We've only just managed to get our hands on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, but Samsung is already teasing upgrades that could arrive in time for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 at some point next year.
As reported by Android Authority, Samsung's head of mobile TM Roh has gone on record as saying that the company is working on dust proofing for its foldables – a feature that's made difficult because of all the moving parts involved.
"We are well aware of consumer demand for dust proofing, and we are making various efforts to achieve this, but due to the nature of foldables, there are many moving parts, so dust proofing is difficult," Roh has said, according to BizWatch (and run through a translation engine).
With an IPX8 rating, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 can withstand a drop in liquid, but there's no dust resistance on these phones. That means that a speck of dirt could cause problems for the 2023 foldables.
Looking ahead
It's worth noting that the Motorola Razr and the Motorola Razr Plus launched earlier this year do offer dust resistance – but with an IP52 rating, the waterproofing isn't as comprehensive as it is on the Samsung phones.
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 have only just launched, we're still hearing about what's in store for next year. Apparently a new and improved cover screen is one of the upgrades in the pipeline.
There's also been talk of a "major form factor change" with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 – although the source didn't go into any more specifics. It's not clear exactly how a book-style foldable could have a major form factor change, but we'll see.
Dust resistance wasn't promised for 2024, but it could be something that Samsung's engineers achieve by then. In the meantime though, we're more than happy with the new foldables that Samsung has just unveiled.
