Samsung Electronics' new foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, is making waves with its powerful durability. Despite the relentless efforts of a million-subscriber YouTuber known as the 'King of Destruction' to break it, the device held firm, earning admiration from users.
On the 10th, an online video titled "Galaxy Z Fold 8 Durability Test – Is the Titanium Screen Real?" uploaded by the 10th-million-subscriber YouTuber 'JerryRigEverything' became a hot topic. Released the previous afternoon, the video had already reached 970,000 views as of 10 a.m. (Korean time).
In the video, the YouTuber, true to his nickname 'King of Destruction', scratches the Z Fold 8's pristine display, frame, and camera with sharp tools like a cutter knife and screwdriver, burns them with a lighter, sprinkles sand on the screen and hinge area, and repeatedly folds it. The highlight is an attempt to break the foldable phone by applying force in the opposite direction of its folding mechanism.
After three attempts to forcefully bend the device, the built-in camera pops out and the back panel lifts. However, when he folds it again and activates the internal display, no issues appear on the screen. He then praises the Galaxy Fold 8 as "Thanos level," comparing it to the powerful villain Thanos from Marvel Comics.
JerryRigEverything is a YouTuber who has amassed millions of subscribers through rigorous durability tests that often involve breaking phones. Previously, he broke an iPhone 15 Pro Max with his bare hands, leading to multiple articles questioning its durability. He also once bent a Samsung Electronics tri-fold smartphone (capable of folding three times) in the opposite direction of its fold line. As a result, comments have even appeared suggesting that Samsung's developers took revenge by releasing this foldable phone.
Korean YouTuber 'Gunggeumhagi', boasting 180,000 subscribers, also uploaded a video titled "Z Fold 8 Durability Test" five days ago. This video surpassed 290,000 views within just five days.
He continues testing by scratching the Z Fold 8's smartphone frame and display with a sharp tester, removing the anti-reflective film, scraping off the camera, and checking waterproof tape. Finally, he attempts to break the phone by flipping it over and bending it.
Despite three strenuous attempts that left his hands trembling, the smartphone remains intact. Even the power, which seemed dead after being submerged in water, turns back on, revealing a fully functional display. He mutters, "How is this possible?" before saying, "Let's break something," and starts hitting the phone with a monkey wrench. When that fails too, he teases in his next video that he will dissect the Fold 8.
Netizens responded with comments such as: "Samsung engineers must have gritted their teeth after seeing the Fold 7 get crushed," "I still haven't received my pre-ordered one, yet someone got theirs first and ended its cute life," "Why was it delivered so quickly to this person?", and "It's chilling—it's like a horror movie."
According to Samsung Electronics, the key to the Z Fold 8's remarkable durability, proven by multiple YouTubers, lies in the newly introduced 'Flex Titanium' technology.
Samsung Electronics applied a dual-layer structure called 'Flex Titanium', consisting of a titanium alloy film and a titanium plate beneath it to support the film. This not only significantly improved the foldable phone's notorious screen creasing issue but also enhanced its durability.
The titanium alloy film was made by processing a titanium alloy composed of vanadium, aluminum, chromium, and other elements into a thickness approximately one-third that of a human hair, followed by heat treatment. Pure titanium is difficult to fold, so an alloy material was chosen. The titanium plate serves to disperse external pressure and impact while maintaining uniformity on the display surface. With titanium materials commonly used in aerospace applications applied in a dual layer, it appears unlikely that even strong hands could break it easily.
A Samsung Electronics representative explained: "Since there are two layers of titanium, durability has significantly improved. Through ultra-precision machining and sophisticated heat treatment technology this time, the titanium alloy was implemented to approximately one-third the thickness of a human hair, reducing the display module thickness by about 10% compared to before while ensuring it can withstand long-term use."
in TECH
