Here’s how long your Flip 5, Fold 5 screens will last in very cold weather

Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 are rated for 200,000 folds by the Bureau Veritas certification company. But the Galaxy maker has now revealed rated folding figures for extreme heat and cold.

Samsung Display posted an infographic detailing the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 screens. One slide indeed notes that the 200,000 fold figure comes at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit).

However, the slide also shows that the foldables are only slated to last for 150,000 folds at temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit), and a mere 30,000 folds at minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus four degrees Fahrenheit). Check out the screenshot below.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of foldable screens being more fragile in the cold, as some people have previously reported broken screens or screen protectors in cold weather. Nevertheless, the slated number of folds seems absolutely tiny at first glance.

If there’s any consolation, it’s that 30,000 folds still means just over 40 folds a day for two years. That also translates to roughly 27 folds a day for three years. But it would be a shame if your pricey foldable kicked the bucket after roughly two years.

This still means that you might want to hold off on buying a foldable phone if you’re living in the coldest of cold regions that regularly see minus-20-degree weather. It also suggests that foldable phones from other brands could be subjected to similarly reduced folds. For what it’s worth, conventional Samsung smartphones have a suggested operating temperature of between zero and 35 degrees Celsius (32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

We’ve nevertheless asked Samsung about this reduced number of rated folds, what effect (if any) this has on customer support in colder regions, and if it’s working on any measures to mitigate this challenge in the future. We’ll update our article if/when the company gets back to us.