How to Look After a Foldable Phone's Hinge: Tips Based on Manufacturer Guidance
Dirt and careless handling may matter more for a foldable phone's hinge than the number of folds. Samsung and Motorola advise checking for debris between the screens before closing the device.
The hinge of a foldable smartphone, a device with a bendable screen, can be protected by a few everyday habits. Writing for the technology site Engadget, the author says foldable durability is hard to predict and that a manufacturer's fold-count rating should not be treated as an expiry date.
The author's experience
The author used a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 for almost three years, and it survived fairly rough handling. His mother's Galaxy Z Fold6 failed after about a year, when its inner display stopped working. Debris around the hinge may have contributed, but the cause was never established.
Handling the hinge
Samsung advises clearing away foreign objects before closing the phone and not pressing too hard on the inner display. This applies to the newer Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Flip8, which carry an IP48 rating. The 4 means protection against solid objects of 1 mm or larger, but it does not make the phones dustproof. Motorola says dust can shorten hinge life and damage the internal display, and it advises against using pressurized air dusters.
There is no need to open the phone constantly. Book-style models such as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold can handle many tasks while closed, and the Razr+ 2026 can run full apps on its 4-inch external display without being opened.
Lab figures are not a guarantee
Samsung Display says the OLED panel used in the Galaxy Z Fold7 remained fully functional after 500,000 folds in a 13-day Bureau Veritas test at 77°F (25°C). That equals more than 10 years at around 100 folds a day. However, the test covered only the panel, not every hinge component or flex cable. In real life phones are dropped, carried in dusty pockets and exposed to temperature swings.
Motorola says some hinge noise is normal, but if the mechanism becomes stiffer, stops opening normally or begins making new grinding sounds, the phone should not be forced. Samsung currently lists an inner-screen module replacement for the Galaxy Z Fold8 at $579.
