Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 torture tests prove they’re way more durable than you think [Video]

Ben Schoon | Aug 9 2023 - 9:25 am PT

One of the biggest criticisms of foldable smartphones from Samsung and others over the past couple of years has been durability, as stories of spontaneously broken displays have made their way through the web. More torture tests of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, though, continue to show that Samsung’s devices are more durable than they’re given credit for.

Over the past several days, a live-streamed durability test of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 attempted, and eventually succeeded, to kill the the foldable flip phone over the course of hundreds of thousands of folds. Unlike Samsung’s testing, which uses a machine to fold the device, this test by Mrkeybrd was completely manual, doing each fold by hand which meant different levels of pressure and speed on each attempt.

Samsung rates the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Fold 5 for 200,000 folds, but in this manual test the Flip 5 actually managed to survive twice that, with over 400,000 successful folds before it fully died.

That total wasn’t achieved scot-free. After about 220,000 folds, the hinge started to act up, springing itself partially open, but the device was still fully functional at that point. After 400,000, it was still running, but finally died after being submitted to a bath in water, flour, and eggs, shortly after which the display died. The final total was 401,146 folds and, unfortunately, the live stream can no longer be viewed as the recording isn’t available.

It’s still a great run on Samsung’s part, though, as the competing Motorola Razr+ ended up dying completely after a mere 126,266 folds in the same test.

That alone really shows what Samsung has pulled off here. Five generations in, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, and the Fold 5 based on the same designs, is far more durable than people tend to think.

That’s further backed up by a classic JerryRigEverything torture test of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, where the foldable’s hinge, display, and frame hold up to scratches, flames, and an intense bend test. Google’s Pixel Fold recently fell apart in that same test, just further fortifying Samsung’s lead.

For now, foldables are always going to have some horror stories, but these tests continue to show that, especially for Samsung’s releases, they are much more durable than you think.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are available for pre-order now, with all of the best deals ending on August 11. See our full breakdown here, or head to Samsung.com for up to $1,000 in trade-in on top of other offers.