Just a few days after Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Xiaomi unveiled its foldable Mix Fold 2 smartphone. It directly competes with Samsung’s top-tier foldable phone. While there are many shortcomings in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 versus Mix Fold 2 comparison, there is one area where the Xiaomi device excels.
Xiaomi was able to make the Mix Fold 2 thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 by using what it refers to as the “waterdrop hinge.” The hinge also aids in lowering the crease’s prominence. Samsung experimented with a similar hinge style, but decided against using it for a valid reason.
For Samsung, being water resistant is very crucial.
Samsung was the first company to commercialise foldable cellphones with water resistance. The world’s first water-resistant foldable smartphones were the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 from a year ago. Of course, the manufacturer wants to keep that degree of toughness for the 2022 vehicles.
Ross Young, the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, informed us during our interview that Samsung had been exploring a number of hinge designs, including one that is similar to the waterdrop hinge that Xiaomi is utilising for the Mix Fold 2. Despite the fact that it makes the device slimmer and reduces the prominence of the crease, it still has these evident advantages.
Samsung simply decided against switching to this hinge design since it isn’t yet water proof. Tablets are the exception to Samsung’s preference that all Galaxy products costing more than $1,000 feature water resistance. It was impossible for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to lose that level of durability after the Galaxy Z Fold 3 became the first folding smartphone in the world to be water resistant in 2021.
This is not depressing; rather, it provides us reason for optimism. As soon as Samsung is able to guarantee water resistance, it will put one of the new hinge designs into production for a future product. Without a doubt, Galaxy Z Fold models will become thinner while maintaining their water resistance in the years to come.
Why purchasing Chinese foldables might not be a good idea has already been discussed. This is just one illustration of how Samsung masterfully integrates form and function.
GALAXY Z FOLD 4XIAOMI PHONE