We should see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 around mid-year, and the new leaks give us an idea of the kind of design improvements we can expect over the 2022 versions of these foldable devices.
The prolific Ice Universe punter hit the Chinese social network Weibo (opens in a new tab) (By Android police (opens in a new tab)) i Twitter (opens in a new tab) (By Check the notebook (opens in a new tab)) to confirm that both phones will accept waterdrop hinges – basically the two sides will lay flat against each other when folded (a closed hinge looks like a waterdrop from the side).
In the case of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, this apparently reduced the thickness of the device by a few millimeters compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – specifically, we’re talking about a maximum thickness of around 13mm compared to 16mm. For now, we do not know the dimensions of the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Confirmation: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5 will feature waterdrop hinges and support IPX8 waterproofing.February 24, 2023
Waterproofing too
Besides looking a bit nicer, the switch to a waterdrop hinge should make foldable products more reliable and durable. The technology is already in use in some phones from Chinese manufacturers, so it has been tested in the wild.
This type of hinge usually comes at the expense of water resistance, but according to this source, that won’t be the case here – apparently the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 will be able to survive being submerged to a certain depth for a period of time.
It is worth remembering that these rumors have appeared before, so this is not completely new information. However, repeating it from a tipster who is right more often means that we are now more likely to take it seriously.
Analysis: We’ve come a long way
It’s to Samsung’s credit that we’re now at a stage where the durability of foldable phones isn’t really an issue. Over the years, its foldable phones have become more reliable, and it looks like that trend will continue with this year’s pair of phones.
Okay, these foldable phones are still very expensive – but that’s to be expected given the complicated technology involved. Hopefully, these prices will come down over time as manufacturing processes improve.
This will of course also attract more competitors. There are rumors of the existence of a foldable iPhone, while the Google Pixel Fold could come out even earlier, possibly even this year.
These new entrants will have Samsung to compete with, and Samsung has a five-year lead when it comes to foldable devices. With the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, we’ll see how far they can go before Apple and Google catch up.