Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold8 earlier this month, and iFixit’s teardown of the device highlights hinge vulnerabilities, dust ingress limits and poor repairability that could foreshadow challenges for Apple’s forthcoming foldable iPhone Ultra.
Z Fold8 hinge and dust vulnerabilities
The Z Fold8 carries an IP48 rating, which makes it resistant to water but not to dust; iFixit’s hinge dust test put particulates into the mechanism and produced “truly awful crunching and grinding noises” before the device stopped opening normally. While dust that entered the hinge largely stayed out of many sealed portions of the phone, a foldable that will not fold remains a critical failure.
An IP4X dust rating protects against particles 1 mm and larger, but iFixit noted many sand and dust particles are smaller: beach sand measured 0.16 mm in their tests and the powder used measured 0.04 mm. Samsung introduced a new hinge design and a titanium-reinforced display structure to help the screen open flatter, but the company did not eliminate the crease; a separate Tom’s Guide review reported the crease became more visible after seven days of use.
Repairability, design and comparison to rumored Apple foldable
iFixit gave the Z Fold8 a repairability score of 4 out of 10. The teardown found the bezel around the inner display broke into pieces during removal, and there is no way to reach the hinge without removing the display. Batteries are also difficult to replace because doing so requires removing the outer display; iFixit summarized the situation: “It’s an expensive, painful repair even when everything goes right.”
The Z Fold8 measures with a 5.5-inch exterior screen when closed and a 7.6-inch interior screen when open, giving it a tablet-like feel closer to an iPad mini. Those dimensions nearly match rumors for Apple’s foldable device, which Apple is said to have delayed until it could minimize the crease. Rumors indicate Apple may use a display panel from Samsung Display, a liquid metal hinge and optically clear adhesive to reduce the crease.
iFixit is expected to run similar hinge and dust tests when Apple releases its foldable, and observers will then know whether Apple has overcome the crease and hinge problems seen in the Z Fold8. Apple is scheduled to introduce the foldable iPhone Ultra at its annual September event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models.
Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold, by contrast, carries an IP68 dust-and-water-resistance rating and uses a gearless hinge design; it launches on August 20 and will presumably fare better than the Z Fold8 in a dust exposure test.
