Samsung has probably learned a thing or two from the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, but the Galaxy Fold is not one of those things. What was supposed to be a revolutionary product, the world's first folding smartphone, is now close to become a disaster. Samsung opened Galaxy Fold pre-orders last week and the expensive phone sold out in a matter of hours.
The South Korean company closed the pre-order page after the initial batch of 200,000 units was bought by early adopters. The thing is the Galaxy Fold is a pretty expensive device, so we expected Samsung to have tested the review units quite thoroughly. Those who want to be among the first to own one will have to come up with around $2,000, unless they work for a mainstream media channel or made a name for themselves and are now seen as important influencers in the tech world.
Samsung didn't offer Galaxy Fold review units to just every publication, but those that received the foldable smartphone were quite influential. The Verge, CNBC, Bloomberg and Marques MKBHD Brownlee are just some of the media channels that reported earlier today that their Galaxy Fold review units broke after just one day of use.
Some journalists reported a mysterious bulge that would appear along the crease in the middle. After a few more hours of use, the Galaxy Fold's display would give up and become unusable, as both dead pixels would pop up along the OLED panel.
In other cases, the phone's display would gradually turn black or the polymer layer that protects the screen would start to peel off. Samsung has failed to inform journalists and influencers that the polymer layer, which looks exactly like a regular screen protector, should not be removed because that would certainly damage the display.
Yet, some of them removed the polymer layer, thus damaging the display. However, the problem starts with the layer peeling off by itself, so the issue still needs to be addressed by Samsung.
This is what happens when marketing takes over
In a statement published by The Verge, Samsung is calling these “early Galaxy Fold samples,” so we can only hope the retail units aren't affected by these issues. The rest of the statement addresses half of the Galaxy Fold's display problems, but keeps the mystery about the other half:
A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review. We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter.Separately, a few reviewers reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen. The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers.
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All journalists and influencers experiencing these issues have already returned their broken Galaxy Fold units to Samsung and will get new ones. Meanwhile, Samsung said that the Galaxy Fold display would endure more than 200,000 folds and unfolds, but that's clearly not the case with these early sample units.
Hopefully, those 200,000 Galaxy Fold phones that people have pre-ordered last week aren't affected by these issues. And the South Korean company seems quite confident that the Galaxy Fold is a solid product that has no issues.
Samsung is confident it can overcome these issues, so the US launch isn't postponed
In a statement for The Wall Street Journal, Samsung said that the April 26 Galaxy Fold launch in the United States is still happening and that it doesn't plan to delay the release, at least not until the current investigation is over.
Samsung has been working on a foldable smartphone for quite a long time, but while ideas are cheap, the execution is almost always expensive. We're not sure why these early sample units broke after just one day of use, but it's clear they weren't tested enough. We'll most likely learn more about the cause of these issues in the coming days, so don't ask for a refund yet if you've already pre-ordered the Galaxy Fold.
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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brings a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.
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