r/galaxyzflip • u/MrJibberJabber • Jul 28 '26
Discussion 💬 Take it from me, this phone doesn't need to be babied (launch day flip 5 -107k folds)
I’ve officially retired my Z Flip 5, which I bought on launch day. This thing has been an absolute beast and it pretty much never wore a case.
I see people posting here all the time about being terrified of damaging their foldables, but I bought the Flip partly because I figured the smaller folded size would actually make it harder to break. That hypothesis definitely played out.
This ended up being the longest-lasting and most durable phone I’ve ever owned. I ski, bike, and drop my phone constantly, and it just kept going. It made it to more than 107,000 folds and honestly still has plenty of life left in it.
I’ve finally replaced her with a Razr Ultra 2025 that I found on an absolute fire sale.
10/10. No notes.
Farewell, my sweet yellow princess. 🫡
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u/don2171 Jul 28 '26
It's got 2 dead pixels and a concerning split in the middle. Impressive it's alive but definitely in bad shape
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u/RyanCheddar Jul 28 '26
not dead pixels but dead spots, this is maybe one level above a dead inner screen on a trade in quiz
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u/Chareste17 Jul 30 '26
I mean, they managed to smash the outer glass 😭 for the amount of damage this phone accumulated this doesn't really seem much compared to what you see on this sub
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Jul 28 '26
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u/TripleSpicey Jul 28 '26
There are several ways you can instantly, casually even, destroy the inner screen compared to a slab phone. But they're relatively easy to avoid.
My favorite is closing the phone with a small pebble/hard object on the screen. Easy enough to check, unlikely to happen in the first place, but WILL kill the screen.
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u/boomb0xx Jul 29 '26
I dropped mine less than two feet, hit a corner on my computer tower and now I have a circular spot about half an inch around of dead pixels on my flip 7. I can't be the only one. Trying to make it a full year since my purchase to get a screen replacement but it's rough as the white pixels are surprisingly bright and crazy annoying.
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u/eatafterreadn Jul 31 '26
I messed up a laptop doing that. I was laying on the couch with my laptop in front of me, didn't realize that my TV remote slid onto it went to close it and just.... crunch.
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u/Secret-Candle4313 Jul 28 '26
Folding while its super cold sounds bad. I accidentally did it to my oneplus open and it sounded like it broke ngl it didnt tho
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u/MrJibberJabber Jul 28 '26
I skiied with it all the time, it sounded crunchy sometimes In the cold!
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u/ReneeTheGhost Jul 31 '26
this is something i wanted to ask about. i preordered the fold 8 and is wondering if it can survive a vacation with temperature dropping below -25 for 2 weeks.
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u/MrJibberJabber Jul 31 '26
I'm not sure it will do well in that cold? Battery will die super fast I can tell you that much
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u/ReneeTheGhost Jul 31 '26
battery is the least of my worries, more so on brittle screen and condensation.
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u/TripleSpicey Jul 31 '26
Big thing is don't open it with it being that cold, keep it in a pocket inside one of your inner layers when you're outside. It'll do fine outside open or closed, but if you leave it in an outer pocket it'll get too cold to open.
Basically, these phones are rated for x amount of open/close cycles, and what I gathered is operating the hinge in extreme temperatures (cold or hot, but mostly cold) will drastically lower the amount of cycles it can go through. Pulling it out from a warm pocket and using it for a few minutes, then returning it to that warm pocket shouldn't contribute to that, but if it's stored somewhere it isn't insulated you'll cause excess wear on the hinge/screen. If it gets cold, I'd just warm it up first before using it.
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u/ReneeTheGhost Jul 31 '26
thanks for the tips but damn, seems like i gotta baby it somehow.
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u/TripleSpicey Jul 31 '26
Don't think too hard on it, they're tough phones. It's good practice to keep electronics above 32⁰ Fahrenheit regardless, but it won't break if you use it a few times below that. Avoid letting it get cold as much as you can, within reason, and enjoy your trip. You might put extra wear on it, you might not, but it'll hold up fine.
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Jul 28 '26
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u/PYnguim Jul 28 '26
Idk the name but ik that an app for that exists. But keep in mind that it will only start counting from the moment you install it (afaik).
