Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 leak shows hinge redesign – here's why we 'flat out' like it

Oh, Samsung, you flat-ter us with the gapless design we've been asking for

We pretty much know the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 launch is July 26, as the next Samsung Unpacked event is on that date in Korea. In the meantime, we’re getting an up-close look at its design thanks to newly leaked photos of the foldable phone.

Image credit: Ahmed Qwaider

The hinge is the point of focus in these leaks. We’ve heard previous rumors suggesting that both the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 will fold flatter than their predecessors thanks to a redesigned hinge, and these photos of the Fold 5 courtesy of Twitter leaker Ahmed Qwaider (which have been taken down) seem to confirm that info.

The Shortcut Skinny: Samsung closes the gap

• 👀 The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has surfaced in real-life images on Twitter

• 📕 Its hinge appears to fold flatter than the Z Fold 4 like a book

• 🇰🇷 Launch date: July 26 in South Korea

The photos show off both the top and bottom of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, giving us a good idea of how flat the new hinge will fold. It doesn’t appear that the Fold 5 will have a gap at all between the two halves of its reported 7.6-inch screen. It’s all thanks to a new waterdrop-style hinge that flexes the display into the shape of a drop of water, allowing it to fold flatter and reduce the crease in the middle.

We’ve seen this style of hinge on foldable phones before, namely the Motorola Razr+ and Oppo Find N2 Flip. It’s a bit of a rarity on book-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold, and it’ll be interesting to see how big of an impact it has on durability and longevity with the Z Fold 5. The device is rumored to receive an IP58 rating thanks to the new hinge, so it could lead to major improvements for dust protection as a result.

Other features the leaked photos suggest are pretty ordinary, but worth mentioning nonetheless. There’s a USB-C port on the bottom with a few antenna lines, microphones on the top and bottom, and speaker grilles for stereo separation.

A third photo shows the back of the Z Fold 5 and its camera system, which is expected to remain similar to the Z Fold 4 with a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto. The only visual difference is the LED flash, which has been moved from below the cameras to the right side.

Other rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs

Previous rumors indicate Samsung will include a 6.2-inch 120Hz cover screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to pair with the 7.6-inch internal display. There will be a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on the inside, along with 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and a 4,400mAh battery.

We don’t have much longer until Samsung takes the wraps off the Z Fold 5 and smaller but equally as fun Z Flip 5. Keep it locked to The Shortcut for updates leading up to Unpacked later this month in Korea.