(Update: Second, more detailed statement from Samsung Germany) Hey, Samsung! What’s up with your marketing department? After the fake telephoto cameras in the Galaxy S20, the durability test of the Galaxy Z Flip now also gives the obvious assumption that Samsung does not use glass as a screen protector and is therefore just as easily scratched as other foldables so far. Nevertheless, the latest Samsung folding phone shows some advantages in terms of durability compared to the Motorola Razr
Samsung is currently moving on very thin ice. The marketing department not only promises things for the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 + that are not actually available, but also for the Galaxy Z Flip, the large South Korean electronics company has now been caught cheating, let’s say. Since Valentine’s Day, the latest folding phone in flip-phone format has been available for 1,480 euros, which JerryRigEverything channel founder Zack Nelson has also used to subject it to his notorious durability test.
Fake glass scratched like plastic
The workbench shows relatively quickly that the classic scratch test with Mohs hardware picks is still justified. Samsung calls the protective layer over the flexible AMOLED display glass – ultra-thin glass to be precise – but it obviously has the same scratch resistance as plastic. With fingernails and already at level 2 on the Mohs scale, the “glass-protected” display shows clear scratch marks – which should definitely not happen with glass. Zack criticizes Samsung’s decision to use the word glass in false safety to weigh customers extremely sharply, even if some glass components may be used in production.
Hinge is better protected
Ultimately, glass is only glass if it has its properties, the tester believes – this also includes a higher scratch resistance than plastic – and this is definitely only the case with the Galaxy Z Flip on the rear mini-control display. After this rather negative first impression in terms of resilience, things continue a bit more positively, apart from the very destructive burn test. Soiling is likely to have less of an impact on the hinge, which is better protected by brushing, than on the Galaxy Fold or just when testing the durability of the Motorola Razr.
Samsung bends physics and truth
The mandatory bend test shows its expected destructive effects – but the function and the flex display are largely preserved, which at least deserves respect for folding phones of this type. Ultimately, however, a very stale aftertaste remains: Ultra-thin glass, at least the one used by Samsung here, promises much more than it can offer in reality and like the fake telephoto cameras in the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 +, you won’t get the feeling going on that Samsung’s marketing team is currently “folding” the truth a little too much.
Update 21:30 statement from Samsung
Samsung made a statement to the US magazine TheVerge quite quickly after the video was released, which, however, leaves us somewhat unsatisfactory.
Galaxy Z Flip features an Infinity Flex Display with Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) to deliver a sleek, premium look and offer an immersive viewing experience, ”a spokesperson said by email. “Samsung’s first-of-its-kind UTG technology is different from other Galaxy flagship devices. While the display does bend, it should be handled with care. So, Galaxy Z Flip has a protective layer on top of the UTG similar to Galaxy Fold.
Samsung suggests that a protective plastic layer has been integrated over the glass layer. If this is true, the scratches could only be remedied in this uppermost protective layer and thus possibly by exchanging the protective layer. However, there is an argument against this that Zack Nelson can pick up the display directly with his pick towards the end of the video and thus switch off entire rows of pixels. In the animated picture below from Samsung you should be able to see this plastic layer. As with the Galaxy Fold, there will also be a one-off, low-priced display exchange program for the Galaxy Z Flip, which should cost $ 119 in the USA (European price not yet known). There will also be a free one-time screen protector specially developed for the Galaxy Z Flip by Samsung, which must be installed by a technician.
Update 02/21/2020 Statement from Samsung Germany
We have now received a more detailed statement from Samsung Germany about the display of the Galaxy Z Flip, which we do not want to withhold from you. Therefore here original sound Samsung:
“The Galaxy Z Flip is equipped with an Infinity Flex display made of a special glass-plastic mixture that offers an elegant, high-quality look and an impressive viewing experience. This technology differs from other Galaxy flagship devices. The Galaxy Z Flip has undergone all of the necessary testing and manufacturing protocols to meet Samsung and partner quality assurance guidelines. All test methods are based on experience from mobile manufacturing. Samsung has simulated real scenarios to ensure that external environmental factors do not affect the usability of the product. In addition, the display of the Galaxy Z Flip was tested and verified by Bureau Veritas. The smartphone successfully passed a fold test in which the smartphone was folded 200,000 times. ”
