We test every phone in real-world conditions, focusing on features, design, performance, cameras, battery life, and overall value. We document our findings in an initial review, which is updated periodically as new software updates become available or to compare with new phones from competitors like Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 basically has the same camera hardware as the Z Flip 4. But the new chip brings some improvements to image processing.
Photo
Photography is the main focus of most phones these days, so we take photos and videos of various subjects in a wide variety of conditions and lighting scenarios. We'll try out any of the new camera modes, like ProRes Log video, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, or the Magic Editor photo editing tool introduced on the Google Pixel 8 series.
Battery life
Battery testing is carried out in various ways. We evaluate how long the phone lasts during a typical day of use, and note how it performs during more focused sessions of video calling, streaming media, and gaming. We also run a video playback test as a simple and repeatable measure of pure battery life, which isn't always included in the initial review but is sometimes added later in an update.
Performance measurement
We use benchmarking apps to measure each phone's performance, as well as our own experience using the phone for our review. What's most notable is the way the graphics and animation look. Are they smooth? Or do they lag or stutter? We'll also look at how quickly the phone switches between landscape and portrait orientation, as well as how quickly the camera app opens and is ready to take a photo.
Emergency SOS may be one of the most important features to come to any phone this year.
We handle resource-intensive tasks such as photo editing, video exporting, and gaming. We evaluate whether a new version of a particular phone includes enough features to warrant an upgrade from older models.
Read more: How we test phones
