Using custom-developed equipment, CHIP checked the world's first folding cell phone in its in-house test center. The result of the assessment was a surprise: the bendable display survives the 200,000 bending processes promised by the manufacturer Samsung without damage, but the hinge reveals audible signs of wear.
Robot simulates 200,000 bending processes within a week
The CHIP test center spent a whole week testing the innovative bending technology of the 2.100 euro smartphone under extreme conditions. Clamped into a custom-built robot, the phone was bent and unbent around the clock. The basis of the test apparatus was a Lego Mindstorms EV3 set, which is supported by Lego Technology from the 90s. Two servo motors and a 1: 3 gear ratio continuously opened and closed the cell phone. Both gears and one of the two electric motors had to be replaced in between, but after the necessary repairs, the robot was able to easily conduct the 200.000 folding operations.
Smartphone display passes endurance test
The result of this stress test was extremely positive: After 200,000 folding processes, the display showed no visible signs of wear - not even on the fold, which according to Samsung is a natural property of the display. Only the hinge of the Galaxy Fold shows signs of wear (or rather sounds of wear). After about 100,000 folds, there was a slight creak that could be heard audibly after the 200,000 folds were completed. Nevertheless, the functionality of the bending mechanism was still intact - the phone bends flat and remains stable in the opened position. If you would open and close the fold around a hundred times a day, the 200,000 bends carried out would equal a phone lifetime of almost five and a half years.
Click here for the test report on chip.de!
Sara Kiesler
BurdaForward Communications
Telling stories with a loving eye for detail - that's something I particularly enjoy. At BurdaForward, I mostly do that around our working world. I spend my free time on horseback, on the SUP or on skis. Anything in nature! Preferably in the beautiful Bavarian Alps and my beloved home, the Black Forest.
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