A few flagship devices from rivals join the 2019 clamshell foldable Motorola Razr later this month. A number of weeks before it was launched, the people of CNET took a “sustainability” flip-phone.
For CNET’s’ FoldBot’ folding machine the phone lasted less than 4 hours and over 27.000 times the unit was folded up and unfolded before it started fighting. When they succeeded in closing the hinge mechanism, the alignment dropped and the noise started showing the structure broken. But the screen remained unchanged.
Hence, if a regular user folds the device about 30 to 50 times a day, it should be able to last around 1.5 years of regular use. This, however, would only apply if you fold the device as roughly and rapidly as the FoldBot. If you use it properly and carefully it can easily last you 2 years or more.
Motorola has released a statement on CNET’s video that addresses the situation:
SquareTrade’s FoldBot is simply not designed to test our device. Therefore, any tests run utilizing this machine will put undue stress on the hinge and not allow the phone to open and close as intended, making the test inaccurate. The important thing to remember is that Razr underwent extensive cycle endurance testing during product development, and CNET’s test is not indicative of what consumers will experience when using Razr in the real-world. We have every confidence in the durability of Razr.
