Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3: How many times can you really bend it before you break it?

Foldable smartphones fascinate us as much as they make us want to. A screen capable of folding in half to take up less space in our pocket, that would almost be witchcraft. And yet, in recent years, it is far from being a fiction. With Samsung leading the way, flexible phones are growing more and more in the market.

Among the most affordable are the Z Flip series from the Korean manufacturer, with the latest model being the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, released in August 2021. Although it is one of the cheapest, this smartphone is not really an entry-level, with a price that is rather at the top of the basket compared to traditional phones.

For a high price, although reasonable for such technology, future users are entitled to wonder if their smartphone will really withstand the many foldings and unfoldings to which it will be subjected. And we can already tell them that yes, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 is much more resistant than expected.

Resistance of the Galaxy Z Flip3: Samsung’s promises

When its latest foldable smartphone was released, Samsung went all out to prove to us that its Galaxy Z Flip3 was really resistant. In October 2021, the brand published a video on YouTube retracing the various tests undergone by its latest phone to prove that it is indeed solid. On the program, extreme climate simulation, extensive waterproofing test and, of course, beating of the screen.

But what about folding and unfolding? Again, the Korean giant makes great promises and assures its users that they will not risk breaking their phone by performing any basic daily gesture. He claims that such an action could be performed around 200,000 times on his folding smartphone. If it is estimated that you fold and unfold your smartphone around 100 times a day, it is a little more than five years later that you would start to encounter the first problems. At least that’s what Samsung’s numbers say. What if the reality was quite different?

We finally know what the resistance of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 is

Are the figures put forward by Samsung true? A Polish YouTuber, Mrkeybrd, looked into the matter. Starting from last June 7, he subjected the Galaxy Z Flip3 to an extreme folding and unfolding test. For no less than 142 hours, which represents almost six consecutive days, he achieved what he soberly titled: “The Great Folding Test” (the great folding test, in French). Helped by 123 volunteers, he will fold and unfold the smartphone, until weariness ensues. An experience that ended on June 13.

And it would seem that the Galaxy Z Flip3 is finally even stronger than what Samsung had announced. After Mrkeybrd’s durability marathon of 418,506 foldings and unfoldings alone, the folding smartphone still works. Or almost. Since the 330,000th closure, approximately, the hinge is already well worn and the phone no longer holds itself in the closed position. At the end of the test, it can no longer even stay fully open and is slightly bent. But its screen and camera are still functional.

418 506, at the rate of 100 folds per day, that’s a lifespan of just under 11 and a half years. This is therefore almost twice as much as Samsung announced when it was released. An extreme test that will reassure those who would like to acquire a folding smartphone from the brand, currently offered with a 150€ reduction: you won’t risk breaking your phone simply by opening or closing it. And it’s not our test that will say the opposite!

Sources: mrkeybrd, Frandroid, SammobileSamsung