• Motorola’s new $1,500 Razr foldable smartphone went through CNET’s brutal folding test and survived only 27,000 folds and unfolds.
  • To compare, the $2,000 Samsung Galaxy Fold survived 120,000 folds and unfolds in the same test.
  • The test isn’t definitive because the robot doing the folding and unfolding is particularly brutal – more so than most humans. If a human does fold and unfold their smartphone as harshly, then perhaps they shouldn’t have a foldable smartphone.
  • With their hinges and foldable screens, foldable smartphones have more breaking points than traditional slab-style smartphones.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Motorola’s new $1,500 Razr suffered through CNET’s folding test, which is akin to brutal medieval torture, and the Razr’s hinge survived only 27,000 folds.

The $2,000 Samsung Galaxy Fold survived 120,000 folds and unfolds in CNET’s test three months earlier.

Does the folding test show that each phone’s hinge will last through only that many folds? Unlikely. The machine, designed by SquareTrade, that CNET uses to fold and unfold these phones is utterly brutal – far more brutal than how most people are likely to fold and unfold their devices. Just take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVOb9mgAgdU?start=5017

Both the Galaxy Fold and the new Razr are more likely to survive a little longer in your comfy padded hands than in the machine's cold hard metal and plastic. And if you unfold your phone with the same force as the machine, then maybe foldable smartphones aren't for you.

Still, it's true that foldable smartphones have more points of failure with the hinge and folding screen than traditional slab-style smartphones. Plus, foldable smartphones are still brand new, and it'll unsurprisingly take time to develop hinge and foldable-screen technology that's durable enough for smartphones - devices we use multiple times a day.

To Cnet's test, Motorola sent a statement to Business Insider saying that the test is not indicative of the Razr's durability. Here's the full statement:

"razr is a unique smartphone, featuring a dynamic clamshell folding system unlike any device on the market. 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."

Motorola also has a video showing how the company tests the durability of the Razr, which is significantly more gentle and realistic than Cnet's smartphone version of the Iron Maiden torture device: