Which one should you buy?

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro

  The iPhone 15 Pro is the new Pro series flagship from Apple. It’s equipped with the new Apple A17 Pro chipset and 8GB of RAM. It comes in new colors, and it has an even more powerful camera setup and a refined design.

  Pros

  • Beautiful, responsive and bright display
  • Powerful A17 Pro chip with more memory
  • Great camera improvements
  • USB-C port and 30W charging

  Cons

  • The titanium finish is slippery and a fingerprint magnet
  • No 5x optical zoom like on the 15 Pro Max

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

  $1000 $1120 Save $120

  The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with a large 3.4-inch cover display, a 6.7-inch AMOLED foldable display with 120Hz refresh rate, upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, dual-12MP cameras, and much more.

  Pros

  • Beautiful and stylish design
  • Large 3.4-inch cover display
  • Great performance

  Cons

  • Slow charging
  • Small battery
  • Unchanged camera hardware

The latest iPhone 15 Pro and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 are some of the best smartphones you can buy in 2023. Both devices offer the latest and greatest processors, flagship camera sensors, long-lasting battery life, and bright and beautiful displays. If you’ve been eyeing the foldable smartphone market for a while, you might be tempted to give the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a try.

However, the ecosystem and walled garden from Apple could easily convince you to consider the latest iPhone. Whichever you choose, both of these will offer a similarly great experience with powerful processors, excellent camera setup, and overall great user experience.

We’ve made this guide to help you decide between these two smartphones, and to help you highlight some of the pros and cons of each devices, making the process of picking slightly easier. Without any further ado, let’s jump straight into it, and start with the price and availability.

• 	iPhone 15 Pro	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
  SoC	Apple A17 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  Display	6.1-inch, LTPO Super Retina XDR, OLED, 120Hz	Main Screen: 6.7-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080), Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Adaptive 120Hz Refresh Rate (1Hz~120Hz) | Outer Screen: 3.4-inch Super AMOLED Display (720×748), 60Hz Refresh Rate
  RAM	8GB	8GB
  Storage	128/256/512GB & 1TB	256GB or 512GB
  Battery	3274 mAh	3,700 mAh
  Ports	USB-C	USB-C
  Operating System	iOS 17	One UI 5.1.1 (based on Android 13)
  Front camera	12MP, f/1.9	10MP, f/2.2, 85-degree FOV
  Rear camera	Primary: 48MP, f/.8, 24mm sensor-shift OIS | Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree FOV | Telephoto: 12MP, f/2.8, 77mm, 3x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF	Primary: 12MP, f/1.8, 83-degree FOV | Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2, 123-degree FOV
  Connectivity	5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC
  Dimensions	5.77 x 2.78 x 0.33 in (146.6 x 70.6 x 8.3 mm)	Folded: 3.35 x 2.83 x .59in | Unfolded: 6.5 x 2.83 x .27in
  Colors	Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium	Mint, Graphite, Cream, Lavender | Samsung.com Exclusive: Gray, Blue, Green, Yellow
  Weight	6.60 oz (187 g)	187 grams
  Charge speed	30W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe), 7.5W wireless (Qi)	50% in 30 minutes (via 25W Adapter)
  IP Rating	IP68	IPX8

iPhone 15 Pro vs Galaxy Z Flip 5: Price & Availability

The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 in the US. For that price, you’re getting 128GB of storage, and the option to select from one of the four colors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, or Natural Titanium. You can also upgrade to the 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage tiers, although these will cost extra.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 also starts at $999 in the US, and unlike the iPhone 15 Pro, it has a base storage of 256GB, double the size of the iPhone. Users can pick up the 512GB model for an additional $120, for $1,119.99. The Flip 5 comes in four colors that are widely available at most retailers, including Mint, Graphite, Cream, and Lavender. Those who purchase device exclusively from Samsung.com will also be able to choose from Gray, Blue, Green, and Yellow colors.

Both of these devices are widely available at nearly all retailers and carriers across the US, and many providers offer incentives and promotions to get your hard-earned cash. Some offer appealing trade-in values, while others offer free services included for free of charge.

It’s worth noting that Samsung is the king of promotions, and you can nearly always find the latest Galaxy flagships for up to $300 off their retail value at select retailers. At select periods, so if you want to save more, the Galaxy might be cheaper.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Galaxy Z Flip 5: Design & Display

The iPhone 15 Pro measures 146.6 x 70.6 x 8.3 mm, while the Galaxy Flip 5 measures 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm when unfolded. Both phones are rather compact, although the iPhone is smaller, narrower, and thinner. Both phones weigh 187 grams, and they’re comfortable to hold. The Flip 5, due to the nature of the folding mechanism, can be more compact in bags and pockets.