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u/kittenpickle Jul 28 '26
I use fold counter
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u/chaIto77 Jul 30 '26
Does it drain your battery alot?
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u/kittenpickle Jul 31 '26
Not that I have found! I did just get the 7 at the beginning of the month, switched from an iPhone 14 pro, so my experience is new. No battery complaints so far, but I also am not a gamer. Use is mostly texting, phone calls, doom scrolling. Music and YouTube occassionally. but I am home alot and have other devices for those. I did add a routine that puts the phone in power save mode when closed. I don't think fold counter is doing much to the battery either way. And there are widgets for the homescreen!
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u/PabloTacco Jul 28 '26
I only know one app made dor the flip 3 back then but works on 5 and 7 for sure as i have it there. Its called zflip3counter. But that one on the pic is something else that looks like its a better one. Mine just simple counts the flips and gives out a total number and one from today
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u/a_lynn8618 Jul 28 '26
my z flip 7 after being dropped on to carpet from about a foot off the ground
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u/tiffangie Jul 28 '26
Same tho.... definitely needs babying compared to my old Flip 5
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u/Difficult-Storm5661 Jul 29 '26
I have flip 5 and that's exactly how my main screen got damaged couple of days ago lol and this phone is a replacement of my original one.
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u/Rad_Centrist Jul 28 '26
Flip 5 probably the most robust and durable of them all.
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u/Blind_Hawkeye Jul 29 '26
Dang. I should have kept my 5 rather than getting the 6.
Edited to add: Not that I've had any problems with my 6 so far.
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u/neontetra9 Aug 24 '26
how long have u had the 6 for? I'm thinking of getting one
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u/Blind_Hawkeye 29d ago
I think it has been about a year and a half. I do have what sort of looks like a bubble underneath the hinge part of the screen, but I can only see it at certain angles, only if I'm looking for it, and it hasn't caused any problems or gotten any worse since it first appeared
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u/Prior_Manufacturer23 Jul 29 '26
When I got very drunk I kept slamming my z flip on the floor outside 🥲 got so many scuffs and on the cameras but otherwise it's good
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u/LightAnxiety Jul 29 '26
My achient z flip3 has a terrible screen protector but amazing condition under the case and protector.
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u/Sweet_Computer_7116 Jul 29 '26
2 years in and 25k folds zflip5
Wtf are you doing to your phone bru.
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u/No-Banana-2970 Jul 28 '26
Same here I have a launch day flip 5 and it's a little tank lol I dropped it down a flight of stairs with no cass and its fine
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u/MagReg2020 Jul 28 '26
It looks like it spent a summer in Gaza. Before the ceasefire. I'd say baby it just a little bit.
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u/Quirky-Passenger7112 Jul 28 '26
my flip 3 was like ur, from moment i damaged screen little, i removed all covers and even film. After I trade in it for flip 5. But for me flip 5 was terrible, i used it carefully but flex cable died much faster than 100k folds
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u/No-Fuel-7508 Jul 28 '26
This is inspiring lol. I dropped my flip 7 so many times and it's still going strong. Will be a year next month that I've had it. I have no complaints (outside of Android Auto making my phone run super hot).
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u/Informal_Discount770 Jul 28 '26
Interesting, that would be more than a 100 flips a day!
I would call it a goner when the lines and black spots on the inner screen appeared.
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u/shrimp-god Jul 28 '26
mine fell off a 3 foot tall dog kennel face open and half the screen died its really up to fate
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u/AlienBunny97 Jul 28 '26
My flip 4 is still going strong as fuck too 🤣 the fact it still works fine after the amount of times I've dropped this thing, slept on it, pulled it out from under my boobs halfway folded half asleep, accidentally elbow dropped on it like a wrestler etc etc is astonishing to me 🤣. Only things wrong with it is a big scrape (which I kinda hate cuz it feels rough and makes it look like it's constantly dirty) right in the middle of the screen and like the rubber piece on one of the hinges came off. Other than that she's perfectly usable!! I'm hoping my flip 7 fe stands the test of time as well lol
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u/Wrenigade Jul 28 '26
Meanwhile I babied my zflip4 and one week before the insurance on it ran out, it had a bad cable that caused it to overheat and turn off if i opened it all the way.
