The Samsung Galaxy Fold has finally been relaunched. There is no word on an official market release in the United States yet as the US pre-order was canceled. We also learned that 5G variant would not be arriving. The phone has sold out in South Korea and so far, so good. By that we mean we haven’t heard any unfavorable reports yet. Zack Nelson aka JerryRigEverything has quickly done a durability test on the controversial foldable phone. He wasn’t able to do one before.
We only saw JRE testing out the Royole Flexpai. IFixit did the teardown of the Samsung Galaxy Fold. This time, Samsung’s highly anticipated foldable phone is tested for its roughness. It appears to be one fragile smartphone because of the flexible display but we believe the company has made major improvements after several months of rework.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold seems delicate mainly because of the flexible display. This part was the reason why Samsung had to recall some press units and cancel pre-orders and market launch. The company worked on improvements and now it’s more than ready to show the smartphone.
You can say this is one ambitious phone but that’s Samsung. Sometimes, one just needs to take the first step before a new tech or industry takes flight. It’s not exactly the first to do so in the world but the Galaxy Fold is the first to become commercialized in most parts of the globe.
Upon opening the box and turning on the device, you will read important reminders like “avoid pressing too hard on the screen” or “tap lightly to keep it safe”. The foldable phone isn’t water or dust-resistant at all but Samsung strived to add protection. Still, caution must be applied. No need to add a protective screen since the South Korean tech giant already added a “very thin layer of carbon fiber material”.
When the phone is open, you will see a crease that is visible in the center of the display. It’s only noticeable when the screen is off. The hinge appears sturdy but we’re still being careful.
Scratching the smaller display of the foldable phone, it scratches at level 6 with a deeper groove at level 7. Opening the device and scratching the bigger screen, it scratches at only level 2 with deeper grooves at level 3. This means TLC is needed. You can be rough with the flexible screen.
Since the phone isn’t water- and dust-resistant, we recommend you really take good care of the phone. Put it away from the beach because sand or dust may get in.
The Galaxy Fold frame is made from metal so the phone scratches at most sides. Note that the phone has only one SIM card. Memory isn’t expandable and there is no headphone jack but Samsung offers a free pair of wireless headphones. You can only see a USB-C port.
The screen is checked under heat but there is no damage. The front screen lasts longer at 15 seconds. The display fully recovers.
And as for the bend test, the phone’s hinge remains intact. Folding it the other way only shows a small flex. There is a gentle curve but no permanent damage is visible.
So that Galaxy Fold’s structure is impressive. We’re just not sure about the flexible display since it easily scratches. What do you think about the Samsung foldable phone?
