Imagine an automated torture chamber: I visited Samsung's South Korea factory to see how its Galaxy foldables are tested and these robots don't miss a beat

Date:
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:39:33 +0000

Description:
We traveled to South Korea and saw how Samsung tests its latest foldables,
the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Imagine an automated torture chamber where one calamity after another is inflicted upon you. Worse yet,
its all robots doing the pushing, pulling, pressing, switching, and lighting. A robot even delivers you to this house of horrors.

Of course, youre a Samsung Galaxy phone, and you were actually built to take this kind of punishment, or at least expected to survive it. Housed in a basketball court-sized room, this is one of Samsungs endlessly running test suites for its growing line of Samsung Galaxy S series and Galaxy Z folding phones.

A few weeks ago, Samsung flew me out to South Korea to visit its Gumi factory where, among other things, they build and stress test their newest phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z 8 Flip,
all of which were introduced this week at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked in the UK. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: (Image credit: Samsung) As a lab engineer guided us through the space, a robot waited impatiently behind him while trying to deliver more phones to its Guantanamo of tech indignities.
The engineer seemed unconcerned as the robot edged closer to us, but it
always remained a safe distance away, finally delivering a phone to the first chamber when wed cleared a path. Of course, before Samsung checks the viability of these handsets, it builds them. You may like Inside Samsung Display's secretive factory and test labs Samsung explains how it put bigger and better batteries into its new Galaxy foldables I've tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, and its new camera features make it an excellent vlogging camera alternative Make 'em and (try to) break 'em Image 1 of 3 The start of our tour. Note the roving robot on the far right. (Image credit: Samsung) Testing touch on the new Z Fold Ultra (Image credit: Samsung) A wearables
test suite (Image credit: Samsung) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original When I visited the factory one of nine dotted around the globe and where millions of units are assembled for the first time a few years ago, I noticed a mix of robots (not humanoid, just automated platforms and a wide variety of robot arms) and humans. This time, however, there were just a handful of humans, who were often checking the robots work for imperfections.

As we walked the pristine aisles while wearing thin, blue protective covers
on our shoes, I caught the eye of one factory worker and gave her a thumbs
up. To my surprise, she smiled and nodded back at me before quickly returning to product inspections. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your
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Across a series of metal and plexiglass boxes, I saw all manner of robots and mobile device manufacturing activity. There was never a pause or moment of indecision. In one enclosure, I watched as camera boards were robotically placed in a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra board and then expertly screwed into place. Image 1 of 3 The Camera component makes its way to a new phone chassis.
(Image credit: Samsung) Building an S26 Ultra. Watch those cables. (Image credit: Samsung) Building the S26 Ultra (Image credit: Samsung) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Virtually every robot in every enclosure has a specific job, like the one that does nothing but remove thin-blue packing material from a phone circuit board. Its tiny fingers delicately grab a pair of thin blue tabs and strip away the filament. We found ourselves cheering on the little bot. Image 1 of 5 Robots are checking the build at every step (Image credit: Samsung) Testing out the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Image credit: Samsung) Testing a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
(Image credit: Samsung) A robot arm with a Galaxy S26 Ultra (Image credit: Samsung) More Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra tests (Image credit: Samsung) Image 1 of
5 View Original Image 2 of 5 View Original Image 3 of 5 View Original Image 4 of 5 View Original Image 5 of 5 View Original In another spot, a colleague noticed that a copper line wasnt properly affixed to a phones main circuit board. I could see it bouncing freely and wondered if the error would be caught or end up in someones wonky Galaxy device. I neednt have worried. Samsungs automated systems are fully capable of both the build and error-catching. As we watched, the offending board shifted off course and was held at bay while other properly built boards moved along. What to read next This is why Samsung built the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a passport-sized foldable
thats focused on content I've spent an hour with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and I need it The best foldable phones: tablet-style and flip
foldables from Samsung, Google, Motorola and more

I saw many different enclosures with so many automated manufacturing capabilities that it was mind-boggling. Box 'em up but test them first Image
1 of 4 Preparing to package Galaxy S26 Ultras (Image credit: Samsung) Boxing the S26 Ultra (Image credit: Samsung) Boxing more of the S26 Ultra (Image credit: Samsung) A robot fills the palette with boxes (Image credit: Samsung) Image 1 of 4 View Original Image 2 of 4 View Original Image 3 of 4 View Original Image 4 of 4 View Original In another space, I saw sensors identifying phone IMEI numbers, while another robot printed out corresponding labels, and then a third affixed them to boxes that matched the packages to each phone.

Most of the robots I saw were small, but at the end of the line was an almost car-sized palletizer that takes the 10-per-box cardboard crates and stacks them on a pallet, placing the boxes first around the perimeter and then filling in the middle. The motorcycle-sized arm was remarkably fast and accurate. Some of the phones never make it to the pallet. Instead, a select few are destined for a special test room where a large horseshoe of
enclosures determines if the models in the current batch are fit for purpose.

There are two types of test systems in Gumi: the boxes that run the same test over and over again in a single device, and the U-shaped automated test bay where one phone is run in serial through the entire array of tests. These tests will often replicate what is done repeatedly in other enclosures.

The number of test systems and kinds of tests Samsung runs on its products is impressively comprehensive, though some of the boxes look downright bizarre. Weird tests, reliable products Image 1 of 9 Getting a close look at one of
the enclosures (Image credit: Samsung) We examined everything (Image credit: Samsung) Galaxy Z 8 Flip folding tests (Image credit: Samsung) Some more Z Fold 8 motion sensor tests (Image credit: Samsung) Galaxy Z Fol 8 Ultra fold tests (Image credit: Samsung) Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra touch tests (Image
credit: Samsung) More S26 Ultra tests (Image credit: Samsung) Robot arms test multiple devices at once (Image credit: Samsung) Let's test the fingerprint readers (Image credit: Samsung) Image 1 of 9 View Original Image 2 of 9 View Original Image 3 of 9 View Original Image 4 of 9 View Original Image 5 of 9 View Original Image 6 of 9 View Original Image 7 of 9 View Original Image 8
of 9 View Original Image 9 of 9 View Original Folding and unfolding the devices thousands of times is to be expected, as is pressure testing, but I also saw extreme heat and cold tests. There were also enclosures that do nothing but check AI vision systems, millimeter wave, waterproofing, and a facial recognition chamber with life-like mannequin heads that I can still
see when I close my eyes.

Theres even a room where partners like Google can remotely access and run tests on Samsung phones.

More astonishing is that this is a living, ever-changing facility. Just imagine what happens every time, like now, Samsung unveils new phones and watches; they must retool. Walking the floor, I noticed how the brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 was already undergoing rigorous tests. The lab engineer told us, For every new form factor, we develop new technology for it, and they develop new automation to test it.

Look, Im not saying other companies dont put their mobile hardware through similar wringers, but Im not sure any other tech giant has been so
transparent about their process. Its wild, bracing, and I must admit, gives
me more than a bit of confidence about each new Galaxy device Samsung delivers. Secrets of Samsung Display - YouTube Watch On Do you own a lot of Samsung devices? If so, why not test yourself to see how well you know the brand's products and services by taking the quiz below? Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/samsung-galaxy-phones/imagine-an-automated-to rture-chamber-i-visited-samsungs-south-korea-factory-to-see-how-its-galaxy-fol dables-are-tested-and-these-robots-dont-miss-a-beat


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