Big oof: The Motorola RAZR shows awful durability as it fails a folding test

A few days ago, we reported that owners of the new Motorola RAZR were complaining about hinge noises. That was always a bad sign, and it would seem that the phone just isn’t anywhere as durable as one would expect, after it was tested by CNET and failed horribly.

CNET’s test had the RAZR put into an automated folding machine called the FoldBot, to see if the phone’s folding mechanism could survive 100,000 folds. Disappointment ensued. The Motorola RAZR only got to 27,000 folds before packing up, with the hinge becoming so stiff the FoldBot could no longer fold the phone.

That’s a woeful performance by the RAZR, and is unlikely to encourage potential buyers of the device. How long would a power user take to hit 27,000 folds? A year? Less. At a hundred folds a day—which is viable for a heavy user—the RAZR would give up on day 270. For all its flaws and negative headlines, Samsung’s Galaxy Fold reached 120,000 folds on the same test before exhibiting any issues with its folding mechanism.

The Motorola RAZR costs a whopping US$1500. Yes, it may be cheaper than other foldables like the Huawei Mate X and Galaxy Fold, but it also appears to be a lot more fragile. We’ll see how the Galaxy Z Flip does on this test when it's released.