One of the most critical components of foldable smartphones is the hinge, which makes the entire folding process possible. There's no doubt Samsung's foldables have an impressive hinge design, and the Korean giant was the first to introduce foldable devices that can stay partially folded at different angles.
Other manufacturers offer the same feature on their foldables these days, but as a new video comparing the latest clamshell foldables from Samsung, Oppo, and Vivo reveals, Samsung's hinge design is superior to the others here.
Samsung's hinge design is more finely tuned
Oppo and Vivo's flip phones snap open before Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 when the screen is unfolded. The Z Flip 4, on the other hand, leaves it to the user to complete unfolding the device all the way. Now, the Z Flip 4 doesn't exactly offer any major benefit here when it comes to day-to-day use, but it does show Samsung's hinge design is more finely tuned and allows a higher degree of manual control for the user.
https://twitter.com/Tech_Reve/status/1646086387740069888?t=XtQ1MSrGU-_6F6PYVW8BWA&s=19
Samsung's hinge design only has one disadvantage: its foldables leave a gap between the two halves when they're folded shut, which can be a recipe for disaster. However, Samsung is expected to switch to a waterdrop hinge with the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 that should eliminate that gap (or at least make it smaller) and should also decrease the visibility of the crease at the center of the folding display.
Combined with the water resistance that Samsung's foldables already offer, the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 will have a superior design overall. Add to that the other benefits of Samsung devices, such as the software experience, long-lasting software support, and features like the S Pen, and Galaxy foldables should continue to be the best there are (though perhaps not as good as they could be if Samsung faced stiffer competition).
