the phone will stop accepting maximum power at some point in the charging cycle, stretching out the total time to well beyond an hour.

On the bright side, Samsung continues to rely on the open USB Power Delivery PPS protocol for fast charging. Don’t be fooled by the Super Fast Charging moniker as it’s just Samsung’s way of saying USB PD PPS at 25W. If you already own a compatible charger from a different brand, you don’t have to buy another one. As is typically the case in the high-end smartphone market, Samsung doesn’t include an adapter in the box. We’ve rounded up a list of the best chargers for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but Samsung’s first-party 25W adapter is a good starting point.

In terms of wireless charging, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 supports a maximum of 15W via the Qi standard. Maximum power draw doesn’t mean much for wireless charging, though, as heat will affect how long it will take to top up your device.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 also supports reverse wireless charging at 4.5W. The feature can come in handy if you need to top-up your wireless earbuds or smartwatch, but it’s not practical for regular use.

We’ll test the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s charging speeds more thoroughly in our full review, but the capacity and charging power remain the same compared to last year. And based on our review of the Z Fold 4, that translates to a full charge within 85 minutes.

Even though Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra supports faster wired charging at 45W, the South Korean giant seems hesitant to push beyond 25W on the foldable. Our charging test of the S23 Ultra paired with a 45W USB PD PPS adapter found that a full charge takes just 57 minutes. So why hasn’t Samsung brought its fastest charging to the Galaxy Z Fold series yet? We’re not entirely sure, but it may have something to do with the challenging task of dissipating heat in the foldable’s narrower build.

If you forgo the cable in favor of wireless charging, expect to wait over two hours to fully charge up the Galaxy Z Fold 5. In warmer environments, the total charging time may even approach the three-hour mark. For this reason, we’d recommend looking at wireless chargers with integrated cooling fans for maximum compatibility.

Even though Samsung’s premier foldable offers some cutting-edge technology, its charging setup is decidedly average in the context of the broader smartphone market. Luckily for Samsung, the company doesn’t have much to worry about in Western markets. That’s because dominant brands like Google and Apple aren’t pushing the fast-charging envelope much either.

The Pixel Fold, for example, doesn’t stray too far from Samsung with its 21W of peak charging power. You’d have to venture into lesser-known foldables like OPPO’s Find N2 and Huawei’s Mate X2 to get 67W and 66W of charging power, respectively. Here’s a quick look at how the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s charging setup compares to other smartphones in its class.

Looking at the above table, it’s clear that Samsung’s top-of-the-line foldable could use a small bump in the charging department. The company’s own Galaxy S23 Plus can handle up to 45W, after all, which can fully charge up the battery within an hour. But overall, it’s a small nitpick in an otherwise stellar hardware package.

As for battery life, Samsung still maintains a small lead. Even though the Pixel Fold houses a larger 4,800mAh battery, its Tensor G2 SoC tends to drain the battery significantly more than the latest Snapdragon chip found in the Galaxy Z Fold 5. To that end, you can expect similar runtimes between the two phones if not a bit better on the Samsung foldable.