Foldables are a serious gamble. You really need to sit and do some hard thinking about whether you want to fork out $1,000+ on such a phone. Perhaps, it's the part where they do the one thing phones shouldn't do that scares me. That is, bending. However, foldables are getting so good.
A recent torture test by JerryRigEverything proves that they're harder than they look, using the Z Fold 7 as a lab rat. It has been snapped, scratched, and bathed in dust. Still, it performed excellently well and remained undamaged. And now from the horse's mouth, we know that it has double the durability of the Fold 5’s display.
Z Fold 7 screen is built to withstand the test of time
In an official response to Android Authority, Samsung Display has officially revealed new durability test results for the Galaxy Z Fold 7's folding screen in extreme temperatures. It's worth knowing that Samsung Display is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, and it's the division responsible for developing and manufacturing display panels.
In their recommended moderate conditions, which is between 0°C and 35°C, the Fold 7’s screen is rated to survive 500,000 folds. But in freezing conditions of –20°C, the phone’s internal screen can handle only about 60,000 folds.
It's quite a gap from the 30,000 folds limit on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at the same temperature. It's also an impressive one, given that it could possibly be the thinnest foldable to exist currently.
Again, if you're in a very hot place of up to 60°C, the Fold 7 can withstand 300,000 folds. It surpasses the Fold 5’s rating of 150,000 at the same high temperature. You’d expect that the comparisons would be between the Fold 6 and Fold 7, since they’re just one generation apart.
But the Fold 6 barely had improvements that could raise your eyebrows. It reused the same 200,000-fold hinge rating from the Fold 5 and offered only minor tweaks in design.
Related: Galaxy Z Fold 7 Gets Torture Tested
You could use the Z Fold 7 for over 10 years
Let's consider if you’re a light user who opens and closes the phone around 30 times a day. Your screen could hypothetically last you nearly 45 years under regular temperature conditions. Even if you fold it 100 times daily, you’re still looking at roughly 13 and a half years of durability, which far exceeds the average phone replacement cycle.
But it's a far stretch because no one keeps a smartphone for 45 years, or even 13. Technology moves too fast and there are many other factors that make it impossible to. For example, outdated software, hardware wear out, temptation from newer models, unexpected accidents, and so on. tempt you with better cameras, faster
Should you expose the phone to extreme cold, the screen would hold up for approximately five and a half years. Increase that to 100 daily folds, and the lifespan falls to slightly over a year and a half.
In very hot environments, the Fold should withstand about 300,000 folds and give you several years of daily use depending on how often you open and close the device, though obviously not as long as in moderate climates.
