Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Catastrophically Fails Bend Test, Ends Up a Charred Mess

[mannyvel]

Why do people want to fold their phones again?

It gets you a bigger screen in a smaller form factor. When you don't need the big screen you fold it. When you want to watch videos you unfold it.

It's smaller than an iPad until it isn't. It's probably very convenient, especially if you don't want a laptop.

But yeah, kids sit on electronics all the time. My BIL's house is a mess, and they have two or three iPads and surfaces that are now right-angled e-waste.

 

[dotnet]

It gets you a bigger screen in a smaller form factor. When you don't need the big screen you fold it. When you want to watch videos you unfold it.

Because there is nothing quite like watching a video letterboxed or pillarboxed in the middle of a square screen.

 

[contacos]

not very scientific...perform these tests on any phone from any company... they will end up in a mess.

Nope. He actually failed to bend the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 in another video form a few months ago

 

[sevoneone]

Welcome to the internet, where one video from one guy about one thing can absolutely destroy something’s reputation

And yet, people will worry more about the iPhone 17 Pro’s ScratchGate

Ironically, his video on the 17 Pro is very complementary about the durability of the aluminum with the exception of the sharp edge around the the camera slab. Otherwise he shows most other scratches wipe away pretty easy.

 

[HazeAndHahmahneez]

I hope he realizes all his gear is toast. Lithium batteries release hydrogen fluoride gas and it is corrosive to electronics. The camera above the phone is a total loss. Probably most of the studio lights as well. Fluoric acid coats the wiring and over time corrodes the works, which means it can trigger fire number 2. And yes I know of which I speak to the tune of 6 figures. Lithium battery fires are the worst.

Worse than forest fires? Gasoline fires? I’m srs

Obv not like atomic bomb energy bad but maybe that’s not even classified as a fire to begin with haha

 

[Wasp14]

I don’t like this guys channel because it seems wasteful and clickbaity (makes me cringe seeing him take a lighter and other things to devices that would never happen). With how consistently he does these though it is concerning that the phone burst into flames in this way. Is it a one off or would they all be like this?

 

[MilaM]

The frame really should not break with that little force applied. I can see this kind of accident happening with kids playing or maybe when someone falls asleep in an airplane seat 😳. A broken hinge and display is one thing. A Li-Ion battery catching fire this easily is pretty scary though.

 

[Lukelyke765]

I appreciate the tests with regards to my “need to know more about random stuff” brain, but at the same time, I have to question how a normal user would encounter situations like some of the tests unless they were completely clueless or careless.

I can easily imagine phone being dropped in the sand. Or having sand in the pocket. Bend test I don’t know if it’s proves anything but more sturdy phone would be more resistant for drops.

 

[Lukelyke765]

The frame really should not break with that little force applied. I can see this kind of accident happening with kids playing or maybe when someone falls asleep in an airplane seat 😳. A broken hinge and display is one thing. A Li-Ion battery catching fire this easily is pretty scary though.

Exactly. Being so fragile automatically excludes this phone from being used by heavy duty workers, builders, sailors or generally anyone working outside. I don’t get folding phones, can’t really see purpose of it. I think single slab is perfect form and it will not get any better.

 

[SanderEvers]

If any (charged) lithium battery is punctured it will do this. That this was the first time this happened is more luck than anything else honestly. You should NEVER try to bend a battery.

 

[Happy_John]

He does the same tests to all foldable phones. Only the Google one had the battery blow up. It isn't likely to happen to another phone.

Yep. Some people might think his tests are useful, some might think they are clickbait, but he is very consistent in his testing, the same testing procedures for everything.

 

[svish]

Never good to play with batteries. That being said, don't think such a situation will happen if one is using the phone daily normally.

 

[jdavid_rp]

besides the drama (like other “gates”) it’s nice because if it’s true that the phone was too weak in the antenna area, now they will fix it.

 

[rbbloom99]

Coolest dang video ever. Good job young man

 

[BigDO]

“Tests” 😂

 

[IIGS User]

Videos like this are always a bit comical to me. I’ve been carrying cell phones since they first came out and even worked for one of the early startup companies called Cellular One. Back then, it was predominantly Motorola, and those phones were built like tanks. Nothing made today even comes close. Even so, I’ve never managed to ruin a phone with sand, dust, water or bending. 🤷‍♂️

I had the ol’ “brick” phone with (I’m about to date myself) with ahem. Bell Atlantic Mobile. Thing was a tank, you could use it as a wheel chock to change a tire and it wouldn’t bat an eye. I even had a case for it that had a belt clip on it. I must’ve looked like a total tool bag walking around the mall (that no longer exists) with that thing on my belt.

