Roger Fingas
In addition to delaying the launch of the phone, Samsung is now asking reviewers to return their Galaxy Fold samples, acknowledging that they were encountering numerous problems with its foldable OLED screen.
"On the bright side, we have an opportunity to nail down this issue and fix it before selling the phones to a massive audience, so they won't have same complaints," an anonymous Samsung source told Reuters.
The Fold was originally due to ship on April 26, but earlier this month reviewers began complaining about broken screens after a day or two of use. In some cases this was attributable to reviewers mistakenly pulling at a protective layer, but in others stress on the hinge section of the display resulted in corrupt, flickering, or outright missing graphics.
On Monday Samsung postponed the Fold's launch indefinitely, promising to make fixes before it reaches the public. The device costs nearly $2,000, which could've resulted in a major backlash from both buyers and the media.
Samsung is likely eager to avoid a repeat of the Note 7, which suffered numerous battery fires leading to not one but two recalls and a complete cancellation. The debacle ultimately cost it some $5 billion and forced it to implement stricter battery testing.
Read Samsung's full statement on the Fold delay:
We recently unveiled a completely new mobile category: a smartphone using multiple new technologies and materials to create a display that is flexible enough to fold. We are encouraged by the excitement around the Galaxy Fold.While many reviewers shared with us the vast potential they see, some also showed us how the device needs further improvements that could ensure the best possible user experience.
To fully evaluate this feedback and run further internal tests, we have decided to delay the release of the Galaxy Fold. We plan to announce the release date in the coming weeks.
Initial findings from the inspection of reported issues on the display showed that they could be associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge. There was also an instance where substances found inside the device affected the display performance.
We will take measures to strengthen the display protection. We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold.
We value the trust our customers place in us and they are always our top priority. Samsung is committed to working closely with customers and partners to move the industry forward. We want to thank them for their patience and understanding.
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36 Comments
I have to admit that I was looking forward to feeling some schadenfreude as I watched Samsung ship what is clearly a prototype, that has questionable utility (at least in the immediate future). I find it odd that they would effectively send these units to reviewers and hope for the best. I understand that the race to be first has some strong marketing power (just look at 5G), but is it really worth the negative impact inflicted on your most loyal user base (the early adopters)? Say what you want about Apple, but they would only ship a finished product.
"Destroy the evidence!"
It seems like a classic case of marketing overruling engineering.
"...We value the trust our customers place in us..."
Trust...what trust?
The funny thing is Samesung was sending out Replacement phones to the reviewers. Yet now they're taking those right back once again? WOW!!! I figured, wait and see if they were actually going to launch. If so, maybe there's not really a problem, or they think there isn't. If they delay launch, it must be a big enough problem to stop it like that. It doesn't put them or the phone in a good light to delay launch. If there's a real hardware issue, these phones may never get released. At least this version. All the hardware may have to be scraped. They could be out a whole lot of money. Better to do it now the millions out and having to do a full recall like with the exploding S7. It's not a good sign. They can't software patch themselves out of this one
Now this is the true "Foldgate"!!!