Totally agree with Ivanov. I got a new Z FLIP 4 in Feb this year and had a Z FLIP 3 before this one. I've experienced the hinge issue with Z FLIP 3. It has a clear weakness in the hinge where very tiny tiny dust type of sand enters the handset through the hinge whilst the handset stays in a bag or a pocket of a bag. Obviously, the bag or a pocket of a bag is not full of tiny sand or soles at all and as you may keep a key ring or wallet ext the dust type of tiny sand can drop from it like any other pocket in a bag. I've raised a claim for the Z-FLIP 3 from April to May 2022 but with EE, not the manufacturer or the manufacturer's service centre. Unfortunately, repair service is provided through a network service provider rather than the manufacturer in the UK. The network provider may sit back and relax about such a product issue and say 'You can leave your handset with an EE service centre near you' and get a check as to whether the damage is coverable by warranty. The staff sat together in an EE service centre and said 'They said parts are available for the handset so it can be repaired and ready for tomorrow but a technician will give you a call if there is a repair cost payable means if the repair is out of warranty coverage. A week after you're supposed to receive a phone call from a technician saying that the damage is caused by you not a fault in the handset therefore it will cost you 400 pounds to replace the screen. Well, I wouldn't know that tiny tiny dust type of sand went into my phone through the hinge but the only thing I know is that when you fold or unfold the handset you hear a small sound that you did not hear before and it weak weak cracking sound like manually grinding sand sound if it makes sense. So from there on the concern kicks off and tracking back why that is and you think back to where the phone was kept in the past as there was no physical damage at all. So this is a long story about the Z-FLIP 3 experience. I had a trip to South Korea where Samsung, the manufacturer, operates a direct service centre across the country. I was informed by a colleague that any problems could be resolved on the same day or the next day. And it was true my phone became brand new after a day when it came back but had to pay approximately 250.
Now I have my Z-FLIP 4 5G; well why am I getting the mob with a faulty design on? because of its size and I believe the manufacturer maintains their own product quality so a combination of convenience & expected improvement. In addition, I may have some loyalty to the brand that it fixes issues so makes it 'tomorrow it will be better' or something like that; well it sounds very dumb for now. Back to the incident with Z-FILP 4 5G, the exact same thing happened when I started getting the small sanding cracking sound from a new handset and 3 weeks after I got a bold highlighted line on the right-hand side of the screen and some of the areas on the screen got black and after a week from there it got completed black and I could not work any more with the handset. I made a booking with the nearest service centre which was in Shephard Bush. Hell on that day the Hammersmith Bridge was closed so an extra hour for that return journey!! I spoke with a technician this morning who said 'they found physical damage on the handset on the plastic frame and the screen has to be replaced, which will cost 420 pounds. A local repairer quoted 490 pounds but he thinks it's beyond economic benefit to pay for a replacement. In my claim, if it is caused by careless use or kept the mob in an inappropriate place then it may sound deserving to pay such a cost; however without giving physical damage to the handset and no extreme use, no fun type out of it but just as a normal smartphone carrying it in a pocket or in a bag along with key rings and hand creams it is totally unreasonable to pay the money. In addition, I have noticed that there are countries where the manufacturer offers extra cover for on-screen damage and most are middle eastern countries. My judgement says 'this is a case of irresponsibilities by the manufacturer assuming that they were & are aware of the possible faults in Z FLIP's hinge and it was exclusive under the warranty. The intention is seen as so bad because it will not happen to everyone and it takes time to happen and come to the claiming stage. Lastly, why should it differ its coverage from country to country? In some countries, there is more sand than others; this is not about the environment or surroundings but a faulty product!! Blaming your customer's contribution towards damage can't be your exit because it is the usage, not the damage!!
