Earlier this week, a rumour emerged that Samsung had shown a presumed Galaxy Z Fold5 prototype during CES 2023. Although the device in question was exhibited in Las Vegas, it was a Samsung Display prototype, not a Samsung Galaxy division prototype. While this may seem like semantics, Samsung Display is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics that supplies display panels for Apple and Samsung, among others.
Typically, Samsung Display uses trade shows like CES as a demonstration of what it can produce not what Samsung Galaxy plans to bring to market, as it did at CES 2022 with the Flex G, Flex Note, Flex S and the Flex Slidable. For reference, these prototypes have yet to make it to market in any sense, let alone in a Samsung Galaxy device. In short, the image reproduced on the Naver blog is real, but it is not a Galaxy Z Fold5 prototype.
Instead, Samsung Display has called the prototype 'Flex In N Out', which the likes of Linus Tech Tips showcased during a recent CES 2023-related video. Incidentally, the the Flex In N Out operates more like the Huawei Mate Xs 2 than a Galaxy Z Fold4, with a single display that can fold outwards to re-create a cover display for use in one-handed mode. The display technology does not resolve the display crease either, which remains a point of contention across the Galaxy Z series.
Seemingly, the assertion that the Galaxy Z Fold5 would adopt a 'dumbbell' or 'water drop hinge' added validity to this rumoured prototype. Unfortunately, while the Samsung Galaxy division could utilise the Flex In N Out's display technology in a future Galaxy Z foldable, there is nothing to suggest that this will be true for the Galaxy Z Fold5.
Source(s)
ZDNet Korea via Naver, Digital Trends & Phone Arena, Linus Tech Tips (Image credit)