Word on the street is that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 could be getting a major design change that could make that crease a lot less noticeable. According to a report from Naver, Samsung might be switching to a “droplet” hinge that allows the display to form a teardrop shape when closed, resulting in a smoother curve and less crease. Now, Samsung has made some improvements to the crease on their foldables over the years, but it’s still pretty obvious on the latest models. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 both use a “U” shaped hinge that puts the display at a sharper angle when closed, which creates a more prominent crease and puts more stress on the display.
But it looks like Samsung might be taking a page out of Oppo and Motorola’s book, as both the Find N2 and the new Razr have already made the switch to a droplet hinge and it’s working out great for them.
Samsung actually patented a teardrop hinge way back in 2016, but we don’t know why they haven’t decided to use it until now. Some Samsung experts think that Samsung might have been waiting to bring an IPX8 water resistance rating to the new display, which they first introduced on their third-gen folding devices in 2021. This could give Samsung’s folding phones an edge over the competition like Oppo’s Find N2 and the Motorola Razr, which aren’t rated for water resistance.
But that’s not all, Naver also reports that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 design could make both halves of the display sit flat against each other when the phone’s closed, unlike previous generations of the Z Fold that leave a small gap. This should make the device a little bit easier to fit in your pocket.
As for the Z Flip 5, it’s still unclear whether Samsung will be bringing the droplet-style hinge to that device, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out, as Samsung is expected to reveal the new folding phones in August. But don’t worry, we’ve got next month’s Galaxy Unpacked event to look forward to, where the company will likely unveil the Galaxy S23.
