Motorola's new RAZR fails its durability test after 27,000 folds. Problems were seen after the group took the smartphone out of the device to check it for the third time, after which they found out it struggled to fold. When they sooner or later did manage to shut it, the hinge appeared to have fallen out of alignment. However, the mobile phone's display remained functional no matter what the folding problems were.
Disappointment ensued as the Razr peered if the smartphone's folding mechanism may want to live on 100,000 folds. CNET began streaming what it hoped could be a 12-plus-hour stay display to discover if the cellphone could hold as much as being folded 100,000 times.
ALSO READ : Motorola Razr 2020 Specs, Pre-orders Update: Users Won't Get the Latest Handset Until Feb. 18
CNET borrows FoldBot machine from SquareTrade to test latest Razr
CNET borrowed the FoldBot machine from SquareTrade, a San Francisco-based company that offers warranties for consumer electronics and appliances. The tech website likewise used the same folding machine when they tested the Samsung Galaxy Fold. According to CNET, SquareTrade modified the FoldBot to accommodate the new Razr.
The goal was to stream the test until the wee hours of Friday morning when CNET planned to hit 100,000 folds. The tech website noticed the FoldBot was having some trouble closing the phone all the way each time. The hinge became very stiff and resistant to be fully closed as if something came loose during its 4 p.m. check-in. Razr started to loosen up after flexing the hook a few times by hand, said CNET.
CNET attempted to return the flip phone back into the FoldBot once again. Still, the machine was unable to subdue the stiffness of the hinge and wouldn't fold the phone anymore. The tech website stopped the test and called it a day with around 27,000 folds on the counter.
Won't this phone last a year? Not quite, says CNET
The latest Razr will not last after between six and 12 months of use, according to CNET, unless the test wasn't flawed and if a person checks their mobile phone 80 to 150 times a day on average.
Motorola hasn't announced how many folds it expects the Razr to be able to survive but noted that it should survive two years. It also offers a one-year warranty for "defects incurred during normal use."
Motorola 'unhappy' with results, shares 'real' flip test
Motorola said it isn't pleased with the CNET's results, according to The Verge. CNET's test, according to Motorola, is "not indicative" of what consumers will experience when using Razr in the real-world.
In a statement, Motorola said SquareTrade's FoldBot is "not designed" to test the device. The tech giant said any tests run using FoldBot would put "undue stress" on the hinge and won't allow the phone to open and close as intended.
Motorola also shared a video, saying that it has the "the real Razr flip test."
Some users have also raised problems with the Razr's quality. Multiple reviewers were posting videos of the way Motorola's handset creaks and groans as it folds. A video from BBC News showed how it's possible to boost the plastic screen off the handset, which could have implications for dust and dirt entering into the device.
