Samsung hasn’t officially announced plans to launch its next generation of foldable smartphones, but rumours about the handsets have already started doing the rounds. The South Korean company may launch its Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphones a month before they were expected to debut in a bid to fend off competition from Google’s purported Pixel Fold. Hinges for the upcoming foldable phones are said to enter mass production in early June. Samsung usually initiates the production of hinges towards the end of June. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is rumoured to feature a new ‘droplet’ hinge design.

According to details shared in a tweet by tipster Revegnus (Twitter: @Tech_Reve), Samsung Electronics will begin mass production of foldable phone hinges at the beginning of June. Usually, the company begins production of hinges for its foldable phones by end of the month. As a result, the tipster claims that Samsung could launch Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 in July rather than in late August.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 on August 10 last year, during its Galaxy Unpacked event.

Specifications of Samsung’s upcoming foldable phones for 2023 have leaked online on multiple occasions. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is tipped to feature a new ‘droplet’ hinge design with an IPX8 build. Both Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 could run on One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13 and are expected to be powered by a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon for Galaxy SoC.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is tipped to feature a triple rear camera setup, comprising a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor, and a 10-megapixel telephoto shooter. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 could pack a dual rear camera unit with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle shooter.

While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is said to be available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will reportedly arrive with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage models. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is tipped to be offered in beige, gray, light green, and light pink colour options, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 could be launched in beige, black, and light blue shades.