Today we're taking apart my still fully functional Samsung Z Flip 4.
We're going to see if we can find out what made that popping noise during the durability test,
and what's keeping it from closing all the way currently. It should be a very interesting
dissection. And I think this time around we will with the neon green JerryRig Knife. And I think
the next ones we will run out of are the metal and the clear. No pressure of course, I'm just
letting you know. And as always I'll be shipping these with Stamps.com. Time is super important,
so when Stamps.com came along and said I could ship everything from my own home I was super
on board. Stamps.com brings the power of UPS and USPS right to your computer. So whether
you're a large office sending out invoices, have a small side hustle with Etsy or eBay,
or you're just a really cool YouTuber sending out razer knives, Stamps.com can handle it all. And I
would definitely know because I've shipped a lot of things. Time is more important now
with the holiday season sneaking up. Instead of driving to the post office or standing in line,
I can now spend time with my family or make more videos. Don't just take my word for it though,
Stamps.com is the 24/7 post office you can access from anywhere. Used by over 1 million
businesses. Saving time is the most important to me, but the massive discounts, up to 86%,
and the ability to compare carriers is just icing on the cake. All you need is a normal printer,
a normal computer, and the link down in the description: Stamps.com/Jerryrig. You'll get
free postage, a free 4-week trial, and a free 5 pound digital scale, all with no long term
commitments or contracts. Just how we like it. The link is down in the description.
Stamps.com/Jerryrig. And now I think it's time for the Z Flip 4 to say goodbye. Let's get started.
[Intro]
I mean, obviously, I'm going to put in quite a bit of effort to keep our flippy boy alive,
but you've seen how it goes with these things. Gotta be realistic.
A few people suggested in the durability test video that I should just take off the exterior
plastic screen protector. And normally I do on regular phones. But if you remember the
long laundry list of restrictions included in the warning screen the first time we turn this
on. Removing the protective film on the main display was one of the things it specifically
said not to do. But now that the tearing down time has begun, we can do it and see what
happens. The clear protective layer is adhered slightly stronger than a regular plastic screen
protector. But so far the screen and everything else is still alive after taking it off.
In all likelihood, the top layer can probably be removed and another protective
layer installed without anything going wrong. But with how fragile that center screen is,
it's just not really worth the risk. I'd rather have a few divots than a non-functional screen.
That would be my recommendation for you. For me, however, risk is my middle name
and the theme of today's video. I'm going to try and disassemble and reassemble this
Flip 4 in one piece. Something I have yet to accomplish with any other folding phone.
Starting with the plastic bumpers we can get those out of the way. I noticed that the screen's ribbon
cables are folded around the bottom edge of the display which means that if we start lifting from
the other side, the top, and make sure not to flex the screen in more than one direction at a time,
we might be able to get it off successfully. A little heat is our friend to help soften
the adhesive holding the display to the body, and then we can go to town.
The first thing to notice during the removal is that while Samsung did ditch the metal backing
on the flexible Fold 4, that metal plate is still installed here on the Flip 4, which is
indeed useful to us. The metal plate gives us support back here for when we're prying it away
from the body. As well, now it can't be punctured from behind like Julius Caesar. (What? Too soon?)
Making sure to only flex in one direction at a time sinec bi-directional folding is what killed
the last one, we can peel the Flip screen away from the body, taking special care not to damage
the ribbons at that bottom edge. Honestly I think we might have just been successful.
It's still plugged into the motherboard of course,
but the hardest part is over and it just might live another day. Let's get to the insides and
see if we can detach everything else just like William Wallace. (What? Too soon?)
Heat again is our best friend, and with a suction cup and our trusty green razor blade,
we can separate and lift the glass panel away from the body. The adhesive is mostly just around the
perimeter. I'm taking special care not to let the tip of my blade point downward so
we can avoid slicing the battery or damaging any circuitry. The secondary exterior screen
is also removed the same way. I'm just taking extra care not to stab the edge of the screen
under the glass since that never ends well. I'm also avoiding putting any stress on the
ribbon cables as it's lifted off. And the screen ribbon can be detached just like a little Lego.
With the internals now exposed we can remove 4 silver screws and 2 metal brackets which gives us
access to the battery plugs, for the top battery as well as the bottom battery. Along with the 15
watt wireless charger that's also capable of reverse wireless charging at 4.5 watts.
