Samsung Could Use Galaxy Z Fold 5’s Waterdrop Hinge Design for Foldable Notebooks: Details

The hinge design will let Samsung compete with LG and HP’s foldable products in the same space.

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 10 October 2023 13:34 IST

Samsung Could Use Galaxy Z Fold 5’s Waterdrop Hinge Design for Foldable Notebooks: Details

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 introduced its version of the waterdrop hinge.

Highlights

The new hinge can enable a foldable form factor for its Galaxy notebooks
The new hinge design should make the Galaxy Book lighter
OLED panels for its foldable note could come from Samsung Display or BOE

Providing benefits like improved longevity and a less visible centre crease, the new waterdrop hinge design has grown popular among smartphone manufacturers looking to introduce the next generation of foldable smartphones. More recently, Samsung too joined several Chinese brands when it introduced its new foldable lineup for the year with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Indeed, every manufacturer uses different components to achieve the same effect. It now appears that Samsung is ready to apply the same design principles to its Galaxy Book lineup as well.

According to Korean publication TheElec, Samsung was considering applying its waterdrop hinge design from its new foldables to a bigger device. The source claims that a foldable notebook could be launched as soon as next year. For this particular foldable notebook, the waterdrop hinge would replace the regular hinge commonly found on regular notebooks from the company and other manufacturers. While the waterdrop hinge design suits the foldable display design perfectly, it also makes the whole unit lighter as well. However, the benefits end there as a waterdrop hinge reportedly also makes the notebook thicker compared to those with a regular hinge.

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As per the same source, both LG and HP are also looking to make their U-shaped hinges lighter than the ones used on existing foldable notebook models. Samsung reportedly wanted to launch a foldable notebook last year itself, but held back on its decision “due to low consumer demand”. The electronics giant had also considered roping in either Samsung Display or BOE for its folding notebook's OLED panels. For now, the brand intends to bring this bigger foldable form factor to the market in the second half of next year.

Until the launch of its Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung had been using its older V-shaped hinge design, which resulted in a deeper and more evident crease in the centre of its folding display. Samsung's new waterdrop hinge design holds the phone's main display in a safer U-shape (as opposed to the earlier V-shape) position. It also makes the handset more durable when it comes to withstanding drops, which can otherwise easily damage the internal gears leading to a failure with opening the main display altogether.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review: Covering the Basics

Before Samsung, the waterdrop hinge has been used on a number of foldable devices by various manufacturers. This includes the Oppo Find N2, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, Xiaomi's Mi Mix Fold 2, and others. However, Samsung is the only manufacturer to offer an IPX8 rating with its foldables, which currently stands as the highest rating for water resistance among similar devices.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good build quality, IPX8 rated
Well-optimised software
Very good system and gaming performance
All-day battery life
Reliable cameras

Bad
Expensive
Still feels bulky

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review

Display (Primary) 7.60-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Front Camera 10-megapixel + 4-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Battery Capacity 4400mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 2176x1812 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Vibrant displays, folding display is durable
Compact design when folded
Top-tier performance
Fast wireless charging for a foldable
Water-resistant design
Good quality primary camera

Bad
Cover screen functionality is limited
Battery barely lasts a day
Relatively slow wired charging
No macro camera

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review

Display (Primary) 6.70-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Front Camera 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 3700mAh

OS Android 13

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Oppo Find N2

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display (Primary) 7.60-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 4520mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 1792x1920 pixels

More Oppo mobiles Oppo mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Book, Samsung Galaxy Book Design, Samsung Galaxy Book Foldable, Waterdrop Hinge

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More