By now, even though most of the world hasn’t laid a hand on the device, we know just how delicate the Samsung Galaxy Fold is. Samsung has acknowledged the fragility of the Galaxy Fold by producing its very own care video. They’ve also included more warning labels inside and outside the box than a pack of cigarettes. But SquareTrade wanted to find out just how delicate the Fold was, so they tortured it.
If you’re not familiar with the Galaxy Fold, it is the world’s first commercially available foldable smartphone. The display is able to flex and bend using polymer materials but this new technology is still new and still fairly delicate. Samsung sent out review units to a handful of tech reviewers when the Galaxy Fold was introduced and almost immediately, many of them were damaged. This caused Samsung to delay the official launch and rework the design. Now, that second design has officially launched but at least one reviewer has already seen a pixel blob. SquareTrade took the Fold into its labs and subjected it to its tests and a new “FoldBot.”
To see how the retooled Fold handles wear, SquareTrade put it through an amended Breakability Score test where it conducted a drop test as well as its first-ever foldability experiment with the new FoldBot.
FoldBot found that the major folding design flaws of the original Galaxy Fold have been resolved, though the device did suffer from some minor wear during testing. After 120,000 folds, which is about 3 years of use, according to Samsung, Galaxy Fold made it through the FoldBot test with only a stuck pixel and limited hinge deterioration.
While the Fold seemed to hold up to the FoldBot pretty well, the drop test was another story. It only took one drop for the device to be damaged and unusable. This is, of course, not really much of a surprise. But it is a good reminder, from SquareTrade to those who are planning on purchasing the Fold that they should be careful.
Watch the full video below to see the results yourself:
What do you think of the tests SquareTrade performed on the Galaxy Fold? Do you think this device is worth its near US$2K price tag? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, or Facebook. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
