Several new features and upgrades have been rumored for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, and among them it's been claimed that the Z Fold 5 might have dust resistance; however, a new rumor suggests that might not be the case.
That’s according to leaker @UniverseIce, who has a decent track record for leaks, and who said in a tweet that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 “does not meet the IP58 dust-proof standard.”
That’s the exact dust-resistance certification we’d previously heard the Z Fold 5 might have, up from an IPX8 certification on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Update: Samsung’s new devices are now official, and you can now check out our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review and hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review for our early impressions of these devices – and here’s our guide to the best Samsung Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 pre-orders.
We’ve also got our early Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review and early Samsung Watch 6 Classic review for our initial verdicts of the wearables after our time with them so far, plus our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 review and initial Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review, for our first impressions of the tablets – and here are the top Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 preorders.
Another bad news is that the Galaxy Z Fold5 does not meet the IP58 dust-proof standard.July 3, 2023
The 8 refers to water resistance and there’s never been an expectation of any change there, since the Z Fold 4 is already as water resistant as most of the best phones. But the 5 would mean going from no dust resistance to having a significant amount of resistance; it wouldn’t make the phone dust-tight, but it would mean that dust shouldn’t be able to interfere with operation.
According to @UniverseIce though, this isn’t to be. That said, it’s worth noting that the wording of their tweet doesn’t rule out any dust resistance, it just means we might not see it reach an IP level ‘5’. So there may still be some minor level of dust resistance even if this leak is accurate, which of course it may not be.
While they have a solid track record, so does the source who suggested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 would have IP58 dust resistance; with the phone set to be announced later this month – rumors are pointing to July 26 – we'll know who's right soon enough.
Why dust resistance matters
Dust resistance might not sound like an exciting feature. And, well, it’s not. But it is potentially a very valuable one, as if dust gets inside a phone it can potentially damage it.
It’s easy to see how foldable phones are more naturally susceptible to dust than most too, thanks to their moving parts, and of course their high prices mean it’s all the more desirable to keep them in good working order.
So dust resistance is a big deal, and while it’s a standard feature on normal high-end smartphones, it’s not something we’ve seen yet on many foldable phones. So if the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers this it would have a real advantage over the foldable competition.
Still, with rumors of a new chipset and new hinge design, plus possible upgrades to the camera sensors and screen brightness, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is likely to be a capable handset with or without dust resistance, and may well rank among our best foldable phones.
