Galaxy Fold drop and bend tests yield polarizing results with the case on
The overhauled Galaxy Fold hinge protection and display package have prevented it from exhibiting the same mishaps in the re-release version as the original preview units that were sent out to assorted influencers to play with.
There are no more debris trapped under the screen in the hinge area, or top soil removed because it resembled a screen protector. At least one unit developed abnormal behavior with a cluster of pixels in the crease with normal usage, though, and now the folks from SquareTrade set out to find if indeed the Fold can last the test of time as Samsung claims.
They bent and folded the device around the vertical axis 120,000 times with a dedicated machine, or, exactly as much as Samsung says would last three years of heavy usage with the phone.
The $1980 gear passed with flying colors, if we don’t count the aforementioned pixel blob appearing around the 18,500 mark. Samsung’s giving free or cheap screen replacements if something like that happens with normal usage, so no particular sweat.
What’s more concerning, though, is the phone’s breakability testing. The handset was dropped from the (admittedly high) six feet distance both on the internal and internal displays, and both times it malfunctioned with the kind of damage that renders it redundant for operation. The phone was in its official case, mind you, which is not saying much given the challenge to wrap a foldable phone accordingly.
It’s also 9.28 oz (263 g) heavy, and when it hits the ground from a talk-on-the-phone height, the results may not be for the faint of heart buyers. Most drops are from waist height, but SquareTrade banked in the worst case scenario, and didn’t have a phone to work with afterwards and do the more typical five-feet drop testing. All in all, it seems that you need to baby your expensive Fold, insure it, and handle with care when opening and closing after the warranty period.