


Update on the modded Galaxy Z Flip 5 TV box: what held up and what didn't
Two months ago I posted about a Galaxy Z Flip 5 I imported from China — the kind where a shop pulls the phone out of its original shell and rebuilds it inside a 3D-printed case with extra ports and fans. No battery, runs off USB-C only, interface locked to landscape, around 250g. It's been my TV box since then.
A few people asked me to report back, so here it is, including the parts that annoy me.
The setup
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 512GB, One UI 7 with updates disabled. Plugged into the TV over USB-C to HDMI. Around $180 landed including import tax — the factory price was about $90 before the shipping agent and duties.
What's held up
I've tried PS2, NES and Game Boy emulation. I'm nowhere near a demanding user, so I haven't run into much stuttering. No random reboots either, and the system itself has never felt sluggish.
It stays plugged in basically 24/7. It warms up a bit under load, but nothing that's worried me — I think the fans are doing a decent job in there.
Every time I've powered it off and back on, the interface came back exactly as I left it, still locked to landscape. Installing APKs and games has been dead simple with LocalSend and ZArchiver.
What hasn't
The experience isn't seamless the way a dedicated system like Google TV or Android TV is.
Since this isn't a purpose-built streaming box but a converted phone, anyone who's a perfectionist about this stuff will probably feel it. For me those details fade once you factor in what the hardware actually does.
A few apps show a small black bar down the side of the screen.
I'm already used to modding things, so none of it struck me as a real problem — you just have to know how to adapt a phone for TV use.
Heat
It's hit 113°F (45°C) at times, but it never shut itself down or rebooted on me.
At that point it's worth having some airflow across it, just to stop the heat from building up in one spot.
Would I do it again
For what I paid, in my country I could get an S21 or S22 Ultra with a broken screen — both with weaker chips.
Or a Google TV Streamer, which would give me actual Google TV but lose around 10x in processing power.
I don't care that much about polish, so I go with function. I'll take raw power over a clean integrated experience.