What you need to know
- Samsung is likely to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 5 during the second half of the year.
- The phone will reportedly use a new waterdrop hinge design to provide a thinner design.
- Samsung is said to have begun testing the hinge to withstand 200,000 folds.
Samsung is currently riding high on its latest flagship launch, but rumors of its next flagships are already invading our mind space. With the Galaxy Z Fold 5 set to launch in the second half of the year, the latest report claims Samsung is already putting its new design to the test.
According to The Elec, Samsung is preparing to put its new hinge design through a durability test. The report indicates that Samsung is "expected to carry out a folding test of 200,000 basic times and a limit of 300,000 times over the next month." Testing is said to start this week.
Being able to withstand 200,000 folds seems fairly standard for foldables now, and it's the same threshold Samsung put on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Some foldables from OPPO and Xiaomi have been tested to withstand even more folds — as much as 400,000 — but even the lower number should be enough to last several years, barring other wear and tear.
While the 200,000 figure hasn't changed for Samsung over the past couple of generations, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to sport a different hinge design than Samsung is used to. Rumors indicate the company will adopt a new waterdrop hinge design, something most other foldable phones have already implemented. This should result in a less visible crease and help Samsung achieve a thinner design with a phone that can fully close when folded without a visible gap.
Samsung Display demonstrated these benefits in a CES 2023, showing a phone that could fold both inwards and outwards. This has led many to speculate that Samsung wants to switch things up a bit this year with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
According to The Elec, the new hinge design may also allow Samsung to adopt a single digitizer into the phone instead of two separate ones, and the company plans to test the reliability of this new approach.
Unfortunately, that change may also come with a compromise — yet another year without a built-in S Pen. Samsung has been selling the accessory separately, but many believe the company should adopt the Galaxy Note-style S Pen housing to fully take advantage of the screen real estate. Maybe we'll have better luck with the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 sets the standard for foldable phones, thanks to its durable, water-resistant design, fantastic displays, and optimizes software. It also supports S Pen input for better productivity when using the large internal display.
