Photos featuring the protective case for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 recently surfaced online. Ice Universe, a phone leaker with a long and proven track record for similar leaks, shared the pictures on Twitter. Based on this, there appear to be no notable changes in design for the upcoming foldable.
Although it’s made for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the clear plastic case in the photos can easily be mistaken for a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 case. In fact, when lined up side-by-side, the two are almost identical.
The only element to identify the Galaxy Z Fold 5 case is an extra hole punched into the plastic next to the camera cutout. This cutout likely means the LED flash will be outside of the camera island. Further inspection also reveals that the camera cut-out has shrunken ever-so-slightly, which would make sense if it no longer houses the LED flash.
Since Ice Universe did not include the dimensions of the new case with the leak, the upcoming foldable may or may not inherit the exact dimensions of its predecessor.
Previous rumors have pointed to a slimmer profile in the Galaxy Z Fold 5. But it does stick to the same unusually tall and narrow aspect ratio.
Going by the previously leaked renders and the new case images, it appears there’s little-to-no change in the way of design. However, the hope remains that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will iron out two design kinks that have plagued the foldable line since the first iteration: the crease in the main display and the gap when closed.
One instance of that hope is a report of a new water-drop-shaped hinge, and if true, this design would go far in minimizing the crease that runs down the main display while allowing the phone to fold closed without a gap. Oppo has successfully experimented with a similar water-drop hinge inside the Oppo Find N that has greatly reduced the crease on it.
Ice Universe’s tip will probably remain unconfirmed until later in 2023 — when the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to debut. But considering other reports and rumors that precede it, Samsung is simply fine-tuning last year’s design for the Galaxy Z Fold 5.