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Don't Flip out or anything, but the 'flexible glass display' on Samsung's latest pholdable doesn't behave like glass
As in, it's easy to damage despite spiel
Early adopters of Samsung's foldable Galaxy Z Flip have shed doubt on the phone's hardiness despite claims from the tech giant about its flexible glass display.
One video by popular YouTuber Zack Nelson, which has since racked up over four million views, shows the Galaxy Z Flip being subjected to a brutal stress test.
A variety of attacks with sharp implements left the phone covered in scratches and gnarly gashes, which would otherwise be comfortably repelled by a phone sporting Corning's Gorilla Glass.
Nelson uses specialist tools, including a series of picks numbered corresponding to hardness. A number-two pick, for example, can scratch plastic. Number five is sharp enough to damage glass, while number eight can ruin a sapphire surface.
The Galaxy Z Flip picked up visible scratches with the number-two pick, with the damage increasing once he moved to pick number three, despite Samsung Galaxy Z Flip purportedly sporting a more robust glass screen.
Nelson was also able to physically poke holes through the display, damaging the OLED panel underneath. This wouldn't be possible with a true glass display. He concluded by describing the phone as "in no way scratch resistant whatsoever" and accused Samsung of giving users a false sense of security.
The word "glass" conveys a certain sense of rigidity and strength, which is evidently missing from Nelson's beatdown.
But then again, flexible phones come with inherent compromises ranging from price to overall ruggedness. For what it's worth, the Galaxy Z Flip is unlikely to encounter the same level of abuse experienced by ordinary phones by virtue of its design.
When not in use, the Galaxy Z Flip folds in half, with the screen protected from the usual sources of scratches and nicks that are the inevitable byproduct of encounters with keys and coins.
As it previously did with the Galaxy Fold, Samsung has launched a screen-replacement programme, where punters with busted phones can get a one-time replacement for $119. We've asked about UK pricing.
The South Korean firm is also also offering some customers free screen protectors, which sit atop their ordinary display, and are attached by trained, authorised service personnel. To take advantage of this, owners have to attend a Samsung Store or approved agent, or they can mail their handset to Samsung.
Again, we've asked if this deal is available in the UK. ®
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