What you need to know
- Leaked Galaxy Z Fold 5 dummy unit photos showcase a very minimalistic external change as its camera flash shifts to the top of the camera array.
- The photos showcase the display's (still) very noticeable display crease despite a new hinge.
- Samsung's Unpacked event will take place on July 26 at 7 am ET.
Dummy units for Samsung's next book-style foldable have leaked and don't exactly get us too excited about the design.
Photos of the Galaxy Z Fold 5's dummy units were leaked by Ice Universe on the Chinese social platform Weibo (via GSMArena). The early-on units showcase the Fold 5 in white and black colorways. Aside from the placement change of the camera flash, not much has changed visually on the back of the device.
It looks like the Fold 5's flash will be nestled directly beside the top of the vertical triple camera array.
The internal display does seem to show quite a noticeable crease which is something many have hoped would be minimized on the upcoming device.
Although, we're not too surprised by the look of the dummy units. A few Galaxy Z Fold 5 renders leaked a few months back and already hadn't shown signs of much external change. Further cementing the fact that Samsung has been more interested in bringing in some internal change for the device that could bear more weight while also making the device thinner and lighter.
A couple of those changes aren't made perfectly clear through the leaked images, which only show certain angles of the phone. However, Samsung has worked on a new waterdrop hinge for its Fold 5, and during initial testing, it was expected that the new hinge could handle upwards of 300,000 folds while also removing the unsightly gap when closed.
Moreover, Samsung's new hinge was also expected to result in a less visible display crease. Unfortunately, given the state of the dummy units' internal display, it doesn't seem like the crease will be drastically reduced.
Leaked images of the Fold 5's dummy units come just days after the Galaxy Z Flip 5 units popped up online. The photos, unfortunately, showed a prominent gap in the device while folded, an aspect of the design we expect (read: hope) will be absent when it launches later this month.
However, while we did not see the dummy units from the bottom, it looks like that may not be the case for the Fold, at least according to a now-deleted image from leaker Roland Quandt showing virtually no gap when the phone is closed:
Fortunately, we're only two weeks out from Samsung's Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea, on July 26 at 7 am ET. At that time, we should learn all we need to about the design and other improvements in store for the Fold 5 and Flip 5, including just how accurate these dummy units are. If you're interested, the company has opened reservations on its new devices, which can save consumers $50.
