Galaxy Z Fold 5 teardown reveals the new Flex hinge and the shock dispersion layer

In Zack Wilson's world, everything that is put together eventually gets taken apart. For Wilson, the founder and host of the popular JerryRigEverything YouTube videos, it was time to dissect the two-week-old Galaxy Z Fold 5. Right off the bat, Wilson pointed out two new features that he was going to be looking for. The new Flex hinge, which allows the device to close flat, and the shock dispersion layer under the internal display, which is designed to improve the durability of the device.

Nelson mentions how difficult the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is to take apart, some of which he blames on the design of the foldable. Replacing the screen might be easy to accomplish, Nelson noted, but at the cost of permanently damaging the current display. It certainly didn't look like something that non-professionals should try at home.

Once the screen was removed, Zack showed us the gold-colored digitizer for the S Pen. The vertical lines on the digitizer can "sense" the copper coils in the S Pen's tip allowing the user to draw accurately on the display. Meanwhile, after several attempts at playing "Are you the shock dispersion layer?" it appears to be a piece of black foam with circular cutouts that Nelson had initially dismissed when he removed the internal screen. 

While admitting that finding this new protective layer was anti-climatic, he did say that any protection is good protection. He also said that it is now obvious why Sammy doesn't talk about it too much; it isn't "all that cool." Removing the wireless charging pad revealed the blue Samsung pull tab on one of the two batteries. Pulling the tab worked to remove the cell from the phone using no chemicals or alcohol. All that was required was some brute strength. Wilson repeated the feat with the second battery.

The Flex hinge is divided into three parts, upper, middle, and lower segments, and Zack explains that the folding resistance offered by the hinge is courtesy of four springs that "compress and pinch as the rest of the hinge moves closed."

Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5. If you're unsure which premium Galaxy phone to buy, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 or the Galaxy S23 Ultra, we have a video for that, too.