Smartphone enthusiasts with deep pockets were eagerly waiting for Samsung’s revolutionary foldable phone Galaxy Fold. The device was supposed to go on sale in April, but was delayed after early reviewers encountered a bunch of issues with the phone. Industry experts were speculating that Samsung would launch the handset in June after fixing all the problems. A new report claims that it’s unlikely to happen. The Samsung Galaxy Fold launch has been further delayed by at least a few weeks.
Samsung could reveal the Galaxy Fold launch schedule in a few weeks
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency has learned from sources that the device is now expected to launch in July. It’s taking Samsung a lot of time to rebuilt the phone to prevent it from breaking or malfunctioning. Citing a Samsung Electronics executive, Yonhap News Agency says the foldable phone would arrive a month later than expected.
According to the Samsung executive, the company hasn’t yet decided the Galaxy Fold release schedule. “We are in a position to announce the launch schedule in a few weeks.” There is a lot riding on the Galaxy Fold, which will be among the first – if not the first – foldable devices to go on sale in the US. Foldable phones are supposed to take the industry in a new direction. Samsung and other vendors have to get things right to ensure that consumers don’t lose faith in the foldable technology.
For more than a month, the Korean company has been saying the new Samsung Galaxy Fold launch schedule would be announced in the “coming weeks.” Separately, the Korea Herald has learned from telecom operators that the launch would take place “after June.” Telecom carriers are aware of the phone’s display defects and Samsung’s efforts to fix it since Samsung is conducting network connection tests with local carriers.
On May 9th, Samsung chief executive DJ Koh said the company would announce the new release schedule in the US and other markets soon. Koh reiterated that it “won’t be too late.” It’s been three weeks since his last comment with no launch schedule in sight. It indicates that the display problems were more severe than expected.
In the US, Best Buy has already canceled all the Galaxy Fold pre-orders due to uncertain launch schedule. Samsung has also informed customers that their pre-orders would be automatically canceled on May 31 unless they grant permission to keep their orders active. Customers have the option to cancel their orders any time. They won’t be charged until their unit actually ships.
What is causing the trouble?
The Galaxy Fold was originally scheduled to hit the store shelves on April 26th in the US. However, its launch was postponed after early reviewers started experiencing display-related issues. Many of them said the removal of the protective layer damaged the display. Even those who didn’t remove the protective layer said the screen would flicker and then stop working.
Samsung investigated the issues and said that some units were damaged due to the impact around the hinge. Some other units had “substances” that affected the display performance. The Korean company has assured users that it would take “measures to strengthen the display protection.”
It will also educate customers about the use of display and the protective layer. The company will reportedly tuck the protective layer into the body of the phone, making it look like a part of the body rather than an add-on screen protector.
The Galaxy Fold has two screens. It has a 4.6-inch outer display with HD+ resolution and 12:9 aspect ratio. This display is surrounded by thick bezels. It gives you quick access to tasks and apps. Unfolding the device brings up a 7.3-inch tablet screen with 4.2:3 aspect ratio and a display notch. Samsung claims the display could withstand at least 200,000 folding cycles without any damage. The early review units were not that strong. Let’s hope Samsung delivers on its promise with the consumer version.
In terms of specs, the Galaxy Fold runs the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor as the Galaxy S10 series. It packs a humongous 12GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage. Samsung has added the latest UFS 3.0 storage technology, which is much faster than the UFS 2.1 storage on the Galaxy S10 line.
Samsung’s foldable phone costs $1,980, which puts it out of the reach of most consumers. Someone spending that kind of money on a phone wouldn’t want a troublesome handset. It makes sense for Samsung to delay the Galaxy Fold launch instead of rushing it.
