The Galaxy Z Flip's hinge fibers aren't enough to keep dust out
It won't always keep Samsung's folding phone working.
Samsung made much ado over fiber layers in the Galaxy Z Flip's hinge that are supposed to keep dust and debris from ruining your day, but how effective are they, really? They might not be as effective as you'd like. iFixit has tested the hinge's dust resistance in the early stages of its teardown, and... it's not promising. While it's not surprising that dust would infiltrate other parts of the phone (Samsung explicitly warns the phone isn't dust-resistant), the hinge area was still coated in particles -- enough that they produced a disconcerting crunch when iFixit unfolded the device.
We've asked Samsung for comment. iFixit is planning to publish a full teardown in the early hours of February 19th that might shed more light. The Z Flip does have water-resistant circuitboards, at least, so it's less likely to die if you're unfortunate enough to spill water on your $1,380 pride and joy.
This isn't a real-world test -- not unless you're checking Instagram in the middle of a sandstorm, anyway. It does suggest that the hinge fibers aren't a cure-all, though. Although they may prevent the debris incidents that plagued early Galaxy Fold review units, you'll still have to be careful about dust if you want to keep the Z Flip in working order.
