What you need to know
- YouTuber MrKeyBrd began the Great Folding Test Vol II on August 2, 2023, testing the Galaxy Z Flip 5 against the Motorola Razr Plus.
- The test has humans folding and unfolding each phone as many times as it takes to break one, likely lasting several days.
- Last year, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 lasted over 418,000 folds until the hinge finally broke, doubling Samsung's lifetime estimates.
- This year, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 lasted 401,146 folds while the Motorola RAZR Plus lasted just 126,300.
Update 8/9: After a whopping 401,146 folds, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 stopped working completely. While that's roughly 16,000 fewer folds than the Flip 4, this number is still double the lifetime estimate from Samsung.
Plus, the crew in the video put the phone through many tests Samsung doesn't recommend like folding it underwater for 30 minutes and covering it in sand and other gritty materials. This is an extremely impressive performance from the Flip 5, to say the least.
Update 8/4: And we finally have a winner! After 126,300 folds, the display on the Motorola Razr Plus broke and is no longer functional. This happened a day after the hinge began experiencing problems.
However, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still going strong, despite the counter going down. You can continue watching below to see how far the Z Flip 5 goes before it breaks.
Update 8/3: We may have a winner soon. The hinge on the Motorola Razr Plus broke after 43,800 folds and was unable to fold flat after that. The display still functions normally though, so the test will continue until something else major happens.
Every time a new folding phone is announced, the company making it talks about how it can last hundreds of thousands of folds before problems might start to develop. These numbers were reached by using lab equipment and lots of test units, but what if humans actually tried folding these phones until they broke?
YouTuber MrKeyBrd has officially begun The Great Folding Test Vol II, pitting the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 against the Motorola Razr Plus to see which one breaks first. The test involves two people, each of which will fold and unfold these phones until one breaks. The test takes place over several days with no break in sight, swapping out people when they get tired.
Last year, MrKeyBrd tested the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and it passed the test, surviving over 418,500 folds before the hinge itself stopped working properly. Surprisingly, the glass was just fine, and the display completely worked even after that many folds, which is more than double the 200,000 folds Samsung estimated the phone could last.
The best folding phones are generally a lot more durable than people give them credit for, although not everyone has a great experience if one does eventually break.
While the Great Folding Test takes place indoors under controlled weather conditions, an infographic released by Samsung (via Phone Arena) shows that the phone's durability is reduced under less-than-ideal conditions.
Extremely hot weather cuts the official 200,000 lifetime folds down to 150,000, while extreme cold weather causes that number to plummet to just 30,000 folds. Unless you live on the North Pole or in Antarctica year-round, though, it's not likely you'll ever see this low of a number if you do end up ordering a Z Flip 5.
We'll update this post in a few days with the final results but, until then, feast your eyes on the video above to watch things unfold in real-time.
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The new Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the latest flip phone from Samsung, powered by the latest flagship Snapdragon chip and featuring an updated cover screen that's much larger than its predecessor, which is great for interacting with widgets and taking selfies.
The Motorola Razr Plus is one of the most fun foldable phones you can purchase, thanks to the large cover screen that allows you to do almost anything on the phone without actually opening the phone. Not to mention, it features a powerful Snapdragon chip and a sleek design.
