While foldable phones may not be the most sturdy smartphones out there, Samsung has been able to make converts out of skeptics this early on. Their foldable devices, especially the latter ones seem to be sturdier and have better build quality than the other ones currently in the market. But now it looks like there may be some vulnerability to it, specifically due to the extremely cold weather in South Korea where a couple of users have posted that their Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip have been damaged by opening them while outdoors in the cold.
According to SAM Mobile, a couple of Samsung users from South Korea posted pictures of their damaged smartphones which they claim happened when they opened their foldables out in the cold weather. Samsung has not issued warnings about using the Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, and other foldables in the cold weather and some have already experienced using it at freezing temperatures. So it’s unclear really if the damage occurred because of the extreme cold or maybe due to other external factors.
But using foldable displays in low temperatures is understandably more prone to be damaged than using regular display smartphones in the same conditions. Materials normally contract on cold weather and so the foldable panels may deform more easily than other flat displays which may lead to permanent damage. Other foldable devices like the Huawei Mate X have advised users about using the device in environments with below -5 degrees Celsius.
Samsung’s foldable displays have a layer of Ultra Thin Glass or UTG which should make them more durable and resistant as compared to those that don’t have it. The original Galaxy Fold doesn’t have it and so that might have contributed to the damage, although the Galaxy Z Flip already comes with UTG. So to be safe, you should probably avoid opening your foldable device in extremely cold situations.
Samsung has not yet responded to the two cases that have been posted about so far. Again, there is no confirmation whatsoever that the damage was sustained because of the weather so they’re also probably not worried about fallout as these seem to be isolated cases for now.