How durable is the Galaxy Fold? That's a question everyone who will buy Samsung's foldable device will want the answer to, and, well, the Fold will either surprise you or prove what you already know based on the kind of abuse it goes through. Popular YouTube channel JerryRigEverything put the Galaxy Fold under its usual assortment of durability tests and found the device to be quite fragile, while a drop test by a different YouTube channel saw the Fold make an impressive stand against drops from various heights and angles.
Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything answered what is perhaps the most important question of all: How well does the updated design of the Galaxy Fold protect it against dust? Samsung added wider caps on the gaps between the hinge and the inner display to prevent dust from getting in, and JRE put this to the test by dropping a handful of dust and dirt on the inner display and folding the device shut. Unfortunately, the caps didn't do a very good job, as some of the dirt particles managed to get into the hinge mechanism.
No actual consumer will deliberately shower dirt on their Galaxy Fold, but JRE's test reiterates the fact that Samsung's foldable phone isn't the best device to have on your beach trip. However, while it may not be very well protected against dust, the hinge itself is solidly made, as it managed to survive a backwards fold and refused to stop functioning despite all the torture. The same can't be said about the 7.3-inch inner display – it scratched easily, which is to be expected as it's not covered by glass unlike non-folding displays.
Okay, so sharp objects and dust may be a problem for the Fold, but what will happen if you drop the device onto the floor? The Fold turned out to be almost miraculously durable in that scenario in a test by YouTube channel AppleEverythingPro. The inner display didn't stop working until it was dropped from a height of 10 feet, and the outer display managed to get through unscathed through it all. The hinge survived as well, although the mechanism became less smooth after a few hard impacts.
Go ahead and check out the JRE durability test and the drop test videos embedded above and below. Just be sure to keep the volume low, unless you enjoy listening to the sound of metal scratching and $2000 smartphones hitting a solid concrete floor.
