iPhone Duo Passes 185,000 Folds on Our Fold-Testing Machine

Our automated fold-testing machine has now put the iPhone Duo through 185,000 folds, and the device is still passing. The result is a useful milestone, but it does not yet answer the question the headline poses: how far can it go before something gives way?

Fold counts matter because the hinge and the folding display are the parts most likely to wear out on any foldable phone. A machine repeats the same motion with the same force thousands of times, which makes the results consistent from one cycle to the next. It cannot fully reproduce daily life, though, with pockets, grit, uneven pressure, and the occasional drop.

A pass at a round number like 185,000 also does not set a ceiling. Until a failure point is found, the test only shows how far the device has gone so far. Further cycles are what would show where the hinge actually stops, and that figure would tell buyers far more about long-term durability than a single milestone.