Leaked AT&T Galaxy Fold manual warns against peeling the screen off, dubs crease 'normal'

This is actually the same warning that was present on the outer wrapper of the retail device, as was showcased by T-Mobile's marketing head honcho Desmond Smith himself:

Beside the display cover bit, there are a few other interesting revelations in the Galaxy Fold manual. Chief among those must be the tip that calls the crease that forms in the middle of the display at the place where the phone unfolds:

There you have it, you should be getting used to the shallow ravine that forms in the middle of the Galaxy Fold screen as it is also present on the Huawei Mate X in the form of a tiny bump, and is apparently an integral experience of these flexible phones. Sigh.

According to new Korean media reports, Samsung will try and release the Fold next month in order to beat the Mate X launch in July. It has allegedly been postponing the launch in order to better train the reps on presenting the device and teaching potential buyers how to use the phone. Like, for instance, not to scrape off the cover film which turned out to be an integral part of the flexible display underneath, slapped on it against scratches, even though it does not completely wrap around and fuse with the panel at the edges, making it look like a screen protector of sorts.

How did Samsung go with a tough film that doesn't completely cover the corners, so it looks like a removable protector? Before the Fold's preview units were distributed, supply chain tips from Korean media hinted that Samsung has collaborated with the Japаnese from Sumitomo Chemical for producing a "luxurious" to the touch transparent polyimide (PI) that can be bent numerous times without any visible differences.

Korean media clarifies, however, that it is not only the transparent PI that Samsung used for the first Fold batch, but actually something new and extra that has the competition wanting in on the action. A previously unknown Hard Coat Anti-Fingerprint (HCAF) film by Sekyung sits at the very top of an SKC-made PET layer, to which a Samsung SDI Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA) is applied that then gets fused to said transparent PI film by a company called Biel Crystal.

That top HCAF layer is actually what provides the final protection of the Galaxy Fold screen, as it best mimics the oleophobic glass cover we are used to on our phones, rather than if we only had the transparent and flexible but soft PI film. Regardless of the design mishaps that may have led to people damaging their preview Fold units, an industry insider says that many phone makers have expressed interest in the new flexible display package developed by Samsung.

Previously, we thought that the PI film is simply attached to the OLED screen underneath with an extremely durable and flexible adhesive which should allow the package to bend at the middle by stretching a bit but not coming unglued and doing this many times while retaining its original size and form. Add to these the new top Hard Coat Anti-Fingerprint layer now, and the foldable display phones' top suddenly becomes a viable alternative to glass covers.