Popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything put the Galaxy Z Fold 8 through his standard durability tests, and the device passed with flying colors. Demand for Samsung’s first 4:3 book-style foldable display appears exceptionally strong, with the company struggling to fulfil orders.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 display and scratch resistance
Jerry first scratched the cover display and found its Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 3 did not scratch until level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves appearing at level 7. The inner foldable display, which uses a plastic composite rather than glass, scratched at just level 2 and can be marked by fingernails and everyday pocket items such as keys and coins, similar to prior Galaxy Z Fold models. Samsung will replace the inner screen layer once for free; subsequent replacements cost $19.
Frame, cameras and fingerprint sensor
The frame was confirmed as Armor Aluminum. The fingerprint scanner is not removable while the volume rocker can be removed. Jerry found the camera island is made of plastic—a first for Samsung—though the camera lenses themselves are protected by glass. The metal rings around the cameras can be popped off with a sharp object. The back panel uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and did not scratch easily.
Dust, heat and bend tests
For the dust test, Jerry placed dust on the inner display, closed the phone, added dust to the sides, back and hinge area, then opened and repeatedly opened and closed the device; the hinge continued to function properly. He scratched the fingerprint scanner multiple times—after registering a fingerprint requires rolling the finger—yet it continued to recognise his fingerprint, and he described its recognition speed as the fastest he had seen on a smartphone.
Under direct heat, the inner display developed permanent burn marks after around seven seconds; the cover display lasted slightly longer, around 10 seconds, before permanent burn marks appeared. In bend tests with the phone closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 showed very little flex whether bent from the front or the back. When Jerry bent the open phone backward it flexed considerably but did not break or suffer major damage; the back panel popped off during the test but returned to its original position once the bending stopped.
