Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 leak reveals biggest upgrade to phone's design

Galaxy Z Flip 5 render concept
(Image credit: Technizo Concept / Super Roader)

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is expected to be one of the headliners at next week's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. But we don’t have to wait until the July 26 product launch for alleged details about the foldable phone's display.

Tipster Roland Quandt from WinFuture took to Twitter earlier today to share some images of the upcoming foldable phone. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a good look at them before they were pulled, but thankfully some other Twitter users had already started sharing the photos, as reported by 9to5Google.

And after looking at these leaked photos, we definitely have some good news — though there could be a downside, too.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 leaked images: 3.4-inch cover display

Alleged leaked press render of the Galaxy Z Flip 5

(Image credit: MySmartPrice)

First, the cover display looks to be getting a massive upgrade. Literally. 

Samsung's current flip phone-style foldable, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, offers a pretty minimal outer display — just a 1.9-inch strip that largely serves as a notification bar. But there have been some rumors that the Z Flip 5 cover screen will get a size increase

Specifically, rumors claim that screen is going to nearly double in size, with a 3.4-inch cover display that could take up nearly the entire front half of the phone. This would put it on par with the Motorola Razr+ and its 3.6-inch OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. 

While these leaked photos don’t confirm the exact specs for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, they do show a cover display that takes up nearly the entire front of a folded-up Flip. 

However, 9to5Google notes that the images depicted on the screens look like widgets, with no sign of support for running full apps on the outer display. That would seemingly put the Galaxy Z Flip 5 at a disadvantage as the Razr+ is able to run apps on its outer screen.

That said, not every app runs well on a small exterior display. Maybe widgets are the move Samsung would make until full app support is available. Either way, the larger screen would still offer more functionality than you can get on the current Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 minds the gap

Unofficial render of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

(Image credit: Technizo Concept / Super Roader)

The other big upgrade shown in these leaked images is that the hinge gap is gone on the new Galaxy Z Flip 5. In contrast, when you close the Galaxy Z Flip 4, there's a tiny gap between the two halves of the internal screen at the hinge. 

While a recent report seemed to indicate that the hinge gap would return on the Z Flip 5, these new photos show a beautiful, gap-free experience on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, and I certainly hope this is accurate. Not only is the gap unsightly, but it opens the phone display up to abrasions. 

Stay tuned to our Galaxy Unpacked coverage to see if the new flip phone from Samsung is gapless when it launches later this month. 

Malcolm McMillan
Senior Streaming Writer

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.