Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 became available to buy on Friday, which meant that it also became available for popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson to subject the handset to his nasty durability test.
Nelson set it up nicely by noting the “fun fact” that none of the phones in Samsung’s flagship Fold series have ever snapped in two in the bending part of his durability test. “However, this new guy, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, is the thinnest Fold yet, so here’s to hoping that it finally happens today,” he quips.
At the start of the test, the YouTuber (of the channel JerryRigEverything) comments on how gorgeous the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks. But of course, by the end of the test, the handset is an utter wreck.
As is usual with his infamous durability test, Nelson sets to work with various pointy metal tools to test the susceptibility of the $2,000 foldable handset to scratches and other damage.
What quickly becomes apparent is that that the Z Fold 7’s inner display is as delicate as its predecessors, scratching as it does at a low Mohs hardness level of just 2.
While the phone is not dust-resistant, it does have an IP48 rating, meaning that it offers protection against solid objects larger than 1 mm, a fact that prompts Nelson to dump a handful of grit on the inner display before closing it shut. Yes, you will wince.
“The thinness of this phone is wild,” Nelson says of the 4.2mm-when-open design, at the same time suggesting that the device in his hand will not survive “for more than a few minutes” as Samsung has “finally gone too far.”
The YouTuber then sets about enthusiastically bending it in the direction in which it most definitely should not be bent. For a moment, the phone looks done for. But then, with all of Nelson’s brut force applied, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does something amazing: It remains intact.
“I’m literally flexing the rear glass panel out of the frame without the glass cracking, without the phone cracking, and without the hinge cracking — literal black magic,” Nelson says, adding: “The Fold 7 is still able to fold completely shut and is still 100% operational.”
It’s highly impressive, with the YouTuber quipping that his “disappointment is immeasurable.”
Want to find out more about Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7? Then check out Digital Trends’ hands-on review.
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