Reviewers are breaking Samsung's Galaxy Fold smartphone after just a day or two of use. Some have accidentally removed a protective film that Samsung warned should not be removed, but others, including CNBC and The Verge, have seen the devices break after normal use:
The phone has only been given to gadget reviewers, but some of the screens appear to be disconnecting and permanently flashing on or off.
The Verge's Dieter Bohn posted earlier on Wednesday that his phone appears to have a defective hinge with a "small bulge" that he can feel that's causing the screen to "slightly distort." Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says his "review unit is completely broken just two days in," but noted he accidentally removed a protective film on the screen.
YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee also removed the film and experienced a broken display. A Samsung spokesperson had warned on Wednesday not to remove the protective layer.
However, CNBC didn't remove that layer, and our screen is now also failing to work properly. When opened, the left side of the flexible display, which makes up a large 7.3-inch screen, flickers consistently.
Previously: Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone-Tablet Hybrid Device
A Bunch of Mobile World Congress 2019 Stories
Related Stories
Samsung finally showed off its new foldable smartphone, the $1,980 Galaxy Fold
Samsung on Wednesday announced more details about its foldable smartphone, called the Galaxy Fold. At Samsung's Unpacked event, we finally saw what the Galaxy Fold will look like, having only seen the device in the shadows when the company announced its existence in November.
The device will use a "7nm" processor and include 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage. Oddly enough, there is no microSD slot or headphone jack despite the device's size. Galaxy Fold will include six cameras.
See also: The Galaxy Fold makes no sense as a consumer device yet
With the Galaxy Fold, you spend big to get access to the beta test. The glimpses I got, brief though they were, during Samsung's live presentation of the Fold in London gave me reason to be wary. First and foremost, the inner display of the device never seems to fold out to be perfectly flat. Light reflections glinting off its surface in the presenter's hand exposed a slight ridge in the middle, a spine where the hinge resides and disturbs the flat plane. The left and right wings of the opened Galaxy Fold also reflected light at different angles. I know from my experience with the Royole Flexpai, the first foldable phone, just how hard it is to combine folding and flatness in one device. Judgment should be reserved until we've had a chance to hold one in our hands, but my first impression is that the Fold doesn't always have a perfect, undisturbed 7.3-inch tablet surface. It's a compromise.
Galaxy Fold will amaze you. Here's why you won't buy one
Also at Reuters, Bloomberg, and Wccftech.
Huawei Mate X vs. Samsung Galaxy Fold: Ask the Press
The folding hybrid phone-tablets are probably the biggest story to come out of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019.
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Related: Royole Beats Samsung and Others in Race to Create the First Foldable Smartphone
More on Royole's Foldable Smartphone, the FlexPai
Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 8cx, an ARM Chip Intended for Laptops
Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone-Tablet Hybrid Device
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Samsung delays Galaxy Fold indefinitely: 'We will take measures to strengthen the display'
Samsung has confirmed reports from earlier today that it is postponing the release of its $2,000 Galaxy Fold foldable phone only days before it was originally scheduled to go on sale. "We want our customers to have the best experience possible which is why, after initial feedback, we have decided to delay the release of the category-changing Galaxy Fold to make sure it measures up to the high standards we know you expect from us," the company said. "We plan to announce the [new] release date in the coming weeks."
Earlier today, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Fold won't hit shelves until sometime in May at the earliest, but Samsung is giving itself plenty of leeway with its non-committal timeframe. In an email to customers who have already preordered the Fold, the company said they can expect a revised update on shipping details in two weeks (which would be May 6th). US carriers AT&T and T-Mobile are also slated to carry the premium device.
See also: A Broken Galaxy Fold Is Bad for Samsung—and Even Worse for Folding Phones
Galaxy Fold review: A lot of money for a prototype
The Samsung Galaxy Fold is a flawed glimpse at the future
Galaxy Fold review: Should you pay $2,000 for Samsung's delayed folding phone tablet?
Previously: You're Folding It Wrong: Tech Reviewers Break Samsung Galaxy Fold after Just Days of Use
Pablo Escobar's brother launches a $349 folding phone
If you like the idea of owning a folding phone but find the $1,500+ price tags too rich, check out the Escobar Fold 1—a $349 foldable device that comes from the brother of deceased drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, really. Roberto Escobar, who already released a flamethrower this year inspired by Elon Musk's Not a Flamethrower, has now turned his attention to the folding smartphone market.
[...] While Samsung's Galaxy Fold was delayed for months due to its technical issues, Escobar says his device is much more durable. "My phone cannot break, because I did not have to make a glass screen like Samsung," he said. "Our screen is made of a special type of plastic, and we still have the best resolution. Our special plastic is very difficult to break." Escobar also lauded the phone's security features, saying that it is extremely secure, unlike Samsung and Apple devices that are "100% open to all governments in the world."
[...] [As] Gizmodo notes, the most telling aspect is that the phone is obviously a rebranded Royole FlexPai that even uses the same marketing graphics and specs.
See also: Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 to cost no more than $1,000, adopt a clamshell design
Samsung's clamshell foldable could be actually affordable
Related: Royole Beats Samsung and Others in Race to Create the First Foldable Smartphone
Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone-Tablet Hybrid Device
You're Folding It Wrong: Tech Reviewers Break Samsung Galaxy Fold after Just Days of Use
Samsung Announces The Galaxy Z Flip: Foldable Phone With Glass
Today Samsung announced the new Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra, but the regular flagship phones weren't the only devices announce today as we've also seen the unveiling of the new Galaxy Z Flip. The new Z Flip is Samsung's second foldable phone to market after Galaxy Fold, but takes a new approach in terms of design as it comes in a new clamshell design with only a single primary screen.
