Reports of how many folds the Galaxy Z TriFold can actually handle may have been greatly exaggerated
A recent stress test reveals some worrying news for early adopters.
Samsung’s ambitious new tri-folding phone recently faced a grueling endurance test to see if it actually lives up to those hefty durability promises. The results weren't exactly a total failure, but they definitely show that being an early adopter comes with some risks.
A new YouTube livestream has surfaced where hosts manually folded the TriFold until it started acting up. Unfortunately, it didn't take nearly as long as Samsung hoped to accomplish just that. In the video, which spanned eight days of constant folding between three hosts, the device began to show its age well before hitting the finish line established by the manufacturer.
This matters because the tri-fold market is the new mobile phone frontier. Samsung is trying to keep pace with the Huawei Mate XT, which is currently the only other major player in this space.
Honestly, I can’t say I’m shocked. We’re dealing with a first-generation device that is exponentially more complex than a standard foldable. While the screen surviving the test is a win, a hinge failure at 70% of the promised lifespan would definitely warrant a repair.
What happened during the fold test
A new YouTube livestream has surfaced where hosts manually folded the TriFold until it started acting up. Unfortunately, it didn't take nearly as long as Samsung hoped to accomplish just that. In the video, which spanned eight days of constant folding between three hosts, the device began to show its age well before hitting the finish line established by the manufacturer.
Around the 61,000-fold mark, the first hinge started making some ominous creaking sounds. By 121,000 folds, the second hinge joined the chorus. The real kicker came at 144,000 folds when the "elasticity" basically quit. The phone wouldn't stay flat anymore without being forced into place, making it feel stiff and difficult to operate.
It should be noted that the Galaxy Z TriFold comes with a manufacturer-backed rating of 200,000 total cycles, which can be calculated to around 100 daily folds over five years.
First-gen growing pains
Video credit — OMG_electronics
While Huawei's hardware is impressive, durability is the elephant in the room for anyone dropping thousands on a phone. Samsung’s 200,000-fold promise is already less than half of what they claim for the standard Galaxy Z Fold 7, and falling short of even that lower bar is a tough pill to swallow for potential buyers.
This isn't that surprising
Honestly, I can’t say I’m shocked. We’re dealing with a first-generation device that is exponentially more complex than a standard foldable. While the screen surviving the test is a win, a hinge failure at 70% of the promised lifespan would definitely warrant a repair.
I love the ambition here, but potential buyers should be aware that they may be in for experiencing some growing pains as they use their new devices for an extended amount of time.
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