There's big news about the Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover screen, plus a few more morsels for it and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 too, freshly delivered by veteran leaker Ice Universe.
The largest change mentioned in IU's new round of rumors is that the Galaxy Flip 5 will use a 3.4-inch outer display, which will be roughly square-shaped rather than rectangular like before, and take up the majority of the phone's top panel. This would make for a substantial upgrade from the pokey 1.9-inch outer display on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
We'd already been told the Galaxy Z Flip 5's outer screen could be larger than the 3.6-inch display on the similar Oppo Find N2 Flip, which doesn't seem to jive with the new claim. Perhaps the Oppo's more rectangular outer display means it's technically larger than the rumored Galaxy Z Flip 5 display, while not having as large a surface area.
If you need some help imagining what a larger square screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4's outside could look like, then you can check out these renders from artist Technizo Concept and leaker Super Roader.
Super Roader adds to IU's leak by saying there will still be a small rectangular sub-display next to the cameras (visible in the renders), used for notifications, the clock and similar functions. What that leaves the large display for, beyond apparently being a camera viewfinder, is uncertain. It would be great if you could use full apps on the outer display as well as the internal screen on the Z Flip 5. but we aren't getting our hopes up.
Going back to IU's new claims, the Galaxy Z Flip 5's inner display bezels are smaller too. That should mean that even if the phone stays the same size (and we currently believe it will), you'll get a little more usable display room.
More Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 leaks
Ice Universe also had leaks for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to share, including features it has in common with the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
For instance, both new foldables should get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, just like the Galaxy S23 series. That's different from the current Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, which got Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chips, the updated version of the 8 Gen 1 chips in the Galaxy S22 from that year.
Both foldables will stick with IPX8 rating for water resistance, a unique guarantee among the best foldable phones. This is despite Samsung upgrading both phones' folding mechanisms to new waterdrop-style hinges, which should also mean a less obvious display crease on the inner displays and a smaller, perhaps even imperceptible, gap between the two halves of the phone when closed.
Ice Universe also explains the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be nearly exactly the same size as the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and use the same 6.2-inch outer display, but will weigh a little less at 254 grams (8.9 ounces) instead of 263 grams (9.28 ounces). Foldables are famously chunky and heavy phones, so we'll take any size reduction Samsung can offer.
Lastly, IU tells us that the refreshed phones will feature "new touch screen technology." The leaker doesn't explain what has changed precisely though, or what it'll mean for users.
Samsung has established a pattern of releasing new foldable phones each summer, around August to be precise. Given how much appears to be changing this generation for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, it may be worth holding off on buying a new phone to see exactly what's new. If you need a flexible phone right now though, take a look at our best foldable phones guide for some help.
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