Samsung may not use Chinese foldable panels for Galaxy Z Fold 5

Samsung hasn't changed the hinge design for the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series since the past few years but that may finally happen in 2023. A recent report claimed that Samsung is going to use a teardrop/waterdrop hinge design for the 2023 foldables.

A previous rumor had claimed that perhaps Samsung might start buying foldable display panels from China-based BOE. An industry insider claims that's not happening, and that Samsung will be making these panels for its upcoming foldables.

Galaxy Z Fold 5, Flip 5 to feature panels made by Samsung

A teardrop hinge design will contribute to making the devices significantly slimmer. It would also make the crease less visible. If this report is anything to go by, this year's foldables will bring one of the biggest changes for the series yet.

Samsung has reportedly decided to go with the teardrop hinge design for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 due later this year. Others like Xiaomi and Huawei have already used similar designs for their foldable phones.

This isn't surprising. A Galaxy Z Fold 5 prototype with a teardrop hinge was spotted at CES 2023 last month, as seen in the image above. When compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 which has a U-shape hinge, the prototype was visibly slimmer, appearing to be almost half the thickness.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Samsung has decided not to put an S Pen slot inside the Galaxy Z Fold 5. If this report is accurate, it's evident that the company's focus is on making its foldable phones thinner in 2023. This reduction in heft should also lead to lighter device, making it easier to use the new phones, particularly the Galaxy Z Fold 5, as a daily driver.

It's also claimed that the new foldables will have an IPX8 waterproof rating, an improvement over the current IPX7 rating. An IPX7 rating indicates that the device can work normally after it's submerged in up to 1m depth of fresh water for 30 minutes. IPX8 bumps that up to 3m depth and more than 30 minutes.

DSCC's Ross Young also highlights that Samsung will be making the foldable display panels for the new devices. It was previously rumored that perhaps Samsung might start buying these panels from China's BOE, which supplies foldable panels to other manufacturers. That doesn't seem to be happening just yet for Samsung's lineup.

None of this has obviously been confirmed by Samsung at this point in time so take it with a grain of salt. The company isn't going to start talking about the new foldable phones before the second half of this year. By then, there will have been a lot more rumors and leaks telling us what to expect from these new devices.