A stress test on popular YouTube channel JerryRigEverything has shown that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip’s display is far from scratch resistant and is not primarily glass like its marketing would have you believe.
Eager to convince people that the Z Flip is more durable than the disastrous Galaxy Fold, Samsung’s website says:
“Meet the first-ever folding glass screen on a Galaxy. Yeah, we said folding glass. Made of Samsung Ultra Thin Glass, it sets you up for an epic view with a smooth flat screen.”
In our hands-on with the phone we felt the screen was a little more durable at first glance, but not flat like this says – there’s still a visible crease that you can feel.
As JerryRigEverything’s video shows, the ‘glass’ display becomes damaged at the first level of scratch test – showing that it is primarily plastic. We never thought it was actually glass, as bending glass is impossible, but Samsung’s marketing here suggests a glass infused material that should be more durable.
It is clearly not, and the way Samsung is telling people it is made of glass is blatantly misleading.
It’s good that Samsung has, allegedly, made the Z Flip more resistant to permanent dents to the display than the Galaxy Fold, and some journalists have said annedcdotaly on Twitter that it feels more durable.
And as I note in my article, I’m getting tired of this witch hunt to “gotcha” Samsung on display durability. *Of course* it’s less durable than a regular phone. The question is whether Samsung is being truthful about the word “glass” here and sufficiently tempering expectations.
— Andrew Martonik (@andrewmartonik) February 16, 2020
But most people won’t see those tweets or this video and will instead see Samsung claim the Z Flip’s screen is made of glass and is therefore just as resistant. It’s misleading, and this video proves it.
When The Verge asked Samsung to comment on said video, its response was:
“Galaxy Z Flip features an Infinity Flex Display with Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) to deliver a sleek, premium look and offer an immersive viewing experience. Samsung’s first-of-its-kind UTG technology is different from other Galaxy flagship devices. 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.”
It’s a sort-of admission that it’s not glass, but not quite. Basically, if you don’t want a plastic display on your smartphone, don’t buy a folding phone.
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Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.