If we mosey on over to the center hinge, I do see two circular stickers on either
half that when removed allows us to peer into its depths. But also
I'm not quite sure why these stickers exist. They wouldn't help much with water proofing,
so if you have any ideas while they're here, let me know down in the comments.
I'll remove the 5 phillips head screws from the bottom plastics. Pop that guy off. There
are balls inside the lower loudspeaker, which we see on pretty much every smartphone these days.
I'll detach the screen ribbon from that lower circuiboart, along with the gold extension
ribbon. There's one silver screw and then the 25 watt charging port board is free with its
red rubber ring around the opening. Nothing too crazy yet. There are waterproofing mesh screens
over the lower loudspeaker opening and that microphone hole. We also have plenty of magnets
and a coinstyle vibrator motor. The top plastics have another 6 screws holding them in place.
Nothing special here either, just plastic. We do, however, see our 10 megapixel selfie
camera's sensor since the unit is glued in place and now it's destroyed. Normally these
cameras aren't glued in so tight, but here we are with that little Easter egg. There is no OIS.
Coming back down to the phone again, we see our power button has its own silver bracket
and the same gasket style construction as the power and fingerprint scanner on
the Fold 4. Samsung is obviously sharing tech between the two which is to be expected. The
motherboard can also be removed at this point...If you remember to take out the SIM card tray, which
I obviously have. Then we have the 12 megapixel ultra wide camera with no OIS and the 12 megapixel
normal camera which does have the optical image stabilization. There is no thermal paste or foam
on the back of the board which is interesting, just the large graphite pads placed beneath the
circuits. One thing I'm not going to do this time around is remove the batteries since Samsung is
rather rude with their adhesion...glue-aholics you might even say. Samsung makes safe battery
removal impossible. And since our Flip has at least a 9% chance of surviving all of this,
I'm going to leave the combined 3700 milliamp hour capacity batteries intact.
The flexible screen though, hopefully still in one piece and functioning,
can be fully removed from the phone at this point, and when left at rest with no forces acting on it,
there is a slight natural curve in the center. And that natural curve is supported by the rubber and
metal slats that we've seen in previous years. I'm not going to get too crazy with it at the
moment though since I think this year is legit our first actual chance of getting this phone back to
life – just like Frankenstien. (Too soon?) If we look at the guts of last year's Flip 3 we can see
the internal gears doing their tiny rotations as they keep the two halves opening and closing with
equal resistance. But if we take a look at the new Flip 4 and remove its graphite thermal tape,
we can see that the Flip is indeed gearless this time around and instead is using the
metal channels to guide the phone uniformly as it opens and closes with Samsung's new hinge
design. So the Flip 4 did get its hinge upgraded even if the screen has the same
structural components as the last generation. It's hard to say for sure what caused that
super large pop during the bend test or what kept the phone from fully closing after the
test was over since everything feels and looks fluid from in here on the inside.
If I had to pick the most creative and innovative phone so far this year it would definitely be the
Samsung folding phones. Yeah it's not the flying car future we were promised by cartoons growing
up, but the technology is still incredibly cool even if it is super fragile. I have my hopes up
that this guy is still alive. With the motherboard back in place and its plastic screwed down we can
poke the screen ribbon cable through the phone body and attach it to the charging port board
before dropping into place the bottom loudspeaker plastics. I forgot to point out that we still have
that rubbery goop keeping the phone watertight. This goop probably also doubles as protection for
the ribbon so they aren't chafing on the metal. The wireless charging pad is on along with the
metal plates. And moment of truth...it has indeed survived. The Flip 4 Folding Phone has suffered
through a complete durability test, a teardown, and has returned to the land of the living.
Rather impressive engineering and construction from Samsung. There has never been a phone so
strong, yet so weak in all of existence. And Samsung should be proud of their creation.
I'll toss the rear display back on so we can make sure everything is functional. And indeed it is.
The Samsung Z Flip 4 is as good as new. Thumbs up for that. Of course it would have been way easier
to see the insides if I would have just slapped on one of my Teardown Skins. {Snap} Link down in the
description. But sometimes it's not about taking the easiest path. It's all about the friends we
meet along the way. I think it was Mr. Dahmer who said that. (That one's probably too soon.)
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