LG Wing Video Tries To Answer Durability Questions
2018 brought as the world's first pop-up camera phone while 2019 saw the availability of foldable phons. This year, LG takes the eccentricity crown with the LG Wing and its swiveling "pivot" display. Just like these other unorthodox phones before it, there will undoubtedly be concerns over its long-term survivability, especially with that many moving parts. What better way, then, to assure would-be buyers of this $2,000 than with a carefully crafted marketing vid full of computer-generated clips.
With the age of sliders long gone, there has been a distinct distrust of mechanical and moving parts inside smartphones true. That's true for hinges like on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and its predecessor but has also been true for popup cameras started by the Vivo NEX S. The LG Wing now brings a third contraption to the market, a pivot that turns the screen repeatedly which, LG promises, was tested for about 200,000 turns.
LG's "sneak peek" video lays out three parts that it says makes this mechanism almost invincible. These include a dual spring, a double-tracked guide, and a hydraulic piston dampener. It also explains that the LG Wing has undergone 200,000-cycle tests, using robots, of course, to ensure the stability of the mechanism.
The video also touches on other durability concerns like water resistance and drop protection, the latter with the popup camera in consideration. Like the later generation of popup camera phones, the LG Wing has a mechanism that will retract the camera automatically if it detects that the phone is falling from a certain height. LG also applied hydrophobic coating on the phone's internals but it should still be noted that there is no formal IP rating for it.
These are, of course, the typical marketing statements you expect LG to make to allay fears about the LG Wing's build. Lab tests have sometimes been challenged by real-world tests and accidents, though, and we're looking forward to seeing who will take this expensive experiment for a spin to verify LG's claims.