Korean hinge startup paves the way for even more sleek foldables

South Korea-based hinge manufacturer reportedly developed the thinnest hinge for foldables. Currently, most of the foldable vendors use hinges from Amphenol or Samsung. The new development promises a hinge as thin as 2.5mm.

Partstec developed the world’s thinnest hinge for foldable phones. This innovation paves the way to reduce the thickness of foldables further. The company today announced that the 2.5-inch hinge is a result of 5 years of research and development.

After successful development, the company has started to build infrastructure for mass production. Hinges used in current foldable smartphones are either from Amphenol or Samsung Electronics, which are approximately 2.83-2.84mm thick.

Partstec’s new 2.5mm hinge employs a completely novel technology. It is distinct from existing hinges and has been patented internationally. The company reduced the number of components from 200 to 65 making the hinge 25% lighter.

The company claims that the hinge offers optimal driving mechanisms in terms of durability, crease depth, ease of operation, and the feel of the device when folded in half. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Z Fold 6 Slim coming later this year is around 10mm thick.

Foldable phones that will use Partstec hinge could be as thin as 9.2mm when folded. This could pave the way for the thinnest, lightest, and simplest foldable phones on the market. Samsung may adopt Partstec hinge technology in future foldables.

[Via]