Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Smartphone Not as Sturdy as Advertised, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action accuses Samsung Electronics America, Inc. of falsely advertising its Galaxy Z Fold3 smartphone as durable enough to withstand at least 200,000 folds and unfolds.

According to the 12-page lawsuit, the smartphone, whose central hinge allows it to unfold to create a larger screen, is promoted by Samsung as “meeting stringent durability standards” and having been “rigorous[ly]” tested to last the equivalent of five years of use (200,000 folds). However, consumers like the plaintiff, a Virginia resident, have experienced cracked hinges and screen damage well before the end of their phones’ advertised lifespan, the case argues.

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The filing charges that the testing methods utilized by Samsung to determine the Galaxy Z Fold3’s durability were “flawed” and did not consider real-world conditions. 

According to the suit, the “fold tests” aimed to establish the maximum number of folds that the phone could withstand but did not involve any “external strain, pressure or heat-generated friction” when the device was folded and unfolded. The complaint contends that “[i]n normal use, the Product is exposed to dust, debris, sweat, handling, heat, cold and water, which can and often does penetrate the screen protector at the hinge, interfering with the folding mechanism.”

Moreover, even after similar fold tests were conducted by other parties, the smartphone “only sustained 120,000 folds, with significant screen and pixel damage before 20,000 folds,” the suit says.

The filing explains that Galaxy Z Fold3 users experienced screen damage ranging from small initial cracks in the central fold to major cracks down the length of the phone, leading to unresponsive areas or green or white lines stretching across the screen. Debris can also penetrate the screen protector at the hinge and produce air pockets, and factors like cold temperatures can lead the protector to break when unfolded, the case says.

After being contacted by buyers about screen damage, Samsung “consistently fails” to respect its 12-month warranty on the product, the suit charges.

“Despite Defendant’s awareness of the Product’s durability issues, it consistently shifts blame to user error or misuse, such as improper handling of the screen protector, dropping the device, applying pressure to the screen, exposing it to water or other causes,” the complaint reads.

Per the complaint, despite protecting his Z Fold3 smartphone from falls and other damage, the plaintiff noticed a crack in the hinge, leading to an unresponsive screen. After contacting Samsung, the plaintiff was told that screen repair was not covered by the warranty and that the “damage caused to his device was due to his misuse,” the case alleges.

According to the lawsuit, Samsung refused to fix the man’s smartphone unless he paid upwards of five hundred dollars for the repairs needed.

The case claims that the false representations of Samsung’s product have allowed the smartphone to be sold at a premium price—$1,799 at its first release in 2021. The suit contends that consumers like the plaintiff would not have purchased the product had they known the phone could break well before its advertised lifespan.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in Virginia, New York, North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina and Utah who purchased a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 smartphone during the statute of limitations.

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