[...] What makes the Z Flip extremely impressive though is its display. It's not the first flexible display out there, and it's relatively average with a 2636 x 1080 resolution. What makes it special, is that this is the very first display on the market that has an ultra-thin glass cover on it – yes, it's a foldable glass screen. The implications here are huge when compared to a plastic foldable screen, and the glass should be significantly more scratch resistant than plastic alternatives, making this a much more viable option when it comes to long-term durability of the phone.
Samsung's hinge mechanism was designed in such as way that it minimises dust ingress into the gears of the system. What's also special is that the phone clicks in at different angles such as 120°, instead of being freely flexible at any angle.
The phone is $1380/1480€.
Corning is making the smaller, outward-facing secondary display, but the origin of the "Ultra Thin Glass" is not yet known:
Besides the Snapdragon 855+, we have a 6.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2636x1080. Instead of the delicate plastic of the Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip is rumored to be covered by an "Ultra Thin Glass." We know companies are working on flexible glass for these folding smartphone displays. The industry leader is Corning, the maker of the "Gorilla Glass" cover that adorns nearly every high-end smartphone, but Corning's bendable glass solution is not on the market yet. One report out of Germany is that Samsung's partner is Schott, a German glass producer.
Also at VentureBeat.
Related: Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone-Tablet Hybrid Device
Corning Working on Flexible Glass for Devices
You're Folding It Wrong: Tech Reviewers Break Samsung Galaxy Fold after Just Days of Use
Samsung Galaxy Fold Delayed Indefinitely Following Reports of Broken Displays
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @12:18AM (8 children)
The folding screen: An answer to a problem nobody had.
(Score: 5, Informative) by DECbot on Thursday April 18 2019, @12:50AM (3 children)
Not quite true. Samsung and you phone carrier had trouble getting you to upgrade your phone and extend your contract. This is their solution. A phone design purposely built to void the warranty when it breaks.
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @01:09AM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @04:05PM
it's quite useful to get idiots to pay for their own surveilance
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:38PM
I'm not sure that is it purposely designed to void the warranty. That may be simply an unexpected additional benefit.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by lentilla on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:30AM (1 child)
Yes, folding screens are an answer to a problem nobody had. But... innovation doesn't always take a straight path, and sometimes we need those wacky, abortive attempts to discover something wonderful that would have remained hidden had we not taken the scenic route. (Or at the very least, we get to work out what doesn't work.)
As Henry Ford famously said "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Coward, Anonymous on Thursday April 18 2019, @06:20AM
I generally agree with your comment, but these folding phones are trying to solve a real problem. How else are you going to get a bigger screen in a size-limited device? Or do we all think that a small phone with a a big screen wouldn't be nice?
(Score: 2) by chewbacon on Thursday April 18 2019, @03:36AM
Sounds like a problem for people that didn't have a problem.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Coward, Anonymous on Thursday April 18 2019, @06:16AM
I've seen plenty of broken screens that were rigid. A bit of flexibility could help. Props to Samsung for pushing (folding?) the envelope, even if this design isn't quite ready yet.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @12:48AM (2 children)
Give them credit for making some progress.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @03:13AM (1 child)
What? They only had it a day or two. They probably didn't even have a chance to charge it yet. Give 'em time.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:40PM
A day or two? A Samsung phone? You should have to charge it multiple times per day!
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Thursday April 18 2019, @01:33AM
When the Mobile World Congress 2019 story came out, this phone was one of the topics..
https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=30324&cid=807819 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @01:54AM (1 child)
MARK ASS BROWN LEE!
That's hot.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:13AM
Yahhhhhh
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0, Troll) by SomeGuy on Thursday April 18 2019, @01:55AM (3 children)
Boo, hoo, it's a stupid cell phone. So the consumertard masses are getting lower quality crap. They should just take it up the butts like they are used to doing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @09:43AM (1 child)
It's a Samsung, not an Apple.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:40PM
It may be a Samsung, but at nearly $2,000 it's priced like an Apple.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 23 2019, @09:20PM
>So the consumertard masses are getting lower quality crap. They should just take it up the butts like they are used to doing.
It's funny that you don't realize that you have a disability, and have made a fool of yourself while attempting to mock strangers for no reason.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Snotnose on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:30AM (3 children)
There were so many failure scenarios this had to happen.
1) "Special" film to protect the display, that looked just like the stuff you peel off when you buy a new whatever.
2) Stuff gets caught in the hinges. Like, I dunno, dandruff or cat hair.
3) It flat out isn't robust outside the clean room.
I've spent my time watching robots whack keys, open/fold phones, drop them from various heights, whatever (17 years at Qualcomm starting in the mid 90's does that to you)
I was never directly involved in any of these torture tests. The one I wanted to be involved in was a base station had to survive a 12 gauge shotgun at 3 feet. I not only raised my hand for that one, I raised both hands and jumped up and down until I pissed my pants. Did not get chosen :(
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Thursday April 18 2019, @03:54AM
Are you hiring?
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 2, Touché) by maxwell demon on Thursday April 18 2019, @06:24AM
Maybe your behaviour was why you didn't get chosen?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by mobydisk on Thursday April 18 2019, @03:59PM
There are videos of Airbus and Boeing's giant robots that try to rip the wings off airplanes. One video I watched ended with the onlookers cheering as the wing was bent all to heck. I guess that means it exceeded expectations?
At my job, we got to saw through one arm of a centrifuge and run it at speed to see if it would fly apart. We also drop-tested a quarter million dollar medical robot then tried to run it. Let's see... we also froze it. Ooh, the best was testing to see if the spinning blades would crush someone's finger if they reached around a barrier.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @01:05PM (1 child)
You could buy a low/mid-range Android phone and an iPad for half that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 23 2019, @09:52PM
But then you'd have to carry an iPad. That's not going to fit in your pocket.