Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip is the one foldable phone that I am always tempted to buy. As a dedicated iPhone user for over a decade now, the switch to Android isn't what stops me, but rather the general wear and tear on foldable phone screens. For all the advances in display technology, no foldable phone has yet managed to avoid the dreaded crease.
But that may not be the case with the upcoming Z Flip 6. A new report by The Elec indicates that Samsung is adding a thicker glass panel and waterdrop style hinge to the Z Flip 6 which should help de-crease and de-wrinkle the foldable display.
Thicker glass means less creasing
The Elec reports that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 will have a thicker glass display panel than previous models. "As the UTG becomes thicker, surface hardness (hardness) can be increased and wrinkles in the center of the foldable panel can be made less visible," Elec reporter Lee Jong-jong explains.
The Z Flip 6 – and presumably the Z Fold 6 – will have an ultra-thin glass (UTG) display thickness of 50 micrometers (μm). Last year's models had 30μm thick UTG panels.
Samsung's waterdrop style hinge added to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 improved on the previous iterations of the Fold and Flip phones. The hinge allows both screens to join tightly when unfolded, which decreases wrinkling. The Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 had thinner glass, which still led to creasing and clouding. With the thicker glass and waterdrop style hinge on the Z Fold 6, Samsung may finally have a crease-free foldable.
Crease-free displays could make foldables more attractive than ever
I've always found the Z Flip to be a more enticing foldable than the Z Fold. Having rather small hands, I've never wanted my smartphone to become wider. I'd always rather have a dedicated tablet over a hybrid phone/tablet. But the retro flip-phone design of the Z Flip speaks to my nostalgia.
I used a Motorola Razr V2 for years because it was one of the only phones at the time that easily fit into the tiny pockets of women's jeans. I also long for the days of ending a phone call by flipping my phone shut, because it's the closest cell phones have ever gotten to the joy of slamming a handset back into a receiver in the heyday of landline phones.
Regardless of your opinion on the flip or fold debate, the biggest issue with foldable smartphones is the creasing and clouding of the display glass where the phone hinges. After about a year or so, even the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 both suffer from clouding and a visible crease that makes the display unattractive and eventually unusable.
So if Samsung manages a more crease-resistant display, foldable phones could finally take over from the traditional slab-design smartphones.
We're excited to get hands-on time with the device when it arrives, which will likely be in August. For more news, rumors, and updates on everything related to the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge and all things tech, follow Laptop Mag on X, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest news as it arrives.
