What do you want to know
- YouTuber Mrkeybrd created a test where the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 was constantly folded and unfolded live endlessly.
- The test lasted five days in total, ending just after 418,500 folds when the hinge became completely unreliable.
- Samsung only rates the Z Flip 3 at 200,000 folds for the life of the phone.
Foldable phone owners will likely remember the first few times they folded and unfolded their phone. That pit-of-stomach feeling is no doubt caused by fears that the glass could shatter at any moment, even though Samsung claims the phone can bend over 200,000 times in its lifetime. That’s why YouTuber Mrkeybrd set out to find the exact number of times a Z Flip 3 could be bent before it broke.
Turns out Samsung’s estimates were incredibly conservative, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 (opens in a new tab) survived over 418,500 bends before the hinge – not the glass – finally gave way and remained neither open nor closed. This hinge started to get unreliable around 325,000 bends, which is still more than 50% longer than what Samsung rates for the phone.
The test, which was streamed live on YouTube (opens in a new tab) Over a five-day streak from June 8 to June 13, people took turns folding and unfolding the best foldable phone (opens in a new tab) non-stop. A counting device was attached to the Z Flip 3 and ticked up each time the phone was folded and unfolded. This counter was visible on the screen at all times during the broadcast.
The final portion of the video can be viewed below, including an impromptu drop test after the hinge failed. It should be noted that tests like this are not exactly performed under real-life conditions, as some viewers have pointed out. The fact remains that the phone would have remained warm for most of the duration of the test, while real-world usage would include far more temperature swings – the most dreaded being colder weather, where it was assumed that bendable glass might be more prone to cracking.
Our own in-house Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 models on Android Central have, so far, survived 10 months of everyday real-world use as of this writing. The Z Fold 3 in particular seems to have survived the best, but it’s worth noting that this phone isn’t opened as often as a Z Flip 3 because it has an exterior screen that can be used for all tasks.
Since the main screen of the Z Flip 3 sees far more folding and unfolding due to its design, logic dictates that this phone will have a shorter folding life simply due to the frequency of use. In our case, the factory-installed screen protector on our Z Flip 3 has seen better days and is in desperate need of a replacement. Fortunately, for the user in question, the glass is as beautiful as the first day.
Samsung Galaxy ZFlip 3
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 was built to last, with a huge, beautiful display that folds in half to fit better in your pocket or bag.