As exciting as foldable devices are, they’ve been plagued by one major problem ever since the technology’s inception. Because of Samsung’s role in pioneering the new form factor, the foldable market (at least the part of it outside of China) remains largely a one-horse race.
By extension, this limits competition and leads to a degree of stagnation. Fortunately, this is likely to change in 2023, when many manufacturers will either make their debut in the foldable market or release their foldable devices internationally. This will invariably push Samsung will step up its game and introduce some meaningful upgrades to the Galaxy Z series.
A new feature that could potentially be added Galaxy Z Flip 5 and The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is dust resistant. According to one tweetsubsequently covered by 9to5 Google in a dedicated article, the Korean tech giant is “considering adding dustproof certified”, which is apparently possible due to the “new gap-less design”.
While the tweet only pertains to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the same source has previously claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will also get the same new hinge design as its big brother. Therefore, dust resistance can come to both models.
Nevertheless, the source also clarifies that they do not “expect much of this to be true on commercial devices”. While it’s impossible to deduce what this means exactly based on the wording, it appears that the Fold 5 and Flip 5 may not receive official IP ratings.
Samsung already brought water resistance to the Z series Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, two of the best foldable phones to buy in 2023. Therefore, this move seems like the next logical step. Durability has historically been the biggest pitfall of foldables and possibly the biggest obstacle in their way of becoming truly mainstream…aside from price of course.