Samsung Galaxy Z Flip teardown reveals dust's impact on hinge, iFixit says
The iFixit repair experts tested how purple powder mixed with the foldable phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip's hinge doesn't mix well with dust, it seems.
People have been putting Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip through its paces since the foldable phone came out last week, with much of the attention focusing on the Z Flip's ultra thin glass display and its ability to survive a drop. The repair experts at iFixit took a different approach, and tested the impact of dust exposure.
The site highlights the tiny brush fibers lining the hinge, meant to stop dust from getting in, and Samsung's warning that the Galaxy Z Flip isn't dust-proof. So iFixit put the phone through a pretty intense dust test, dropping it into a Ziploc bag with some purple powder and shaking it up.
Following the test, the hinge made a creak when moved, and the full teardown revealed purple dust all over the interior.
"The components involved in the folding process are likely to wear over time (even if you don't bathe them in purple dust), necessitating eventual replacement," iFixit concluded.
It also noted that glass display is delicate and covered in a thin layer of scratchable plastic, and that DIY repairs would be extremely difficult -- much like with Motorola's foldable, the Razr.
Samsung didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
First published Feb. 18 at 5:41 a.m. PT.
Updates 6:07 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.
