While Samsung is promoting the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 with a set of futuristic features, not much info has surfaced about the long-delayed Samsung Galaxy Fold. However, according to a report by a Korean news outlet, the Galaxy Fold launch may finally happen early in September, after months of delay and technical issues.
The Galaxy Fold was initially slated to launch in April. However, several screen issues have pushed the release date out. When Mark Gurman, a reporter for Bloomberg received his review unit of the Galaxy Fold, he found that the screen didn’t work. He removed a protection film, that apparently he wasn’t supposed to remove, warning that users might not know they shouldn’t either, as per his post on Twitter.
The phone comes with this protective layer/film. Samsung says you are not supposed to remove it. I removed it, not knowing you’re not supposed to (consumers won’t know either). It appeared removable in the left corner, so I took it off. I believe this contributed to the problem. pic.twitter.com/fU646D2zpY
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
Back in July, Samsung promised in an official statement that the device would officially launch in September, although the official date of launch remains unknown.
“Along with these improvements, Samsung has also been continuously working to improve the overall Galaxy Fold user experience, including optimizing more apps and services for its unique foldable UX. Samsung is conducting final product tests to make Galaxy Fold available to consumers starting from September in select markets. Availability details will be shared as we get closer to the launch,” the statement reads.
Galaxy Fold to Launch at IFA 2019
The Korean media outlet suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Fold launch will take place on Sept. 6, although nothing was confirmed by the Korean tech giant. This date could make sense as the largest trade show in Europe, known as the IFA 2019, will take place in Berlin on Sept. 6. IFA is the U.S. equivalent of CES in Las Vegas. Perhaps Samsung has decided to place its launch platform exactly at this major event.
Does Patience Pay Off?
The Samsung Galaxy Fold launch was supposed to take place back in April. However, there were several design flaws that Samsung acknowledged and moved the launching event, as well as cancelling all pre-orders.
According to a report in June by The Investor, Samsung Display Vice President Kim Seong-cheol said that “most of the display problems have been ironed out, and the Galaxy Fold is ready to hit the market.” However, in July, Samsung published a statement in which it moved the launch to a later date in September. The wait for the revolutionary phone rivaled only by the upcoming Huawei Mate X, which is also delayed, was filled in by the annual launch of the new flagship Note 10 and Note 10 Plus.
According to the Korean media outlet, the Galaxy Fold was reserved for a later launch date in September. However, the company decided to hurry up and launch the device earlier, with South Korea, the origin country of the company getting the device first. Both the U.S. and China will get the phone in September, but the final date hasn’t been established. The report didn’t specify when the other regions will receive the foldable device.
If the phone really launches on Sept. 6, more information will be available soon. Meanwhile, even though the official launch of the Galaxy Fold is still on thin ice, LetsGoDigital reported that new patents suggest that the Galaxy Fold 2 is already underway. The new patents show a phone with a similar design to the currently-produced Galaxy Fold, with a model that folds down the length of the screen, so it looks like opening a book.
