What you need to know
- A rumor about the Galaxy Z Fold 5 says the device could utilize a "waterdrop" hinge to reduce its thickness and bring about a creaseless display.
- This new hinge design would incorporate a more flat fold when the two screen halves meet, doing away with the slight gap featured on the Z Fold 4.
- Another rumor states the Z Fold 5 may receive a 108MP main camera, 64MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide angle lens.
Samsung's next iteration of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 may benefit from improvements its users have been vocal about.
According to the Korean news website Naver, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 may take advantage of a "waterdrop" shaped hinge for its display (via SamMobile). Furthermore, it's stated that Samsung named this new hinge design "dumbbell" internally. The benefit of this new design, which has already been featured on the likes of the Motorola Razr foldables and other devices, is that the two halves of the screen will lay against one another when folded.
Without the slight gap that most people have noticed, the display on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 may keep a more flawless look without the unfortunate crease. The Z Fold 4 and previous iterations of the foldable had a "U-shape" design to its hinge; this is what caused a gap when it was folded and also brought about the annoying crease.
This also makes the phone's display much more durable as you fold and unfold it throughout its lifespan.
Additionally, Samsung Display apparently showed off a prototype device using this waterdrop hinge at CES 2023 alongside the current Z Fold 4. It's evident in the comparison how this new hinge design can drastically reduce the thickness of the device.
It also looks like Samsung may keep its IPX8 water-resistant rating on the new Z Fold device, making it more attractive to potential consumers.
The rumor mill doesn't stop there, as the Vietnamese news website The Pixel reported a rumor about the Z Fold 5's potential camera upgrade (via SamMobile). Apparently, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will jump from the current 50MP on the 2022 release to a 108MP main camera.
It's then speculated the foldable may also feature a 64MP 2x optical zoom telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide angle lens. This potential camera upgrade may need to be taken with a generous pinch of salt. Samsung has already upgraded the camera strength of the Z Fold 4, and as SamMobile mentions, the Korean OEM doesn't exactly make considerable changes like this two years in a row. However, if Samsung does, it's unlikely many would complain.
Lastly, it's been floated that this next iteration of the foldable device may feature an in-body slot for the S Pen. Rumor has it that Samsung may look into bringing a slightly flatter design to the S Pen for the Z Fold 5 in an attempt to potentially keep the design as thin as the comparison photo from CES 2023.