In terms of daily use, the iPhone 15 Pro will appear smaller and more compact, making it easier for one-handed use. However, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also comfortable for as long as you don’t mind using a rather tall device. Speaking of sizes, the iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.1-inch LTPO, Super REtina XDR OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 2000 nits of peak brightness. It’s bright, colorful, and offers beautiful colors and viewing angles day or night.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with a larger 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 1750 nits of peak brightness. The cover screen is now much larger at 3.4-inches, and the Super AMOLED panel enables you to take better selfies, and use the screen for more than just checking on your notifications. You can use selected apps that allow you to get work done without having to open the device.

While the iPhone does offer slightly higher PPI (Pixel-per-Inch) density, the differences are minimal at best and you’ll have a hard time noticing a difference in terms of sharpness and detail. Both devices offer excellent colors, brightness and viewing angles, and the main question is whether you want a smaller or a larger display.

Besides the size difference, there’s not much else. Both Apple and Samsung provide AoD (Always-on Display) functionality, accurate colors, and high resolution with high refresh rate displays. The Flip 5 has a hole punch cutout in the top center of the main display, while the iPhone rocks the Dynamic Island – which is a much larger black bar that at least offers some unique features, such as displaying timers, notifications, and more.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Galaxy Z Flip 5: Camera

The camera is essential on mobile devices, especially on those that cost $999 or more. The iPhone 15 Pro doesn’t lack anything, and it packs with a more than capable camera setup, consisting of a 48MP primary sensor with f/1.8 and 24mm lens. There’s also a 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide camera with 13mm lens, and a 12MP telephoto with f/2.8 and 77mm lens. This sensor provides up to 3x optical zoom, and all cameras have PDAF autofocus.

The only feature the standard iPhone 15 Pro is missing is the more capable telephoto camera that’s featured on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but there were likely some space and cost constraints that made Apple exclusively offer it to the iPhone 15 Pro Max only.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with two cameras on the back, a 12MP, f/1.8, 24mm primary sensor, and a 12MP, f/2.2, 123-degree ultrawide camera. The primary sensor can be used to digitally zoom in, however, the detail will be lost once it’s zoomed in over 2-3x. While Samsung’s enhancements make it more than usable, it’s less than ideal, especially when compared against a physical telephoto sensor of the iPhone 15 Pro.

Needless to say, if you want to take photography to the next level, we’d recommend you keep a close eye on the iPhone 15 Pro as it offers more value for the money, however, that’s not to say the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is bad by any means. The Flip 5 takes beautiful photos, and it’s perfect if you don’t find yourself zooming in on objects frequently.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Galaxy Z Flip 5: Which should you buy?

So, which one should you pick; the iPhone 15 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5? It’s a tought question. Suppose you’re invested in the Apple ecosystem. In that case, the most obvious choice is to recommend the iPhone as you’ll feel right at home, and it’ll be able to communicate with all your Apple devices, such as your iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods & Mac.

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro

  The Best Compact iPhone in 2023

  The iPhone 15 Pro is the new Pro series flagship from Apple. It’s equipped with the new Apple A17 Pro chipset and 8GB of RAM. It comes in new colors, and it has an even more powerful camera setup and a refined design.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

  The Best Foldable Flip Phone in 2023

  The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with a large 3.4-inch cover display, a 6.7-inch AMOLED foldable display with 120Hz refresh rate, upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, dual-12MP cameras, and much more.

Apple has an excellent ecosystem and great continuity features that makes it hard to move away from, although it’s not impossible. That said, there would have to be a few sacrifices, so if you’re not ready to make to jump onto Android, you might want to consider staying.

The same could be said for Samsung users, although it’s much easier to move from a Samsung Galaxy device to another Android phone as most of the features will work, and compatibility will be a non-issue. That said, there are a few software and feature limitations, and some continuity features could break between devices.

At the end of the day, what matters is that you pick something that you’re comfortable using. We’d recommend the iPhone 15 Pro to anyone who likes the iOS and the Apple ecosystem, and those who want a phone that works seamlessly with other Apple devices, and offer excellent camera features. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is recommended for those who are ready to give the foldable form factor a chance, and take on Samsung’s unique and feature-rich experience that lets you do everything you can imagine.