According to a report from the Korean website Naver, Samsung will refresh the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s design, making the display crease even more subtle than previous-gen foldable phones. To achieve this, Samsung will adopt a “droplet-style” hinge that lets the device fold completely shut with no gap between the screen’s bottom and the top section when closed. The report also mentions that Samsung patented a teardrop hinge mechanism in 2016 but didn’t utilize it until now.
According to folks over at SamMobile, this change will make the crease of Galaxy Z Fold 5’s inner panel smoother and less visible than its predecessors. Furthermore, it speculates that the company wanted to wait until it could come up with an IPX8 water resistance rating for the new display.
Besides this, leaker Ice Universe also suggests that Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will come with a new hinge and “waterproof is finally here,” indicating that the company is ready to ship a less visible crease display while keeping the components dry.
This change will help Samsung’s foldable stand out against the Motorola Razr and Oppo Find N2, as neither of these devices has any water resistance rating.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold line of smartphones is arguably among the best foldable phones in the market. The latest one, Galaxy Z Fold 4, offers pretty much everything you’d ask for from a flagship device: great build quality, excellent camera, clean software, and reliable battery life. However, Samsung still ships its foldable gears with a crease in the center — a display design flaw many have complained about since its debut. It seems like the company is finally getting things right with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, but we will have to wait until the launch for confirmation of this new hinge mechanism.