The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip display is easier to scratch than you may think, according to a newly-released durability test. This test has been conducted over at JerryRigEverything YouTube channel.
The phone has been submitted to a number of different tests in this 12-minute long video. The most interesting one is definitely the display scratch test, which proves that it’s quite easy to scratch.
We’ll get to that part, however, let’s take it one step at a time. First and foremost, it’s worth noting that Samsung said that this phone can be flipped over 200,000 times. That should give you some peace of mind.
The Galaxy Z Flip durability test proves there’s a plastic layer on top of its UTG display
Samsung utilizes Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) on this phone, instead of a plastic display. It seems like it does have a protective layer on it, which makes it somewhat easy to scratch. That information has been shared by Max Weinbach, who simply shared Samsung’s statement on this display.
As you can see in the provided durability test, this display starts scratching with a level 2 pick. That is the same level the Galaxy Fold’s display starts scratching up, and the same goes for the Motorola Razr.
That actually means that the phone’s display is quite easy to scratch. Samsung said that you need to handle this phone with care, the same as the Galaxy Fold. This display is much more prone to scratching than a display on your regular smartphone, which is protected by Gorilla Glass, or something of the sort.
The screen’s raised bumps are made out of plastic
The raised screen bumps on top of the phone’s bezels are made out of plastic. The phone’s physical buttons are made out of metal, and the same goes for its side-facing fingerprint scanner.
The Galaxy Z Flip’s frame is also made from metal. The phone’s outer display, the so-called ‘Focus Display’, won’t scratch as easily. It starts scratching with a level 6 pick, which is what you’d expect out of a smartphone display these days.
The phone’s display lasted for about 15 seconds under direct flame, and the pixels didn’t recover after that.
The Galaxy Z Flip managed to survive the bend test, to a degree. The phone’s plastic bumps popped out on the first bend. The second bend pushed the phone out of shape near antenna lines. During the third bend the phone snapped, but not in half. The frame cracked near the power button. The fourth bend managed to crack the glass on the back, but the display remained functional.
The phone handled “pocket dust” really well
The source also poured some “pocket dust” on the phone. Well, it’s not exactly pocket dust, he poured some small rocks with dirt on the phone’s display, to see how will it handle those. The phone’s hinge did make sounds after that, but after blowing away the dust, those sounds went away, for the most part. Samsung may be onto something with this hinge design. That’s basically the takeaway from the Galaxy Z Flip durability test.
Do note that Ice Universe, a well-known tipster, also tweeted out something regarding this display. He says that the phone’s display is supplied by SCHOTT, from Germany. Its thickness measures 30 um (1/16th of ordinary smartphone glass), and Samsung has applied a ‘PET film’ on top of it for protection. That ‘PET film’ is what scratches.