I’ve had the phone for just over a month—it’s been well taken care of with no water damage or drops.
Yesterday morning, I received a text, but the UI started acting strangely. I couldn’t reply because it opened the texting app in ‘windowed’ mode, even though the screen was fully open. Later, while riding to work and listening to a podcast, I tried to pause it using my Bluetooth headset (inside my motorcycle helmet), but it wouldn’t stop playing.
At one point, I opened an app, and the entire screen glitched, showing static, and then the phone became unresponsive until I rebooted it.
Today, I couldn’t answer calls twice because the inner screen wouldn’t turn on. Even after hard reboots (Volume Down + Power), the outer screen works, but the inner screen remains dead. It registers my fingerprints and locks, but the inner screen stays unresponsive.
I had a Fold 5 for a month and dropped it from about 3 feet with a good TPU case. After that, the screen glitched at around 30% brightness for the rest of the time I used it. I ended up trading it for an S24 Ultra. If I ever go back to a folding phone, it would be a Z Fold, but only if they make it wider. It’s frustrating because I really like the design of the Flip series.
I avoid Samsung warranties because they tend to back out. My Fold 3 developed a small group of dead pixels, and they initially said it was covered. But after sending it in, they changed their mind and quoted me almost $700 for the repair. I refused and asked them to return it. When I got it back, the factory screen protector looked like a child had applied it—it was full of scratches and scrapes, even though the phone was pristine when I sent it in.
If you’re doing a mail-in repair, make sure to record everything on video, including sending it off at the post office, in case something goes wrong. There have been reports of mail theft by couriers. Check out the Galaxy Fold subreddit if you haven’t already.
I have a Fold 4, so I understand how frustrating it is when a one-time accident causes major issues.
I recently faced the same issue with my Z6 that I didn’t have with the Flip 4 and 5. Unfortunately, the warranty tried to deny the screen replacement because of a nick on the side of the phone. Samsung customer service said it shouldn’t be a problem, but the local iFix store was unhelpful. After a heated argument, they managed to get the Samsung rep to cover it, but it seems like they’re systematically denying claims. I’ve heard mail-in repairs are less likely to have issues with claims, so good luck. This will be my last Samsung phone. It seems like there’s a defect with Z6 screens, and Samsung is trying to avoid supporting it, so a class action lawsuit might be necessary.
This is exactly why I stick with traditional screens. Foldables are a cool gimmick, but spending that much on a phone that can be taken out by a bit of dirt? No thanks. I’m really sorry that happened to you, though. At least you got the extra warranties!