Galaxy Z Fold 5 hinge might not solve the biggest problem that plagues Fold 4
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is wildly rumored to feature a new waterdrop hinge but it might not noticeably address one of the Fold 4's biggest flaws.
Will the Fold 5 have a crease?
This is a question as old as foldables themselves. Samsung's foldable phones are the biggest offenders when it comes to the notorious screen crease. Chinese phone makers like Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo have greatly minimized the crease, though it has not been completely eliminated. Even the Google Pixel Fold's big crease is less noticeable than the Fold 4's.
Samsung was more committed to durability than a smooth screen. But rumors said it had developed a hinge that would minimize the screen wrinkle without impacting durability. A recent leak claimed that the waterdrop hinge would impact the free stop function that allows Samsung's foldable phones to be set at different angles, such as an L shape for using them like mini laptops.
Trusted leaker Ice Universe says that even though the Fold 5 uses a water drop hinge, the crease on the main screen is still a lot more obvious compared to Chinese foldable phones.
The tipster says the prominence of the crease has only decreased by a paltry 15 percent and so small is the difference that at first, they mistook the Fold 5 for the Fold 4.
Although the crease is not necessarily a deal breaker for everyone and does fade into the background when you stop obsessing over it, it's still disappointing to know that even a new hinge design could not make the Fold 5 less wrinkly. And the screen crease gets worse with time, so this is not really a non-issue and the dent also gives the phones an unpolished feel.
There is no concrete information on whether the new hinge will help narrow the gap between the two halves when the phone is folded.
It's not all bad news though. For starters, the Fold 5 is likely to offer dust resistance, which would make it the second foldable phone that's both water and dust resistant. The device is also tipped to be a little lighter than the Fold 4, which is amongst the best foldable phones around despite its slightly textured screen. It will probably be powered by the custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip.
Samsung has confirmed that the phone will be announced in July.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: