Foldable phones and dust: what a test on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 shows about the hinge

Samsung rates the device IP48. The second digit stands for protection against water, including submersion, and here the device is well equipped.

The first digit concerns solid foreign objects, and there things look different. The device is only protected against particles from one millimetre in diameter. Fine dust and sand from your trouser pocket are usually much smaller.

Samsung says so itself on its support page: the Fold and Flip models are not protected against dust getting in. According to Samsung, small particles such as sand can also cause scratches or dents in the screen.

iFixit took the Fold 8 apart in August and ran its own test along the way. The testers put a very fine powder into the hinge, with grains smaller than normal beach sand, and then folded the device open and shut several times.

Soon the hinge was crunching and scraping audibly, and the device could no longer be opened normally. The dust hardly got inside, though, because the batteries and boards were strikingly clean when it was opened.

This was explicitly not a lab test of the kind done for an IP rating. But it shows well where the weak spot of a foldable phone lies in everyday use.

A hinge often announces problems before the inner screen takes any damage. Watch out for these signs.

For earlier Fold models, Samsung only offered the hinge and inner screen as one combined spare part. iFixit expects the same for the Fold 8.

For you, this means: if the hinge is worn out, a new inner screen comes with it, even if the screen was still flawless. Conversely, damage to the inner screen also leads to replacing the whole assembly.

On top of that, the device has to be taken apart almost completely, because the hinge can only be reached behind the inner screen. iFixit describes this repair as expensive and laborious even when everything goes smoothly, and has provisionally given the Fold 8 only a low repairability score.

What this means for your device, we clarify during the diagnosis. The diagnosis is free, even if you decide against the repair afterwards. After the diagnosis you get a quote. We only repair once you agree.

Samsung recommends blowing dust off the hinge with an air blower or removing it with a soft brush. Sharp objects have no business near the openings, however stubbornly a crumb may be stuck.

A protective film is applied to the inner screen at the factory. Don't peel it off, even if it bubbles or is scratched, because Samsung warns that this can damage or even destroy the screen.

Also, don't press on the fold, and only wipe the inner screen with a dry cloth. On the beach or on a building site, the device is best kept folded shut in a closed bag.

With the iPhone Duo, Apple is now releasing a foldable phone too. How well its hinge copes with dust can only be said once it has been taken apart and tested. What matters for repairing the Duo is covered in our article on the iPhone Duo.