Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 faces major durability test, surprising results inside

India Today

5 days ago

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has just been put through its paces in a fresh durability test by popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything, and the results might surprise those who still question the toughness of foldable phones. For those who don't know, Zack Nelson (the man behind the channel) is best known for torturing smartphones on his YouTube channel with several tests, including bending, scratching, and burning, to name a few. As is tradition, he took Samsung's latest and greatest foldable for a spin with his usual tools and techniques, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 did not disappoint. advertisementFirst, let's get into the durability side of things. The scratch test started on the cover screen and back panel of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, both of which are protected by Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. Like most modern smartphones, scratches began to appear at level 6 of the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves at level 7. The main inner display, though more delicate, held up well too. The aluminium frame didn't fare as well under sharp tools, but that's not something everyday users need to worry about.One notable improvement on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the camera ring design. Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, or even the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has reverted to a more robust metal setup. Zack tried to dig into the camera rings with his blade, but to no avail — the camera rings stayed in place, showing impressive strength.
While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn't offer a traditional IP68 rating like regular bar phones — where the '6' stands for complete dust protection — the phone still has an IP48 rating. This means the '4' denotes that the phone can handle dust or solid objects 1mm or larger in size. That said, Zack went all in by sprinkling fine dust over the hinge and inner screen and opened and closed the phone multiple times. To everyone's surprise, the phone's hinge continued to function smoothly, without any visible damage.All said, the flame test — where a lighter is held to the screen — left lasting marks on both displays, as expected. The cover screen showed damage after about 15 seconds, and the inner display lasted roughly 10 seconds. Neither recovered, but that's the typical nature of OLED displays under direct flame.
Credit: JerryRigEverything/ YouTube
Then came the all-important bend test. With pressure applied from both directions — folded and unfolded — the Galaxy Z Fold 7 managed to survive without breaking, bending or snapping. Considering this is the thinnest foldable phone yet, that's impressive. And speaking of thinness, a recent study conducted by the Korean Consumer-Centred Enterprise Association found that Samsung's official thickness claim of 8.9mm is actually slightly overstated — the real number is 8.82mm. In contrast, competitors like Honor, Vivo, and Xiaomi have been caught stating lower thicknesses than what their phones actually measure.advertisementHonor, for instance, advertises its Magic V5 as the world's thinnest foldable at 8.8mm, but real-world measurements show it to be over 0.5mm thicker. Vivo and Xiaomi have similar gaps between their claims and reality. On the other hand, Samsung seems to have gone the other way — not just matching its specs, but doing better. Now, this could point to a more conservative approach, or perhaps it's simply a genuine effort to avoid the marketing exaggeration we often see in this category. We think the latter.For what it's worth, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has passed JerryRigEverything's brutal durability test with flying colours — and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.- Ends