Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 survives this torture test the Pixel Fold failed

May 28, 2023

It looks like Samsung's shiny new foldable phone will endure everyday wear and tear for longer than the competition

Samsung's latest book-style folding phone holds a lot of promise when it comes to durability, including improved resistance to damage from dust and dirt and a stronger cover screen thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 also boasts an Armour Aluminium frame, making it more rigid than before. While these additions are meant to instill confidence in the handset's toughness, YouTuber Zack Nelson (aka JerryRigEverything) does not take these claims at face value and instead puts many of our favorite Android phones through their paces to see for himself. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest Samsung foldable to survive JerryRigEverything's torture test.

As usual, Nelson's durability tests are done in four parts (three in the case of regular slab phones), and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a beast for the most part. The YouTuber attempted to bend the device from behind, both folded and unfolded, but it didn't even flinch.

Meanwhile, the Google Pixel Fold and Motorola Razr+ were not so lucky. They both failed Nelson's bend test, though Motorola's latest foldable did so in an unusual way.

Anyway, The Galaxy Z Fold 5 held up pretty well in Nelson's torture tests, but it still got scratched, and some pixels got burnt. The test included using razor blades, Mohs hardness picks, a lighter, and dirt. The Fold 5 did about the same as the Fold 4 in the test last year.

Nelson praised the phone's dust resistance, noting that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 had no issues with dust entering the hinges. The fingerprint reader, on the other hand, had difficulty recognizing fingerprints, presumably due to the scratches it had sustained.

The rest of the video was pretty much as you would expect of a foldable device, with the main screen succumbing to scratching more easily than the external screen and the metal sides scratching quickly with no hustle. That said, the external screen held up in the same scratch test until level 6 of Moh's scale of hardness. Deeper grooves also appeared at level 7.

In the end, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is so tough; it's almost as if Samsung took a regular phone, folded it in half, and then said, "Hold my beer."

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a pretty similar phone to last year's model, but it's got a few key improvements that make it worth considering. The new hinge is a big deal, and the new processor could mean better battery life. So if you're looking for a foldable phone, the Z Fold 5 is definitely worth checking out.

Jay primarily writes news for Android Police. Before joining AP, he spent the past several years yammering on about the crazy world of Android for various tech outlets.He has reviewed almost every type of phone, from entry-level models to rugged phones. When he's not writing, he goes on long-distance trips with his camera and phones.