Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Rumoured to Get a Redesigned Hinge With Water Resistance: All Details

The redesigned hinge should lead to a lighter or less visible crease on the inner foldable display.

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 16 January 2023 14:34 IST

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Rumoured to Get a Redesigned Hinge With Water Resistance: All Details

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 was launched in India from Rs. 1,54,999

Highlights

The Galaxy Z Fold has received minor upgrades to its hinge over the years
The new hinge should also bring about design improvements
The Galaxy Z Fold 5’s redesigned hinge is said to use a ‘droplet’ design

As the Samsung Galaxy S23 series nears its launch, the rumour mill's focus is now shifting to other products further down the timeline, which includes the Galaxy Z Fold model. While Samsung has played it safe with its Galaxy Z Fold lineup over the years, there's now more players in the foldable space with brands like Oppo and Vivo cashing in on devices with folding displays as well. A new leak now hints that Samsung will change the design of Galaxy Z Fold 5's hinge, which should lead to other improvements — both for the phone's overall cosmetic design and its display.

A new leak by reliable tipster Ice Univerce (@UniverseIce) points to changes to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5's hinge design. According to the source, Samsung will adopt a new ‘droplet' hinge design on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5. The South Korean company internally refers to the new hinge as a “dumbbell hinge”. While it sounds unique, the tipster points out that all other smartphone brands have switched to the new water drop hinge design lately and that Samsung would be the last one to adopt the same. The source also states that when the next Galaxy Z Fold is launched, it would be the first time we would be seeing a water drop hinge that is also waterproof, hinting at an IPX8 rating.

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More recently launched devices like the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, the Vivo X Fold+, and the Oppo Find N2 have utilised the new droplet or water drop hinge. The new design allows the display to occupy a larger space within the hinge, which leads to less creasing. This hinge design also lets both halves of the device sit flat against each other (with no gaps) when folded, which prevents dust and dirt from entering the inner display.

While most manufacturers have adopted this hinge, they have done so without an official IP rating. It will be interesting to see how Samsung goes about delivering this feature, which has been a standard on recent Galaxy foldables. Samsung's most recent Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 have an IPX8 rating, meaning that they are sufficiently protected from water but not dust.

Vivo X Flip Leaked Mockup Reveals Design and Display Details

A recent report also revealed that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will feature a standard S-Pen stylus holder, which could also be the reason why it's expected to be thicker (6.5mm when unfolded) and heavier (275 grams) than previous models. The upcoming device is also said to pack a previously unheard of Qualcomm Snapdragon 985 5G SoC, which, according to GizmoChina, is yet to be announced. The chip manufacturer has not yet shared any details regarding this particular processor, which also has an odd naming convention, keeping in mind Qualcomm's recent SoCs. The same report also states that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 was earlier set to arrive with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 processor instead. There is, however, no official word from Samsung on the same, and hence, the information should be taken with a pinch of salt.

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Xiaomi Mix Fold 2

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display (Primary) 8.02-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

Front Camera 20-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 13-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 4500mAh

OS Android

Resolution 2160x1914 pixels

More Xiaomi mobiles Xiaomi mobiles price in India

Vivo X Fold+

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display (Primary) 8.03-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

Front Camera 16-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 4730mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1916x2160 pixels

More Vivo mobiles Vivo 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

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good build quality, IPX8 rated
Software optimised for multitasking
Very good system and gaming performance
All-day battery life
Improved main, telephoto cameras

Bad
Still a bit bulky when folded
Expensive

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review

Display (Primary) 7.60-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

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 12L

Resolution 2176x1812 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Vibrant folding display
Excellent build quality
Compact when folded
Top-tier performance
Water-resistant design

Bad
Cover screen functionality is still limited

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review

Display (Primary) 6.70-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

Front Camera 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 3700mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2640 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Specifications

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