World’s Slimmest Foldable Phone Fails Bend Test: Here’s Why

Key Takeaways

1. The Oppo Find N5 is the thinnest book-style foldable smartphone, featuring an aluminum frame and glass-covered displays.
2. Durability tests showed that the inner display scratches at level 2 and the outer display at level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale.
3. Dust entering the hinge during the bend test caused inactive pixels to appear on the inner display, highlighting a lack of dust protection.
4. The slim design may compromise structural rigidity, suggesting a thicker middle frame could improve durability.
5. The Find N5’s hinge can support up to 50 kg, but real-life durability may vary, despite improvements over its predecessor.


Oppo has unveiled the Find N5, which is claimed to be the thinnest book-style foldable smartphone in the world. This device has previously shown remarkable structural strength during the company’s tests. Renowned YouTube personality Zack Nelson, also known as JerryRigEverything, has now subjected the device to his well-known durability assessment.

Durability Tests

The Find N5 features an aluminum middle frame, alongside a glass-covered outer display and a soft inner screen. In the scratch test, the results were as expected: the inner display began to scratch at level 2 on the Mohs hardness scale, while the outer display started to scratch at level 6.

Issues with Bending

However, things didn’t go well during the bend test. As Zack introduced dust around the hinge, some particles infiltrated it—this is not surprising since the hinge is water-resistant but lacks dust protection. He also applied dust over the display and folded the phone. The dust that entered through the hinge caused two lines of inactive pixels to appear on the inner display while he bent the phone horizontally in a folded position. Interestingly, the OnePlus Open passed this test without issue. The Find N5’s foldable display was entirely compromised when bent vertically with the hinge open.

Design Considerations

Could the slim design of the phone be to blame? A thicker middle frame made from the same material would technically provide better structural rigidity and might have prevented the damage seen in the video. Although the company has demonstrated that the hinge can support up to 50 kg without harming the folding mechanism or the display, this pressure was applied to a specific area in controlled conditions, which may not reflect real-life scenarios.

Despite this, the hinge is robust enough to endure most mishaps, and the crease has been significantly reduced compared to its predecessor—an aspect the company should be commended for.

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