Galaxy Fold 5 Leak Shows Samsung's Next Foldable Fixing Its Worst Flaw

Rumors of significant design changes headed for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 have swirled around. Reliable leakster OnLeaks has now shared what looks like official product renders and dimensions of the upcoming Samsung foldable, according to SmartPrix. While the core design remains almost identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 down to the camera island, the biggest change appears to be the hinge design and the overall thickness of the device.

Samsung's current-gen flagship is up to 15.8mm across in its folded state, and using it one-handed is quite an exercise in itself. But according to the leak, Samsung has managed to trim the thickness down to 13.4mm, which is a notable achievement when it comes to the delicate engineering of a foldable phone. Samsung won't be the lone warrior in the game though, as the likes of Xiaomi and Huawei already offer foldable phones with a slimmer profile.

[Exclusive] Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 First Look in 360 Video and stunning 5K renders https://t.co/fYmDVZZH4i#Samsung #GalaxyZFold5 #firstlook #LEAKS

— Smartprix (@Smartprix) April 29, 2023

While a slimmer phone may be a relief from an ergonomics standpoint, it also comes at a cost. Foldable phones are already running short of internal space, and further cutting down on the thickness only reduces the breathing room inside for battery and thermal management hardware. Leaks suggest the two batteries inside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 might be easily replaceable, but there is no concrete information regarding a bump in the raw battery capacity.

The biggest takeaway from this latest leak is that of the redesigned hinge hardware on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Thanks to the reimagined mechanism, the two halves of the device will likely sit flush with each other if the renders are accurate. This will ensure that there is no gap between each half of the phone. Rumored to follow the teardrop or waterdrop design with the hinge, the tweak is a meaningful upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which left a V-shaped gap when the phone was closed. This gap was a major worry as it allowed liquid and solid particles to creep into the gap, leaving it vulnerable to physical damage, namely the fragile inner foldable screen as well the hinge parts underneath.

Samsung charges an arm and leg to replace the foldable OLED panel on its foldable phones, so it should come as a huge relief for buyers that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 would offer significant protection from physical damage due to the open gap. Samsung is expected to use the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen SoC from Qualcomm for its next foldable, and there's also chatter about a main camera upgrade that will also allow 8K video capture. The company is reportedly eyeing vibration motor upgrades, too, alongside an improved under-display camera and a display crease that is less noticeable to the naked eye.