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
Related Stories
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
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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:05PM
When you have a losing hand.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:09PM (5 children)
Never buy #newshiny Rev 1.0
(Score: 5, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:36PM (1 child)
At least they didn't rush the launch and then tell the users they're holding it wrong.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:45PM
See department line.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:47PM (1 child)
The real mistake here was Samsung putting these machines into the hands of reviewers who could discover any possible flaws before they were unleashed upon the public.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:45PM
Granted, it'd be best if Samsung got it right before putting it in the hands of reviews, but still it's better this way than to deal with a deluge of returns and customers wrath (possibly going up to a class action).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 5, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Wednesday April 24 2019, @01:43AM
Also, never buy newshiny 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0 and so on unless it is something you actually NEED, the long term benefit warrants the costs, and the product actually does what it advertises reliably.
But if everyone did that, then no one would have cell phones at all.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:50PM (2 children)
I want to be able to fold my phone seven or eight times so that it is so small that it could fit into a microSD card container.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday April 23 2019, @08:56PM
Topper says: "I want my phone to fold up so it fits into the microSD slot".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 24 2019, @04:31AM
It fitted just fine but afterwards the display didn't work!
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday April 23 2019, @09:14PM (5 children)
I would love a bendable / foldable display, but paying $2000 for a phone/tablet with a 7.3" screen seems a bit crazy. Still, I'm glad that someone's putting out interesting things.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 23 2019, @09:49PM
In 3 years it will be under $300 and actually not break.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by rigrig on Tuesday April 23 2019, @10:35PM (3 children)
It's priced something like
$500 for a high-end phablet,
$500 for it being foldable,
$500 for owning one of the first foldable devices,
and $500 to show that you own a device that's even more expensive than an iPhone.
No one remembers the singer.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by takyon on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:00PM (2 children)
+$500 to return it back to Samsung HQ for repairs.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:04PM (1 child)
I bought a robotic lawnmower for $2000+, it works great, but does have some issues. They must have sent me $500 in repair parts while it was under warranty - now, 3 years later, I've spent another $300 or so in maintenance items.
Compared to people who charge $70 per cut to mow the lawn, it's doing well.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:07PM
$70 per cut? Do you live on 10 acres, or you just don't have any Mexicans around?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Mykl on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:34PM (2 children)
I'm genuinely shocked that the device made it so close to release with such a high failure rate amongst reviewers. This sort of quality issue should have been detected waaaay before the devices made their way into the hands of non-staff.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by optotronic on Wednesday April 24 2019, @01:31AM (1 child)
I was too. I figure it must have been pushed forward by an executive who wouldn't hear the workers saying it wasn't ready, or who instilled fear in her workers of telling the truth.
(Score: 2) by DavePolaschek on Wednesday April 24 2019, @03:36PM
Pushed forward by an executive? Who had a bonus on the line? In-con-ceivable [youtube.com]!
(Score: 2) by drussell on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:46PM (1 child)
You mean the ones like, "even if I actually read the instructions and don't peel off that important layer that looks like a plastic screen protector, my phonabulet still ceases to function properly within a few weeks," kind of feedback?
Ummmm, yeah....
Probably shouldn't have left the testing lab for the production floor quite yet... :-)
(Score: 3, Touché) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday April 24 2019, @07:31AM
After reading a few links, it would seem that if it lasted a few WEEKS, that would be an improvement of several orders of magnitude!
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.