The very nature of the foldable phones makes them susceptible to the hinge becoming loose over a period of time. But have you ever wondered what the average time is before your flagship device starts showing signs of wear and tear?
Well, if that thought had not yet crossed your mind, it had undoubtedly caught Polish tech journalist, Mrkeybrd’s attention, and he set out on his YouTube channel to find out how many folds will his Galaxy Flip 3 be able to withstand before it breaks, or stops closing correctly.
And, it turns out, even Samsung grossly underrates the folding capacity of its devices. The device in question (below) went for twice as many folds as Samsung says it could. That should come with some form of assurances for Galaxy Fold and Flip users, we guess. Specifically, Galaxy Z Flip 3 users.
Samsung already does this, taking their foldable devices through the paces, and giving a ballpark figure of how many folds their devices should handle before showing any signs of degrading.
For the Galaxy Flip 3, Samsung’s official number is 200,000 folds, which is the equivalent of 5 years of use, if you fold and unfold the device 100 times a day. This is a sufficient number for most people as it is unlikely you will be using one smartphone for more than five years, and if you do, it is still unlikely that you will be folding and unfolding it 100 times each day for five years straight.
The Polish Yotuber’s test involved closing and opening the device, as well as occasionally throwing some dirt and sand on it, in addition to dipping the phone in water to simulate real-world’s usage.
418,500 folds later, the Galaxy Flip 3 finally stopped closing correctly, outperforming Samsung’s number by more than double. Towards the end of the test, the YouTuber also dropped the phone quite a few times, which might have played a part in the hinge becoming loose.
That number could have still gone up by quite a margin if he had not punished the phone by dropping it numerous times or throwing dirt and sand on it.
However, the test is still a massive success for Samsung or any potential buyer who had doubts about how long the device will last. 418,500 folds, or the equivalent of slightly more than ten years, is a very impressive figure.
Mrkeybrd notes that he first noticed some unreliability at 352,000 folds when the Flip 3 did not always close properly. However, this is still way above Samsung’s figure of 200,000 folds and came after the introduction of sand and other debris.
Therefore, if durability was the only thing holding you back from trying out a foldable device. You can now confidently purchase one without the fear of the hinge wearing out in a short period.
