How to take care of your foldable phone’s hinge
Modern foldable phones are designed for years of normal use, but their hinges and flexible screens can still be damaged by grit, pressure or rough handling. The article advises treating durability ratings as laboratory benchmarks rather than guarantees, and paying attention to changes in how the phone opens and closes.
Keep debris away from the hinge and inner display, check between the screens before folding, and never force the mechanism. Dust resistance ratings do not make a phone dustproof, and pressurised air should not be used on the display. Samsung Display’s test found the Galaxy Z Fold7’s OLED panel remained functional after 500,000 folds, equivalent to more than 10 years at 100 folds a day, but the test did not cover every hinge component; Samsung lists a Galaxy Z Fold8 inner-screen replacement at $579.
- Keep grit and debris away from the hinge and inner screen.
- Fold-count tests do not guarantee every phone component’s lifespan.
- Watch for stiffness or new grinding noises, and never force the hinge.
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Foldable phones are a newer category of mobile devices that fold in half, with screens that flex open and closed. The hinge mechanism that makes this folding possible is the most vulnerable part of the device, since it has to move reliably through thousands of cycles.
Unlike traditional phones with fixed screens, foldable phones have flexible displays and moving parts that can be damaged by dust, grit or rough handling. Manufacturers test these components for durability, but those tests represent controlled laboratory conditions rather than guarantees about how long any individual phone will last during everyday use.
Replacement parts for foldable phones, particularly the inner screen, can be costly, so maintaining the device through careful use is important. Durability ratings should be understood as benchmarks from controlled testing rather than promises that a phone will withstand any amount of use.