Materials for touchscreen displays that could fold like paper is a tech breakthrough shared by many different manufacturing sources. However it was Samsung from South Korea that managed to apply that tech onto mobile devices that work as advertised. True, the original iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Fold phone-tablet was not exactly sturdy in its 2019 release, causing it to be delayed while overhauls were done. The folding smartphone Galaxy Z Flip fared a bit better, and eventually their successor models ensured that the Fold/Flip Samsung devices were here to stay. They are even proving that the latest editions are built tough with stress demonstrations.

The Verge has it that Samsung has shared a video showcasing their intense durability tests for their current-gen Galaxy Z Fold 3 phone-tablet and Z Flip 3 folding smartphone. The video, which was uploaded to YouTube and posted on their official website, demonstrated four significant stress trials for the two folding-touchscreen devices as seeming proof of their sturdiness. First, the gadgets were subjected to climate changes in an environment chamber. Next, they were dunked in water. Third, their screens were tested by having a stylus operated by a robot arm write on them. Finally, the obvious test of repeated screen folding and unfolding was performed.

All in all the test footage is impressive; the question however lies in the timing. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 have already been released this past late August. So why is Samsung showing a durability test for the devices now? One likely reason is the upsurge of reports from new Z Flip 3 owners saying that their folding touchscreen has started cracking along the middle where the phone hinge is. Some complaints claim that the cracks simply appeared after an extended period of time that the Z Flip 3 was folded and stored.

Samsung’s stress tests for their new gadgets as seen in the video did not actually address the question of why the Galaxy Z Flip 3 touchscreen was cracking up. And so far, the Korean electronics giant has not mentioned this issue directly. While the video might reassure Z Fold/Flip 3 buyers of the sturdiness of their new devices, the question still remains in the air whether the guarantees are enough.

Image courtesy of SamMobile