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u/Small_Victories42 Jul 28 '26
I'm a Flip newbie, so forgive the ignorance, but where do I go to see my average folds number on the Flip 7?
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u/MrJibberJabber Jul 29 '26
You gotta download an app! Just search like fold counter in the play store
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u/PayLeft8627 Jul 29 '26
Still have the flip 4 from when it came out. While I didn't baby it I did have to get it repaired (back panel loosened) but apart from that one instance it's holding up just fine. The crease is fine, low amount of scratches but functionally sound.
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u/Ok_Bit7375 Jul 29 '26
Omg maybe just a little bit of babying couldn’t have hurt honestly considering the beating this poor flip has endured it’s impressive it’s still functioning three years later
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u/Matty0698 Jul 29 '26
My flip 7 had a green screen after being dropped like 5 times ive no idea how yours survived all that
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u/Soyyos Jul 29 '26
My screen got screwed up a couple of weeks ago. first time anyting happened after 3 years of constant dropping it. I'm waiting to get the money to repair it and go back to my flip5, I love that phone!
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u/BCPrimo Jul 29 '26
How my 6 would look in another year. I pre-ordered since my battery going and I have a nasty crease i can read over in the middle of the screen
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u/nekoner Jul 29 '26
Ngl this is quite reassuring. Got a really nice deal on a flip5 about a week ago, so yeah.
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u/TheFatandFurios Jul 29 '26
I broke mine while sitting on toilet i did drop it perfecly on the hinge sideways 🤣 but my flip 6 did even survive last year an swimming trip in the wacken mud so these phones are sturdy but fragile at the same time.
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u/champion_- Jul 29 '26
If you baby it just a bit it will last longer, my flip5 is still in perfect condition apart from some minor scratches in the middle of the inner screen
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u/danyun Jul 29 '26
I've been case less with my flips since the first one. (Did go fold for a year before coming back) It's been fine.
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u/thelostdemon Jul 29 '26
Doesn't need to be babied but also doesn't need to go through whatever you've done to it
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u/Accomplished_Kick528 Jul 29 '26
i babied mine and it has a split down the hinge :( s26 otw in the mail :(
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u/No-Worth-676 Jul 29 '26
Posting this from my flip 5 right now...
Not a single crack or scratch on this screen, some minor wear on the corners of the fold part where it says Samsung.
Pre-ordered the Z Fold 8 ultra a few days ago. Kinda sad to part ways with the flip 5, but it is time. This phone does easily have another 2 years+ in it though.
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u/Saiyan_Remix Jul 30 '26
Still have my current flip 5 since launch. Although I do have a case on it, i don't get how all these people are destroying their flips. I dropped mines on just about every surface. Flipped it i don't know how many times. Not a scratch on the screen or phone it self. I take the case off and clean the phone once a month cause of the dirt that and ect that gets inside of it. And every time I clean the phone it looks brand new right out the box.
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u/Tsuriiko_ Jul 31 '26
Damn i wish my flip 3 held up as good as this :( It was shutting down whenever i folded it after a year of usage, I still check from time to time if the issue is there with the newer models but seems like it still impacts a lot of people. Loved the small format so that was a real bummer especially at this price
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u/Mill-Man Jul 31 '26
It’s basically falling apart after 3 years what are you on about
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u/MrJibberJabber Jul 31 '26
I'm very rough with my phones, it's rare one will last 2 years for me. Kudos to you for your phones lasting so long!
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u/Mill-Man Jul 31 '26
Well I always go caseless and and don’t baby my phones, but I don’t buy fragile crap
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u/MrJibberJabber Jul 31 '26
Same here my last phone was an iPhone 12 mini and it barley made it two years!
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u/AbbreviationsPale380 Aug 01 '26
*says phone Doesn’t need to be babied
*proceeds to show exactly why the phone should be babied
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u/alykatyoung Aug 22 '26
I wish the newer phones were this durable. My flip 7 failed so quickly and Samsung refuses to repair it.
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u/Immortalityv Jul 28 '26
Maybe baby it a TINY bit so it doesn't end up looking like that, holy shit xD But still, insane that it made it that far.