Your phone can snap in half, but your keys shouldn’t.
The most common mistake you should avoid when using flip phones is dropping them. But that’s common knowledge and doesn’t make for a very exciting discussion. You’re probably thinking of the inner folding screen, where the most common way to damage it is to close it on something that shouldn’t be there. The Samsung foldable care page warns that cards, coins or keys can scratch or even puncture the inner display of a Galaxy foldable inner screen.
That seems simple enough; Just make sure your car keys aren’t sitting on top of your phone when you try to lock it. But if you work a particularly dirty job or live near the beach, that complicates things. You can’t always see dirt easily, and beach sand finds its way into absolutely everything.
Remember that not all folding bars are created equal. Some folding screens are a little softer and weaker than others. The Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra, for example, have an IP48 rating, while the new iPhone Duo has an IP68. The first digit describes the degree of protection against solid objects; a 4 means objects 1mm thick or larger cannot enter, while 6 shows a dust-tight device.
Treat the inner screen with care
The inner screen of a foldable is far from a conventional flat phone display. It has to fold after all, so don’t assume you’ll press as hard as you would on a standard phone’s outer glass. That includes actions you probably did without thinking, like scratching a spot on the screen with your fingernail.
Another mistake is to peel off a manufactured inner screen film because it looks like a disposable shipping protector. This was surprisingly easy to do early on, but now the edges are hidden and hidden better. Samsung recommends leaving these protective layers alone. On the flipside, don’t put an unapproved screen protector over a foldable display. These phones aren’t like their slab cousins, so any old screen protector won’t do. Use only a protector or stylus that the manufacturer specifically designates as compatible with that model.
You don’t have to beg for a foldable phone, even if it comes from a traditional smartphone. These precautions just require you to be a little more particular when handling the folding screen. Avoid any concentrated power or close it to anything other than open air.
What is the lifespan of a foldable phone?
There is no specific lifespan for foldables, but there are suggestions and indicators. For example, we know that manufacturers test the hinges and screens by folding the phones between 200,000 and 500,000 times. If you open your phone 100 times a day, that would be 5 to 10 years.
However, this is not a guarantee. Samsung has claimed that the display of the Galaxy Z Fold7 remains functional after 500,000 folds in the laboratory tests. Sounds pretty reassuring, but a controlled test doesn’t mean the Fold7 will survive that much opening and closing in your everyday life. In the past, Samsung’s claim of 200,000 folds on the original Galaxy Fold fell short. When you hear the numbers being thrown around, treat them as general benchmarks and marketing numbers.
In addition, it is much more useful to check dirt before closing the phone than to count your wrinkles every day. Do not press hard on the screen or use the wrong stylus. Use a soft cloth to clean marks on the screen instead of grabbing them with your fingernail. And while the IP68 rating sounds great, Apple notes that the iPhone Duo’s water and dust resistance can be reduced with normal wear and tear. Nothing lasts forever, but wear and tear increases faster when moving parts are involved.