Samsung Flip Phone Found Working After a Decade in Arizona Desert

Nowadays, durability is often overlooked, and most phones probably don’t survive more than a few years. But older phones are proving their toughness, as an unexpected discovery has come to light. A Samsung flip phone, lost for over a decade in the Arizona desert, was recently found. Surprisingly, it still works, showing the long-lasting durability of the Korean firm’s devices.

Samsung Gusto 2’s desert survival story shows impressive durability

Originally reported by CNET, Samsung Newsroom recently shared the old phone discovery story of Katie Elkin, an 84-year-old retired teacher from Prescott, Arizona. While exploring near her home just before Thanksgiving, Elkin saw a small device lying out in the desert. The phone in question is a Samsung Gusto 2, a flip phone released in 2012. She decided to bring it home to see if it’s functional.

What amazed her was that the phone not only charged but also powered on. “I couldn’t believe it when it came up charging,” Elkin says. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I wonder who this phone belongs to?” After much effort, Elkin tracked down the phone’s original owner. She then learned that the owner lost the phone in the area in 2015. This means the device survived Prescott’s minus temperatures, scorching heat, snowfall, and summer storms for over a decade.

To recall, the Samsung Gusto 2 features a 1-inch external screen that shows information such as the time, date, battery level, signal strength, and call/SMS alerts. There’s a small camera that sits above the outer screen. When you flip it, it shows a 2-inch internal display. In its review, CNET found that the device’s construction “seems strong enough to withstand multiple drops and endless opening and closing.”

Last year, Samsung shared another example of durability, though over a shorter period. When a Galaxy S23 Ultra was accidentally submerged in a freezing Arctic river for a few hours, it remained fully functional. It’s good to see that the Korean company continues to focus on durability in its devices.