Google's $1,800 foldable phone is first smartphone to explode in durability test • Hacker News Board

Re: Google's $1,800 foldable phone is first smartphone to explode in durability test

#21

Post by spwa4 » Sat, Oct 18, 2025, 10:54 PM UTC

gruez wrote: post #8

thegrim33 wrote: post #4

I have no horse in this race whatsoever, but after watching the footage, the test is so insanely unrealistic. It's the equivalent of "test driving" a car by driving it off a cliff into the grand canyon and then when it hits the bottom and explodes complaining that it failed to "drive". Yeah, you're technically right, it did fail to drive, just like the phone did "explode", but neither situation is realistic in the sl…

>just like the phone did "explode", Even that's a bit generous. At best I'd describe it as "caught on fire", but not what most people have in mind when you say something "exploded"

Problem with battery fires/explosions is that they are NOT fires. They don't go out if you douse them in water, they don't go out even if you starve them of oxygen, and they get hot enough to melt concrete and steel. They move in slow motion (thank God), but they're near unstoppable until burned out.

So if you get a battery fire in your pants, it'll even be slow to heat up, but it'll burn right through your leg if you don't remove it. (or if you can't, because it melted right into your ...)

Also the fumes are toxic and inhaling it will cause "sudden unconsciousness and death".

Re: Google's $1,800 foldable phone is first smartphone to explode in durability test

#22

Post by rogerrogerr » Sun, Oct 19, 2025, 12:17 AM UTC

spwa4 wrote: post #21

gruez wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>just like the phone did "explode", Even that's a bit generous. At best I'd describe it as "caught on fire", but not what most people have in mind when you say something "exploded"

Problem with battery fires/explosions is that they are NOT fires. They don't go out if you douse them in water, they don't go out even if you starve them of oxygen, and they get hot enough to melt concrete and steel. They move in slow motion (thank God), but they're near unstoppable until burned out. So if you get a battery fire in your pants, it'll even be slow to heat up, but it'll burn right through your leg if yo…

What is the battery-fire-at-home playbook? Cover it in sand?

Re: Google's $1,800 foldable phone is first smartphone to explode in durability test

#23

Post by spwa4 » Sun, Oct 19, 2025, 9:03 AM UTC

rogerrogerr wrote: post #22

spwa4 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem with battery fires/explosions is that they are NOT fires. They don't go out if you douse them in water, they don't go out even if you starve them of oxygen, and they get hot enough to melt concrete and steel. They move in slow motion (thank God), but they're near unstoppable until burned out. So if you get a battery fire in your pants, it'll even be slow to heat up, but it'll burn right through your leg if yo…

What is the battery-fire-at-home playbook? Cover it in sand?

If you have a chemical fire at home, first GET OUT OF THERE. Don't do anything. Except perhaps rapidly throw off a piece of clothing that got into contact or has melted into the fire.

If you absolutely must (don't), open the windows (ideally from the outside, with a rock), ideally at least 2 of them, and get out of there.

It's thousands of degrees, so water will make it explode, as will any liquid that can rapidly vaporize. Water will also spread the toxic fumes 10.000x faster than they were spreading before you added water.

The water in the air or water that's somehow gotten near the battery might be enough to make it explode if it's badly engineered, so treat it like it might explode or start sputtering 2000 degree droplets at any time without warning (potentially into your eyes).

Don't try to cover it. There's no use. It doesn't need oxygen, so it won't be put out, and just about anything ignites above 400-500 degrees, so you'll just create new sources of toxic fumes.

Frankly in that youtube movie that initial venting from the battery had gone near his body, we'd be talking weeks in the hospital. If it had gone into his face the video would have suddenly gone silent. That was incredibly irresponsible.

Re: Google's $1,800 foldable phone is first smartphone to explode in durability test

#24

Post by jajuuka » Fri, Oct 24, 2025, 7:59 PM UTC

pjjpo wrote: post #18

jajuuka wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm more curious if Google will respond to this at all. Regardless of how unrealistic the "test" is it still affects public perception of Google phones. I think the funniest part is Fortune calls him a "durability expert". He just started a youtube channel and tried to break phones.

Personally I find the $1800 sticker shock must be affecting public perception much more than durability issues. Or put another way, I suspect the people that buy this are buying a $1800 phone every year anyways and don't need to worry about durability - if it happened to break mid-year can always buy another one.

That's why I haven't dipped into foldables. Long term ownership seems like such a gamble. The risks are getting lower but still not at a level I think justifies spending that much at once or over a couple years.