No phone launch is complete without one of JerryRigEverything’s durability tests, and that goes double for foldables. With the Galaxy Z Fold 7 now on store shelves, it’s time yet again for Samsung’s folding phone to go through a gauntlet of scratches, dust, fire, and of course, a bend test.
The bar is on the ground, of course. Foldables don’t have the best reputation for their durability; even several generations in, last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 ran into major dust issues with its hinge before lighting on fire during its teardown. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, features new materials for its backplate, and hasn’t improved its IP48 dust and water-resistance ratings. In other words, it’s set up for an absolute disaster of a durability test.
And yet, that disaster never arrives.
Most of the tests continue on as expected. Despite its ultra-slim folding chassis, the Fold 7 isn’t all too different from non-folding smartphones. Its 6.5-inch cover display scratches at a Mohs rating of 6, while the inner display can be dented from something as soft as a fingernail. The aluminum frame picks up scratches whenever you take a knife to it — but otherwise should resist damage from most materials, as with other devices — and both OLED panels are left with permanent damage from a lighter.
But as usual with these tests, it’s dust and bending that seemingly creates the most challenge. In the video, Zack pours dust over the inside and outside of the Fold 7, opening and closing the hinge several times — though without fully shutting the display to prevent damage from the larger materials inside — and yet, the device walks away basically in tact.
Unlike the Fold 6, where the hinge was left with a particularly terrible grinding sound, the Fold 7 doesn’t sound too bad. It’s definitely not as pristine as it looked and sounded fresh out of an unboxing, but it’s far from the outcome of last year’s phone. Personally, it also leaves me pretty excited for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, assuming those rumors of our first true IP68-certified foldable come true.
None of this helps the Fold 7 survive a bend test, of course, and considering its 8.9mm chassis — or even slimmer, depending on who you ask — this part of the video feels like a recipe for disaster. It’s a rough watch even if you know the outcome, but despite Zack giving the phone his full strength twice, Samsung’s $2,000 foldable manages to avoid breaking in two. Even the back panel glass, which begins to pop out of its frame on the second attempt, snaps right back into place once the pressure is off.
It’s a surprising outcome for such a slim foldable, but it also speaks to just how impressive Samsung’s engineering has become since the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. $2,000 might be a lot to charge for a single smartphone, but at least you can rest easy knowing that, aside from that interior display’s scratch resistance, it’s practically as rugged as any other modern smartphone.
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