Motorola Razr Torture Test Includes Pocket Sand And Razors

The new Motorola Razr, a folding smartphone version of the flip phone that was once very popular, has been the subject of speculation and criticism following a recent folding test. Though Motorola has dismissed the results of that test as less than valid due to the method used, a new torture test has raised its own concerns, particularly when it comes to exposure to dust and grit that may work its way into the folding phone.

The new torture test comes JerryRigEverything; as you'd expect, it involves scratching the phone with tools of varying hardness, taking a blade to the camera lens and body, and more. The phone holds up quite well in some regards and is surprisingly fragile in others. The metal edges of the phone, for example, withstand the blade very well, but the folding screen can be dented simply by pressing a fingernail into it.

The video gives viewers a good look at the way the folding display sort of 'floats' above the hinge, as well as a gap that is present when the phone in the review is closed (whether that gap is present on every new Motorola Razr phone is unclear). This gap, it is pointed out, makes it possible for dust and other bits of debris to enter the closed phone when it is stored or in a pocket.

The torture test takes this potential to the extreme, dropping a handful of coarse sand and larger bits of rocks and debris into the phone, smashing the screen closed, and moving it around a bit. Though the screen remains useable, the debris has clearly entered the hinge mechanism, which starts making a sort of crunching sound every time it is closed.

The phone raises concerns over the effects dust and small bits of debris will have over time — it wasn't hard for one bit of debris to get under the screen in the hinge mechanism, which had a distinct effect on the screen. However, the phone did handle being slammed shut roughly despite having this little rock behind the display, which is good news for people who plan to angrily slam their phone shut.

As you'd expect, forcibly prying the phone open the wrong direct breaks the hinge, destroys the screen, and results in an unusable phone.