Samsung Is Delaying The Galaxy Fold Because People Kept Literally Tearing It Apart
Samsung is delaying the new Galaxy Fold due to issues brought up in early reviews - including the fact that people were mistakenly pulling screen parts off.
Samsung announced today that it has postponed the launch of their new Galaxy Fold, a device designed to fold from a 7.3-inch tablet into a mobile phone half its size, citing display issues encountered by early reviewers. Among the issues: Confused people mistakenly peeling off its skin.
In an official statement, Samsung Global has said early reviewers’ reactions to the Galaxy Fold have demonstrated to them the need for “further improvements” and to “run further internal tests” on the device. As such, the long-awaited folding phone has been delayed indefinitely, with plans to announce a new release date in the next few weeks.
Said initial reviewers’ reactions to the Galaxy Fold were overwhelmingly negative, and predominantly centred on its flexible screen. The Fold’s greatest selling point, the screen was the device’s biggest disappointment in reviews. Numerous journalists reported problems caused the screen to flicker, flash and die, rendering the whole device unusable within only a few days.
The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not. pic.twitter.com/G0OHj3DQHw
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
Samsung acknowledged this problem in its statement, listing a few potential issues with the Galaxy Fold’s display that need to be addressed. These include “impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge” potentially having an adverse effect on the display, and “substances found inside the device [which] affected the display performance”.
However, the most interesting problem Samsung will be addressing is the Galaxy Fold’s screen protection, which caused some confusion amongst reviewers.
“We will take measures to strengthen the display protection,” said Samsung. “We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold.”
In other words, Samsung will make it clearer to users that you are not meant to peel off the Galaxy Fold’s plastic screen protector – a mistake made by several reviewers who were accustomed to removing similar protectors. Apparently, there was no warning on the packaging that the phone was not to be flayed.
PSA: There's a layer that appears to be a screen protector on the Galaxy Fold's display. It's NOT a screen protector. Do NOT remove it.
I got this far peeling it off before the display spazzed and blacked out. Started over with a replacement. pic.twitter.com/ZhEG2Bqulr
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 17, 2019
This unintentional phone destruction had some influence on the number of broken displays reported. Just like a person, if you peel its skin off the Galaxy Fold is less likely to function properly. Nevertheless, many who did not pry off parts designed to remain unpried still had the same issues with its display.
The Galaxy Fold was originally slated for an April 26 US release and was expected to arrive in Australia soon after. It’s a disappointing delay, but people have been waiting for Samsung’s foldable phone for eight years – we can wait a little longer.