Samsung Galaxy Fold torture test falls short of the company’s promise

When the Samsung Galaxy Fold initially launched earlier this year, it had a few problems. Samsung has since ironed out those problems and the device is ready to be launched again. But can it hold up in a folding torture test?

This time around Samsung were upbeat about the improvements made over the initial version of the folding smartphone, especially the durability of the display.  “Naturally, given the smartphone’s design, a Folding Test was a pivotal part of the Galaxy Fold’s durability assessment,” the company said back in March. Unsurprisingly some were sceptical about durability and questioned what would happen to the display in the real world.

Well the guys over at CNET have answered that question for us, by putting the phone through a folding torture test on their machine. Samsung say the Fold should be good for at least 200,000 folds, after their own internal testing. However, in the CNET test, the device only lasted a little over half of that before the screen broke down.

It has to be said, over 100,000 folds would mean the Galaxy Fold's display will not just die after a few days like the original review samples did earlier in the year. Based on estimated averages of how often people look at their phones, over 100,000 folds would mean the Galaxy Fold's display should last several years before failure. However, this isn’t ideal, as it means the Fold’s lifespan would be significantly less than a regular smartphone.

If you look at the footage from the Samsung internal testing, it may have been more forgiving to the device than the CNET test. After 119,380 on the CNET machine, it was almost the end with the hinge losing its snappy feel, and more importantly half of the display failed. Around a thousand folds on the rig later, the device stopped working completely.

Overall it took around 14 hours and 120,169 folds for the $2000 device to be completely dead. Given the average lifetime of a smartphone is around 2-3 years, it is possible 120,000 folds would be good enough for most people. Samsung has offered to run a screen replacement deal in the U.S which allows a single out-of-warranty repair of the OLED display at a reduced cost. However, that is only valid for the first year of purchase and assuming you buy the phone before the end of 2019.

Samsung has yet to comment on the findings of the CNET torture test but we will be sure to update you guys of any developments, as and when they come to light.

KitGuru says: it would be interesting to learn from our readers how long you usually keep a smartphone for. Would the Galaxy Fold's expected screen lifespan after the CNET test be long enough to satisfy your needs?

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