We always knew it would take quite some time for foldable mobile devices to break into the mainstream and reach wide-scale global adoption, but we never thought we'd have to wait so long for the first batch of these game-changing products to go from official announcement to (limited) commercial release.
After all, Samsung seemed pretty confident back in February that the Galaxy Fold could hit US stores by the end of April, while Huawei repeatedly promised the Mate X would see daylight in June, at least in the tech giant's homeland. Of course, a lot of unforeseen events unfolded (pun intended) since then, endangering the very existence of the Huawei Mate X, as well as forcing Samsung to go back to the drawing board and quickly try to figure out ways to improve the endurance of an inherently flawed design.
But as it turns out, the world's largest smartphone vendor may have rushed (yet again) and expressed unrealistic optimism regarding a launch schedule that remains impossible to predict.
June is just a pipe dream
Although it's true that the company's executives never explicitly said the Galaxy Fold would be (re-) released next month, CEO Koh Dong-Jin certainly hinted in that direction a few weeks ago, claiming a "conclusion" on the revised timeline was coming in a "couple of days." That was obviously not the case, and according to a new Yonhap News report (translated), we may need to wait an extra few weeks for Samsung to ultimately reach its "conclusion."
That's because the company rapidly identified the cause of the phone's tragic breakdowns at the hands of select reviewers, bloggers, and influencers (as we all did), but reportedly found actually fixing the problems to be no easy task. "Quality stabilization work" is naturally well underway, but the whole design improvement effort is now expected to take significantly longer than initially planned.
The thing is it remains unclear exactly when will Samsung be able to strengthen the display and reduce the gaps between the bezels and plastic protective layer applied on top of the Galaxy Fold's screen to satisfactory levels. As such, the best guess Korean media can venture in regards to a new launch is... not in June. Carriers are barely expected to receive a fresh batch of units around mid-June for network compatibility and certification purposes, and there's now a very good chance the Galaxy Fold will hit Korea before it eventually comes to the US.
Huawei's woes could help the Galaxy Fold achieve its full potential
Being first to a market segment forecasted to revolutionize a stagnant industry can be important. But it's not all that matters and Samsung is finally realizing that... now that Huawei's incredible growth has been stopped dead in its tracks. Even though the Mate X could still be released in China pretty soon, no one knows if there's a future for Huawei products outside of the world's largest smartphone market.
That should lift a great deal of pressure from Samsung's shoulders, which is now working under the assumption the Galaxy Fold will be first in the Western Hemisphere even if it launches in August or September. Unless Motorola or Xiaomi pull a rabbit out of their hats, which seems highly unlikely.
Is the Huawei Mate X DOA? No one can say for sure, and that's certainly good news for Samsung
Bottom line, we fully expect Samsung to take its time "stabilizing the quality of parts, including film and display parts" to make sure the Galaxy Fold 2.0 won't collapse as easily and as embarrassingly as the first version shipped to reviewers. It's getting clearer and clearer that Best Buy might have had more inside information than it let on when canceling all existing pre-orders without giving customers an alternative.
Meanwhile, you still have a couple of days to expressly request Samsung keep your order and fulfil it whenever ready if said pre-order was made on the company's official US website and you're willing to wait until July (at the earliest).
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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