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Samsung's foldable phones are update Archivesamong the best you can buy, but they all suffer from an annoying issue: when you fully unfold the device, there's a visible crease down the middle, where the hinge mechanism resides.

This may change with the next generation of Samsung's foldable flagship, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Korean outlet Naver (via SamMobile), claims that Samsung has implemented a "waterdrop" design for the phone's hinge, allowing it to be completely flat when unfolded, and without a noticeable gap between its halves when folded.

New hinge, new look. Credit: Korean Intellectual Property Office via Naver

Samsung actually has a patent for the waterdrop-shaped hinge, granted in 2016, and now the company appears to finally be ready to apply it on one of its foldable smartphones.

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SEE ALSO: CES 2023: Samsung previews a new TV mode for people with low vision

If the report is accurate, Samsung wouldn't be the first to have such a hinge on a foldable phone. For example, Motorola Razr 2022 has a similar design, and it has almost no crease when unfolded. But Samsung sells a lot more foldable phones than any other company, so this is a big deal (if you like fully flat displays).

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The report doesn't mention anything about Samsung's other foldables, but it's reasonable to expect that the company will eventually integrate the waterdrop-shaped display in all its foldable phones.

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It's going to be a pretty long wait until we get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, though. Its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, came out in August 2022, so the new version will probably be out in a similar time frame this year.

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