[ad_1]
Google finally released its first foldable recently, giving Samsung some much-needed competition. However, early reviews of the Pixel Fold were middling at best, and there have been multiple reports of high hardware failure rates. Does the Fold have a durability problem? The YouTube series JerryRigEverything might answer some questions with the latest durability test.
JerryRigEverything has a process for testing the durability of a phone. First, it gets scratched, poked, and prodded, which helps to reveal what materials went into the phone. The testing reveals the external screen has the usual hardened glass that resists scratches well. However, the inside screen is another matter. As a foldable screen, the top layer is plastic, just like Samsung’s phones. So it can be scratched even by a fingernail. This is a problem for all foldables and one that could take a long time to address.
The next in the JerryRigEverything repertoire is the burn test, which involves holding a lighter to the screen. This test doesn’t usually offer much, save for a reminder that OLEDs are permanently damaged by heat. However, the Pixel Fold behaved oddly when the inner screen was heated. The phone actually shut down, and upon restarting, warned of high temperatures. It’s possible the Tensor chip is beneath that section of the screen, but it’s still surprising how quickly the temperature spiked. Clearly, the internals are tightly packed to keep the phone so thin.
None of that seems like a dealbreaker—after all, how often do you need to apply a lighter to your phone? It’s the bend test that keeps people coming back to JerryRigEverything, and if you want to see an $1,800 phone snap in half, this is your lucky day. It’s not so lucky for Google, though. Google claimed the Pixel Fold’s hinge was the most durable on the market, and that might be true. It’s the rest of the phone that fails under pressure.
Just shy of the 8-minute mark in the video, Zach bends the hinge backward, and the frame of the phone collapses like it’s made of popsicle sticks. It comes apart at several weak points around the antenna lines and sim slot, completely destroying the internal folding screen. By comparison, Zach was unable to break the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 with the same maneuver. The Z Fold 4’s frame comes together when it’s open, giving the device a much more rigid design.
This is Google’s first foldable, so some problems are to be expected. However, the durability issues seem like a step back compared with Samsung, and Google is asking just as much money for its foldable.
[ad_2]
Source link
