Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes out on top in this drop test

Foldables have always been a matter of concern when it comes to durability. However, things appeared different in reality for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google’s Pixel Fold in a recent drop test. Surprisingly the inner soft screens of the foldable devices survived. But the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra suffered some notable damage.

According to Sammobile‘s report, Allstate Protection Plans wanted to test the durability of current flagships. And they selected the four most expensive devices for the test. The test involved dropping the phones from a height of 6 feet onto a concrete surface with the screens facing downward using a machine designed for this purpose.

In the first test, both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra were dropped with the screen facing down. Surprisingly, neither of them remained in a usable condition, with the glass coming off. When dropped on their backs, the same story repeated. It’s unfortunate to see the iPhone sustain the same damage despite being lighter, having a ‘ceramic shield’ for protection, and featuring a stronger titanium frame.

The foldables survived the test with their soft inner displays intact

Both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Google Pixel Fold surprisingly remained flawless even after two drops with the inner screen facing down from the same 6-foot height. The raised borders around the display suffered some minor damage, but the display remained flawless.

However, dropping them with the cover display facing down resulted in similar damages to the single-slab offerings.

Although the testing environment wasn’t ‘perfectly controlled’, it was close enough to draw conclusions. Namely, a protective case should always be used, regardless of what the company claims about durability.

The soft and fragile foldable displays likely survived the test for two reasons. First, the raised border provided protection, preventing the inner display from coming into contact with the concrete. Additionally, when unfolded, the phone’s larger surface area experienced greater air resistance when falling flat.

However, it’s important not to rely solely on this test, as the surface in your specific case might not be completely flat, and the angle of impact could differ. Therefore, using a protective case for your expensive foldable device is advisable and may prove helpful in real-world situations.