Posted on 02/20/2020 10:25:16 AM PST by Red Badger
Key Points
YouTube channel JerryRigEverything showed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip display is as strong as plastic, not glass as advertised.
The Motorola RAZR is already breaking, with one reviewer’s screen completely separating from the phone’s body.
Maybe you shouldn’t buy a folding phone yet.
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Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip. Ryan Browne | CNBC
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Two new phones with folding displays, the $1,380 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and the $1,500 Motorola RAZR, launched in recent weeks, and people already have complaints about them.
It seems like a repeat of what we went through nearly a year ago, when Samsung seeded the Galaxy Fold to reviewers and early units broke. The phone was delayed for five months while Samsung worked on a solution, but the launch seems to have been fine after the company made changes to the hinge and screen.
But the latest foldable phones are having issues of their own. Here’s what’s going on. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip screen seems to be plastic, not glass as advertised
Over the weekend, YouTube channel JerryRigEverything called into question Samsung’s claims that the new Galaxy Z Flip has a glass display.
In a hardness test, JerryRigEverything found that Samsung’s screen scratches like plastic and wasn’t as hard or resistant to damage as glass. But, during a press conference in San Francisco last week, Samsung said the phone has a first-of-its-kind folding glass display, marketed as “Ultra Thin Glass,” or UTG for short.
Those claims about glass construction seemed to quell concerns that the screen would be as prone to damage as the original Galaxy Fold, though JerryRigEverything shows in his video that even a fingernail can permanently dent the screen, just like on Samsung’s first folding phone.
After JerryRigEverything posted its video, Samsung warned in a statement that its new folding display should be handled with care.
“Samsung’s first-of-its-kind UTG technology is different from other Galaxy flagship devices,” Samsung told CNBC. “While the display does bend, it should be handled with care. Also, Galaxy Z Flip has a protective layer on top of the UTG similar to Galaxy Fold.”
You can watch the JerryRigEverything video here:
VIDEO AT LINK...................
One person who said he bought the Galaxy Z Flip posted a picture of damage across the fold of the screen. He said the crack occurred when he opened the phone:
Amir 💎 @mondoir
Received my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip just now. Opened the box. Removed the protective/instruction film. Flipped the phone as you would do since it’s a flip phone and this happened. I heard the crack as well. 😰 cold weather?#SamsungGalaxy #ZFlip #samsung
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CNBC has a Galaxy Z Flip. The screen feels more sturdy than the Galaxy Fold, which felt flimsy. CNBC’s first Galaxy Fold review unit broke when we tested it. That hasn’t happened with the Galaxy Z Flip.
The Z Flip comes with a warning similar to that of the Galaxy Fold, with both a sticker on the screen and a start-up warning that tells users to “avoid pressing hard on the screen or the front camera lens” and to make sure there’s nothing on the screen when you fold it closed. Samsung offers a one-time screen replacement for $119 if owners have a problem.
Samsung also told CNBC that it will offer a free screen protector for Z Flip owners at Samsung retail locations or by mail. Samsung didn’t explain why that additional screen protector isn’t included with the phone out of the box, though.
The Motorola RAZR is already breaking
Motorola Razr with folding display Motorola
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Meanwhile, the Motorola RAZR, which also has a foldable display, is also breaking.
Tech website Input said its new Motorola RAZR’s screen is already separating from the body and is completely damaged after only a few days of use. The site said it doesn’t know how the damage occurred, but it posted several images showing the display ripping off the frame of the phone, which suggests quality control issues around the border and hinge of the RAZR.
Ray Wong📱💾📼 ✔ @raywongy
Funny all the blindly optimistic foldable fanatics are suddenly nowhere to be found... (also still waiting to hear from you Motorola)https://www.inputmag.com/tech/our-motorola-razrs-plastic-display-is-already-breaking-peeling-at-the-fold …
“We have full confidence in razr’s display, and do not expect consumers to experience display peeling as a result of normal use,” a Motorola spokesperson told CNBC. “If consumers experience this issue, and the device has not endured customer abuse or misuse, it will be covered by our warranty.”
Maybe don’t buy a folding phone yet
All of this may explain why both Motorola and Samsung were wary of sharing their new devices with tech reviewers. Motorola didn’t send test samples out until after the phone was already available to consumers, a sign that it wasn’t confident in the phone.
Samsung is only letting testers review the Z Flip for 24 hours. It says it’s due to limited supply. CNBC bought a Galaxy Z Flip to test, however, and a review is coming.
While CNBC hasn’t had any problems with the Galaxy Z Flip, it’s clear that the screen isn’t as strong as Samsung’s “ultra thin glass” marketing suggests it is. YouTuber JerryRigEverything said the display might have glass elements but proved that it still scratches and damages as easily as plastic.
The issues with the Motorola RAZR are a bit more serious. The screen shouldn’t separate from the phone. It’s not known how widespread this problem is but, even before Input reported its problems, most reviewers didn’t like the phone anyway.
Until folding phones have durable glass displays that don’t damage easily, or show us why they’re better than cheaper phones that don’t fold, you shouldn’t buy one.
A quarter million isn’t a lot if you think about it.....................
So you’re saying if we buy one get the service plan eh?
LOL!...It would be wiser not but one in the first place!................
Jerry did another video for the Samsung Z flip, in response to Samsung’s response to his first video. He discovered that there is an ultra thin layer of glass, under the top plastic layer. He concluded that the feature was still poorly named, and not very useful, since even though that layer was glass, it doesn’t deliver the “glass experience” that people expect.
Well in my "glass experience," glass breaks when bent. This stuff didn't break, and on the hardness scale it was scratchable at a 3, if I recall. Glass scratches up around 5.
In any case, I'm going to wait for the "next generation." My first computer was over $2k, and the subsequent purchases were mostly around $300, yet far more powerful. If these folding phones get better and drop to $100 or so, deal me in!
PS: Kudos to Jerry and all the other angels out there who review products and freely share their experience with the rest of us!
Crazy that 2014 is considered ancient. I think you will be part of the cool group now with the flip phone.
I have it set to MAKE & TAKE calls, ONLY; nothing more. I have an uber-powerful commercial/industrial-grade 2009 HP Desktop at home, and when I leave, I want to unplug. CALL ME if you need to reach me; no texting or messaging or email etc. It’s case is rubberized so if I drop it, it doesn’t break. My condo is NOT smart or connected with it; I don’t need Google/NSA monitoring my every move and action.
I understand that big time. It’s too late for most of us. Scary too.
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