Multiple rumors prior to launch said the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5 would be the first foldables to arrive on the market with dust protection alongside water ingress protection, but those rumors turned out to be wrong. Like their predecessors, the new foldables are only rated for water resistance.
Samsung’s mobile boss TM Roh says the company is still hard at work trying to come up with ways to make foldable smartphones dustproof – so the intention was definitely there for this generation, things just didn’t materialize.
According to Roh, more time is needed to develop a solution for dustproofing foldables. He acknowledged that the company is well aware of consumer demand for this feature, and promised that it’s making various efforts to achieve it.
The difficulties can’t be understated, however, given the nature of foldable phones, which include many flexible components, and also a bunch of moving parts in the hinge.
Roh is hopeful, however, pointing to the fact that the initial run of Samsung foldables weren’t water-resistant either, but then that protection was added a few generations on, with the company “setting a new standard” for foldables in that regard. The implication is that we’ll see a similar progression when it comes to dustproofing, “so please wait a little longer” he told Korean media at a press conference today.
Source (in Korean)