I also remember some of the really durable phones that came after it. The MicroTAC was equally as indestructible. My favorite from that line was the StarTAC. I thought I was really something when I got one of those.

I also remember Qualcomm producing their own line of consumer phones for a while. I had one of those too and it was a really durable product. This is circa ‘98-‘00.

The last “flip” phone I had was a Motorola Razr v3 which was a worthy product as well. After that I had a Droid for a bit before iPhone came to Verizon wireless (HTC Incredible, which was a decent phone for its day as well. If memory serves it had a FM radio built in which was a neat feature in an era with data caps, spotty coverage and limited streaming options. I mean you COULD download 10 songs to an SD card if you wanted to).

I’m kinda on the fence with this whole business. This guy does things to these phones that remind me of automotive crash tests. There is a possibility this will happen to your phone in the real world, and there may be catastrophic results. But is it likely? IDK. Phones and electronics catching fire is B-A-D. Especially anything with Lithium batteries in it.

 

[baconcat_8964]

Google said "If your phone seems like unchanged for years, maybe it's time to change your phone".

And they did not change the weak phone on Pixel Fold frame.

 

[Innovati0n]

not very scientific...perform these tests on any phone from any company... they will end up in a mess.

He performs these tests on every phone he does videos on and it’s never happened

 

[Innovati0n]

How has this dude never accidentally sliced his thumb open with that stupid x-acto knife?

He probably has but he doesn’t show that video. It’s not like these air live. I believe he’s had bandages on in the past at times.

 

[uacd]

He is going to get banned on Google!

 

[uacd]

The frame really should not break with that little force applied. I can see this kind of accident happening with kids playing or maybe when someone falls asleep in an airplane seat 😳. A broken hinge and display is one thing. A Li-Ion battery catching fire this easily is pretty scary though.

In all honestly, any Li-Ion battery can catch fire, randomly even.

All manufacturers do not guarantee that you will have good and quality battery that would not pillow or combust when charged, especially these days when batteries come “nude” inside of super thin devices, in weirdo L-shapes, without any external casing that would hold damage inside.

I suspect this can be done to any phone if “abused enough”, and maybe if Zack was lucky he would have had more explosions, who knows🤷‍♂️

To me it seems somehow fishy, especially his reaction. Phone started to release highly toxic fumes and he was ok breathing them, weird to me

 

[Anaxarxes]

Honestly, I’m fine with most of what JRE does, but this time he’s gone a bit too far as with this unrealistic scenario.

Bending a phone to test durability? Fair enough. Breaking it? Still fine.

But doing it six times until a Li-Ion battery finally ignites, and then calling it a “catastrophic failure”? That’s just misleading. If the hinge broke on the first try and it immediately caught fire — sure, that would be a real safety concern and worth discussing. But this feels more like manufactured drama for clicks.

At this point, it’s starting to hurt JRE’s credibility more than anything else. Honestly, if I were Google, I’d consider this borderline defamation.

 

[ricketysquire]

Ah yes, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fold

 

[Innovati0n]

Bending a phone to test durability? Fair enough. Breaking it? Still fine.

But doing it six times until a Li-Ion battery finally ignites, and then calling it a “catastrophic failure”? That’s just misleading. If the hinge broke on the first try and it immediately caught fire — sure, that would be a real safety concern and worth discussing. But this feels more like manufactured drama for clicks.

I've watched most of his videos and I didn't see him testing this more than previous phones. Seemed like a normal test to me, if anything he did less to it than I've seen him do to other phones.

Check his iPhone Air video where he tried his hardest to bend it and used machinery that had nothing to do with normal use. It finally bent but the battery still didn't explode.

 

[widestload]

I really want Apple's folding phone when it arrives, but this kind of thing does really make me question whether it's a good idea. Sure, im not in the habit of deliberately bending my phone by force, nor would i bury it in sand or push my nail into the screen. But... might i have it open on a chair, forget about it come back and sit on it? would i take it to the beach with me and accidentally kick some sand up onto the towel it was set down on? and maybe i'd be at risk of dropping it and increase the pressure/change the angle of my grip to save the drop, only to indent the screen with the edge of my nail as i did.

Wanting it on launch day would mean pre ordering without much more than Apple's curated marketing and no real world testing to go on (ok so that happens every year, but with mature product you kind of know what you'll get). I wonder if the reality of wanting the phone/ipad mini combo might not live up to just having two devices (especially when the fold may cost just as much as the separate phone/ipad)

hmmm...