Samsung will be using a new waterdrop hinge in its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5, and it's already putting the hinge to the test to ensure it meets or beats the durability set by the Fold 4.
According to The Elec, Samsung Electronics is putting its new-for-this-year waterdrop-shaped hinge through final reliability tests. The new design allows the display panel to flex inward as the phone is closed, rather than a wider "U" shape as before. Therefore, the new Fold 5 will fold down without a minimal gap (making for a uniformly thinner cross-section—14mm (Fold 5) versus 15.8mm (Fold 4)), and a less pronounced display crease.
Over the next month, the hinge is slated for durability testing, which includes 200,000-300,000 folds, with a test criteria stating that the foldable panel should maintain 85% of its strength (or better) after 200,000 folds. Based on the average number of time a person checks their phone, the Fold 5's panel should last about 5.7 years before the hinge has a reduced ability to hold its position, or at worst, some kind of functional failure.
It might be worth pointing out that 200,000 folds is half of what Oppo offers with its Find N2 and Find N2 Flip. While 5.7 years is a solid number, it does not sound as great from a marketing perspective, and it won't serve the used market very well either. It might be also be worth pointing out that—while not specifically mentioned in The Elec report—Samsung could likely use a similar hinge in the Flip 5 too.
The Galaxy Fold 5 should be dropping some time over the Summer. One of the big hardware upgrades will be the cameras from the S22 Ultra, plus the possible return of the docked S-Pen. However, the latter seems unlikely in light of the Fold 5's 14mm thickness.
