The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is arguably the best foldable smartphone released in 2022, as it offers a great balance of build quality, cameras, software, and battery life. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. The company needs to fix a design flaw that can bring it closer to the recently released foldable phones from Chinese firms, and it is doing just that with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
According to a report from the Korean publication Naver, Samsung has used a waterdrop-shaped hinge in the Galaxy Z Fold 5. It means that the South Korean firm’s next flagship foldable smartphone will be able to fold completely flat, with no gap between the two halves of the phone when it’s folded. Moreover, the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s inner screen will have a smoother and less visible crease. This is something that Galaxy Z Fold fans have been asking for at least a couple of years now.
However, unlike rival Chinese smartphone firms, Samsung will not leave out the IPX8 rating for water resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be close to perfect in design and experience, featuring a perfectly flat folding design and water resistance. The only thing stopping it from being perfect would be the lack of dust resistance.
The report states that Samsung is calling its new hinge design ‘dumbbell,’ and the company patented this design back in 2016. However, it didn’t bring the design for reasons unknown (probably due to lack of IPX8 rating?). Thanks to this new dumbbell-shaped hinge, it is reported that the durability of the screen has improved as well, and it will be able to withstand more folding and unfolding actions over its lifetime.