Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 500,000 folds claim has been put to the test
And the results may surprise you
😲 One YouTuber has subjected Samsung's latest flagship foldable phone to 200,000 folds
💪 Samsung says the hinge in the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 can survive up to 500,000 folds
🤔 Tech-it found issues with the phone after just 6,000 folds with a reboot error occurring, and by the 175,000 fold mark, its speakers had stopped working
🤷♂️ It questions just how durable the foldable really is, despite Samsung's claims
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has already been subjected to an extensive stress test on the phone's hinge by one YouTuber.
The Z Fold 7's hinge is rated to survive up to 500,000 folds according to Samsung, which is double the previous number older Z Fold devices could achieve. In a recent video, YouTuber Tech-it has put the phone through its paces and completed 200,000 folds to see how it holds up.
According to Tech-it, they carried out the test to see how well the hinge holds up in real-world use. The folding machines that manufacturers like Samsung use open and close the device with the same force and at the same speed, which isn’t realistic.
Tech-it noted issues with the phone after just 6,000 folds, which is just over one percent of Samsung’s claim. After the 10,000 fold mark, the phone experienced a reboot error, which reappeared at similar intervals going forward.
Fast-forwarding to 46,000 folds, at just shy of ten percent of the service life, Tech-it noted that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 made creaking noises at the hinge point. At 75,000 folds, an unknown black liquid leaked from the hinge, never to be seen again.
At the 175,000-fold mark, the device's speakers at the top, bottom, and the earpiece stopped working completely.
Over the entire cycle, the YouTuber also highlighted that the hinge was a lot smoother to open and close, as opposed to having some resistance.
These results are rather concerning. Problems arose long before the phone's hinge reached its rated service life.
Whether you’ll ever reach thousands of folds is one thing, but Samsung probably wasn’t expecting anyone to put its claim to the test.
In our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review, we deemed it to be the "new standard of foldable phones". Its impressive larger screen, more powerful camera and lightweight, thin design make it feel more like a 'normal phone' than just a foldable gimmick.
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.