No, Samsung did not lie about the display on the Galaxy Z Flip

When comparing the Motorola razr and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip side-by-side,  it would appear from the anecdotal evidence that the build quality of the latter comes out on top. The razr's creaky hinge yells "feed me oil NOW," while the hinge on the Galaxy Z Flip hasn't generated any issues yet. Motorola admits that the razr's plastic display tends to have "bumps and lumps" while the Galaxy Z Flip uses Samsung's ultra-thin glass.

A tweet disseminated by a gentleman named Amir, a self-proclaimed tech addict and a political activist against the Islamic regime, reveals just how fragile the foldable glass display is on the Galaxy Z Flip. Amir had just received his phone, opened the box, removed the protective film from the screen, and flipped the phone shut. This left a crack right across the crease of the 6.7-inch Infinity Flex display. Amir said that the screen might have been made more fragile by the cold weather. Regardless of the reason why the screen cracked, Samsung did send a replacement Galaxy Z Flip right away.

Meanwhile, to give you some clarification about the display on the Galaxy Z Flip, XDA's Max Weinbach points out in another tweet that the phone has a Dynamic AMOLED display with the Ultra-Thin Glass above it. On top of the UTG is a plastic layer that comes out of the box with a protective plastic foil covering that is supposed to be removed. This is what Weinbach says that he was told by Samsung.

Received my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip just now. Opened the box. Removed the protective/instruction film. Flipped the phone as you would do since it’s a flip phone and this happened. I heard the crack as well. cold weather?#SamsungGalaxy#ZFlip#samsungpic.twitter.com/j8KLL2vm8d

— Amir (@mondoir) February 14, 2020

The Galaxy Z Flip was put through the paces by durability testing YouTube channel JerryRigEverything. The display not only shows a crease (said to be much less visible when the phone is in use) but it also has what is described as a "divot" by the front-facing camera. While the scratch test shows the display scratching at a level consistent with plastic, we already know that there is a plastic layer on top of the Ultra-Thin Glass. So if you are watching the video and starting to think poorly of Samsung, stop. They are telling the truth. The screen on the Galaxy Z Flip is indeed glass and what is being scratched is the plastic covering. But that doesn't make the display any less fragile; the company does warn users not to press the screen hard. In fact, Sammy says to press the front screen lightly to keep it safe. The same applies to the front camera lens.

Despite the $1,380 retail price, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is sold out in the U.S. both online and in retail stores. The manufacturer says that the device will be back in stock on February 21st.

If you're a Verizon customer and can't decide between the Motorola razr and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, the latter beats its rival in just about every category. It has a larger 6.7-inch display (again, real glass compared to the P-OLED panel on the razr), and a more powerful Snapdragon 855+ chipset compared to the Snapdragon 710 SoC employed by Motorola. While the razr is equipped with 6GB of memory and 128GB of storage, Sammy's flipper sports 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. It also has a dual-camera setup in back (12MP wide + 12MP ultra-wide) and a 10MP front-facing selfie snapper. That compares to a 16MP primary and a 5MP selfie camera on the razr. The 3300mAh battery on the Galaxy Z Flip tops the 2510mAh battery on the razr. With Android 10 pre-installed on Samsung's phone and Android 9 on Motorola's device, it's almost a clean sweep for the Galaxy Z Flip although we did find one category where Motorola does top Samsung. Unfortunately, that is the pricing. The Galaxy Z Flip is tagged at the aforementioned $1,380 while the razr will set you back $1,499.99.

Unless the wave of nostalgia is so strong in you that you're drawn to the razr, it seems that choosing between the Galaxy Z Flip and the razr is no contest.