A unique live stream is gaining traction on YouTube in which a group of testers are showcasing the endurance of Samsung's latest innovation, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 device. The broadcast began on August 2 and is still continuing, engaging a substantial number of viewers. The stream features an intriguing test in which the the Z Flip 5 is pitted against Motorola's Razr 40 Ultra, putting their foldable capabilities and the claims made by their respective manufacturers to the test.
Watch the video:
The creation of foldable smartphones has necessitated the development of entirely new hinge mechanisms. These hinges allow the devices to fold flat without compromising the internal screen and possess the resilience required to withstand everyday usage.
A dedicated team of testers has been tirelessly opening and closing these gadgets in succession until they reach their limits. For 24 hours a day, the only sounds heard in the live stream are that of the click of phone shutting, the faint sound of hinges, and occasional sigh from the assigned "flipper".
The organisers of this event, known as The Great Folding Test Volume II, have pondered: "If a machine folds a smartphone hundreds of thousands of times in a lab, does anybody care? What about if people fold it by hand?" The experiment will continue until one of the handsets breaks.
According to the rules, each fold needs the screen to turn on before the phone can be folded again. Since everything is being done by hand, the team testers rotate every few hours.
In the previous year's test, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 encountered issues after around 418,500 folds. This time around, the Razr reached its limit at flip number 126,367, whereas the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has impressively persisted well beyond 315,000 folds.
A minor hiccup with the hinge was observed at around 223,000 flips, causing the phone to no longer lay perfectly flat when open. However, this still significantly surpasses Samsung's advertised testing threshold of 200,000 cycles of opening and closing.
