Reports of how many folds the Galaxy Z TriFold can actually handle may have been greatly exaggerated

Samsung’s ambitious new tri-folding phone recently faced a grueling endurance test to see if it actually lives up to those hefty durability promises. The results weren't exactly a total failure, but they definitely show that being an early adopter comes with some risks.

What happened during the fold test

A new YouTube livestream has surfaced where hosts manually folded the TriFold until it started acting up. Unfortunately, it didn't take nearly as long as Samsung hoped to accomplish just that. In the video, which spanned eight days of constant folding between three hosts, the device began to show its age well before hitting the finish line established by the manufacturer.

Around the 61,000-fold mark, the first hinge started making some ominous creaking sounds. By 121,000 folds, the second hinge joined the chorus. The real kicker came at 144,000 folds when the "elasticity" basically quit. The phone wouldn't stay flat anymore without being forced into place, making it feel stiff and difficult to operate.