Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Leak reveals the biggest upgrade to phone design

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Leak reveals the biggest upgrade to phone design

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is expected to be one of the stars of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event next week. But don't wait until the July 26 product launch to learn more about the foldable phone's alleged display.

WinFuture tipster Roland Quandt took to Twitter earlier today to share some images of the upcoming foldable phone. But thankfully, as 9to5Google reported, other Twitter users had already begun sharing pictures.

And after seeing these leaked photos, we definitely have some good news - but there may be a downside.

First, the cover display appears to be getting a major upgrade. Literally.

Samsung's current flip phone-style foldable, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, has a fairly minimal outer display, just a 1.9-inch strip that serves primarily as a notification bar. However, there are rumors that the Z Flip 5's cover screen will increase in size. [Specifically, it is rumored that the screen will almost double in size, with a 3.4-inch cover display possibly taking up nearly half the front of the phone. This would be comparable to the Motorola Razr+ and its 3.6" OLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate.

These leaked photos do not confirm the exact specifications of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but they do show a cover display that takes up almost the entire front of the folded Flip.

However, 9to5Google notes that the image depicted on the screen looks like a widget and there is no indication of support for running full apps on the outer display; since the Razr+ can run apps on the outer screen, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 appears to be at a disadvantage.

However, not all apps run well on the small external display. Until apps are fully supported, Samsung may use widgets. In any case, a larger screen will still offer more functionality than is currently available on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

The other big upgrade shown in these leaked images is that the hinge gap is gone on the new Galaxy Z Flip 5. In contrast, when the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is closed, there is a small gap between the two halves of the internal screen at the hinge.

Recent reports suggest that the hinge gap will return in the Z Flip 5, but these new photos show that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be a beautiful gapless experience. Gaps are not only unsightly, but they also put the phone's display at risk for abrasions.

Stay tuned to Galaxy Unpacked for coverage of whether Samsung's new flip phone, which will be available later this month, is gapless.

Categories