Samsung recently launched the new Galaxy Z Flip5, the latest in the flip part of its foldable series. The latest generation of the Z Flip comes with a number of upgrades. These include generational upgrades like a new, more powerful processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 paired with lots of RAM and storage, improved camera quality and battery life (in terms of performance, as the numbers remain the same) and an upgraded OS. There is, however, one new feature – Samsung has introduced a much bigger cover display on the new Galaxy Z Flip5. The device comes with a bigger 3.4-inch Super AMOLED display as compared to the smaller 1.9-inch one on the Galaxy Z Flip4. This is truly the biggest change in a Galaxy Z Flip since the first Galaxy Z Flip came around. 
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Living on the Flex Window Edge for a day!
While the main display on Galaxy Z Flip5 is very good (6.7 inches FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X), it is the cover display that actually gives the phone a very distinct appearance. At 3.4 inches, it is actually only 0.1 inches smaller than the display on the original iPhone, although more square in shape than rectangular. What’s more, it even has a higher resolution at 720 x 748 as compared to 480 x 320 on the OG iPhone. In simple terms, you actually have a lot of display real estate on the Z Flip5 even without opening it. Samsung has also thrown in a lot of features on this display, which it calls Flex Window, so much so that you can do a lot on the device without needing to flip it open. It is not just a large notification area that its predecessor was on Z Flip4, and gives one access to a lot of the phone’s functions and features even when it is shut.
But can one actually survive an entire day with the Galaxy Z Flip5 without opening the phone and relying entirely on the Flex Window? Well, we tried to do exactly that. We kept the Flip5 Unflipped for an entire day. 
You can make and receive calls smoothly…but be ready for the world to hear
We knew the task we were undertaking could be an uphill one as the Z Flip5 is not designed to be used while flipped shut. Still, we were hoping that the view from the top (or rather the Flex Window) would be worth it. As expected, we faced quite a few hurdles in this folded journey, starting with the most basic thing that a phone is supposed to handle– calls.
The problem with taking calls with the Galaxy Z Flip5 folded is that you have to be ready for the rest of the world to hear your conversations because you can only take calls on speakerphone. There is a way around – if you have a pair of Bluetooth earphones paired with the phone, you can transfer the call to them. We took the first few calls on speaker, which was quick and easy, but then soon switched to earphones to keep our conversations from the world. Thankfully a pair of earphones do not take long to connect, but we did panic a few times when we could not immediately find them (they are not always in our ears). We had to take the call, scream at the caller to wait for a second (you do need to speak a little louder for the speakerphone), put the earphones into our ears and then finally talk. Too much hassle to take a call? It often was. Perhaps some sort of different speaker arrangement on the next Flip as a special Flex Window calling mode would help.
Messaging is fine, but keep media attachments out
Next up were notifications. We could see notifications popping up on the Flex Window quite comfortably. It is a major step up from the now seemingly tiny display that we got on the Galaxy Z Flip4. We could not only easily read and manage notifications from the cover display itself, but also read and send replies to messages, including direct messages from social media sites. These would pop open in a small window. While it takes some time to get the hang of the keyboard on the Flex Window, one can get used to it with some effort. It can be a little difficult to type out long replies, though.
While text is fine, whenever our friends sent us a picture or shared a video, we had to ignore it. That Flex Window just cannot handle media shared on social media platforms. This “mainly text and no media” approach might give some very text-heavy BlackBerry feels but then this is not the BlackBerry age. If you end up getting a lot of media on your phone, be ready to flip it open. Similar is the case with mail. You can view the mail you get notifications for on the Flex Window but cannot respond to it and neither can you see the attachments, if any.
Great app experience, but limited apps (relax, Netflix is there)
Samsung allows you to access limited apps like Google Maps, Netflix, YouTube and Messages from the cover screen but you have to turn this feature on in Settings as it is not turned on by default. With this feature turned on, you can add a screen dedicated to these apps on the secondary display amongst all the widgets and honestly, they work pretty well. It may be a tiny display but it is a good one. And while binge-watching Netflix on it is not suggested in any way, knowing that you have the option makes it a plus point. A point to be noted is that at the time of writing, you cannot access all the apps that you have on your phone from the Flex Window itself. You can only access notifications and respond to those notifications. You can use Samsung’s Good Lock app to run apps on the Flex Window, if you are very keen on having access to all apps, but the experience can be a little mixed as the apps are not optimised for the cover screen. We hope Samsung expands the list of apps that ran run smoothly on that Flex Window in the coming days. 
Super selfies!
Flipped shut, the Galaxy Flip Z5 becomes a super selfie camera. You can use the 12-megapixel main sensor with OIS and 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor to take some great selfies and to record 4K videos. You get three modes while using the cover display– Portrait, Photo and Video. You can tweak a few settings too if you wish, and after taking a snap, you can add it to Favourites or delete it. Taking pictures of other subjects, however, can be a challenge. In its folded form, both the cameras of the Galaxy Z Flip5 and its Flex Display are on the same side, so if you wish to snap something in front of you, you will have to do so without the benefit of any viewfinder whatsoever – literally shooting blind. You might be able to figure out how to do it in due course, but we just ended up with some really odd pictures.
This Window is quite a Flex, but the internal display need not worry
So how long can you survive without opening the Galaxy Z Flip5, and can that large, bright cover display/ Flex Window act as a main display? Well, after keeping the Galaxy Z Flip5 flipped shut for almost a day, we realised that while Samsung has added a lot of functionality to the Flex Window, it still cannot be a real substitute for the primary one. Yes, it allows one to do quite a lot but it still keeps quite a bit away from you too. The experience of using the phone shut was an interesting one, but we kept being tempted to flip the Flip open, not because it looks cool (well, it does!) but because it seemed way easier to use the larger display. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5’s Flex Window is an impressive effort, but is unlikely to put the larger internal display out of the “main display” job role. That said, it is clear that Samsung is clearly Flex-ing some serious external display muscle. We can see a lot of folks Flip-ping for it, especially as more functionality is added to it.
