Samsung is throwing basketballs at foldable OLED displays to prove their durability

Durability is always top of mind for the foldable OLED panels used in Samsung's Galaxy Z foldable devices, and with good reason.

They're expensive to replace should they get damaged. Samsung has done a lot to improve their durability over the years, and the company is quantifying that at CES 2026 by throwing basketballs at foldable OLED panels.

Samsung Display's exhibition at the trade show has a “Robot Basketball” zone where 18 foldable OLED panels are being put through the ringer for a durability test. These panels are mounted on a basketball backboard with targets on them. A robotic arm repeatedly throws basketballs at them to test their durability.

The company has also dreamt up several other kinds of tests to convince attendees that its foldable panels are best in class when it comes to durability.

One test has steel balls being dropped from approximately 30 centimeters onto foldable panels so as to compare their durability against competing products. These tests show that the foldable OLED panels made by Samsung Display continue to operate normally without any structure damage or image distortion.

Beyond foldables, Samsung Display is sticking its automotive OLED displays inside a refrigerator to show performance under cold temperatures. Its OLEDs maintain a response time of 0.2 milliseconds even at temperatures of -20°C, the same as room temperature performance.

Samsung Display's business partners will be able to view all of this, and more, at the company's private exhibition that has been set up as part of the company's CES 2026 presence.