With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series approaching, the focus of the rumor mill is now shifting to other products further down the timeline, including the Galaxy Z Fold model. While Samsung has played it safe over the years with its Galaxy Z Fold lineup, there are now more players in the foldable space with brands like Oppo and Vivo also cashing in on devices with foldable displays. A new leak now suggests that Samsung will change the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s hinge, which should lead to other improvements – both to the phone’s overall cosmetic design and the display.
A new leak by reliable tipster Ice Univerce (@UniverseIce) points to changes in the hinge design of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. According to the source, Samsung will adopt a new “droplet” hinge design on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5. The South Korean company internally refers to the new hinge as a “dumbbell hinge”. While it sounds unique, the tipster points out that all other smartphone brands have recently moved to the new waterdrop hinge design and Samsung would be the last to adopt the same. The source also states that when the next Galaxy Z Fold launches, it would be the first time we’d see a waterdrop hinge that’s also waterproof, suggesting an IPX8 rating.
More recently launched devices such as the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, the Vivo X Fold+ and the Oppo Find N2 have used the new drop or waterdrop hinge. The new design means that the screen takes up more space in the hinge, leading to less creasing. This hinge design also allows both halves of the device to lie flat against each other (with no gaps) when folded, preventing dust and debris from entering the inner screen.
While most manufacturers have adopted this hinge, they have done so without an official IP rating. It’ll be interesting to see how Samsung handles providing this feature, which has been standard on recent Galaxy foldables. Samsung’s most recent Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 have an IPX8 rating, which means they’re adequately protected against water, but not against dust.
A recent report also revealed that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have a standard S-Pen stylus holder, which could also be why it is expected to be thicker (6.5mm unfolded) and heavier (275 grams) than previous models. The upcoming device is also said to feature a previously unheard-of Qualcomm Snapdragon 985 5G SoC which, according to GizmoChina, has yet to be announced. The chip maker has yet to share details about this particular processor, which also has a strange naming convention considering Qualcomm’s recent SoCs. The same report also states that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 was more likely to ship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 processor. However, there’s been no official word from Samsung on this, so the information should be taken with a grain of salt.
Source link
