The Samsung Galaxy Fold is back in the hands of reviewers and, once again, at least one of them is suffering issues with the fragile foldable display.
A new report from TechCrunch writer Brian Heater, says the display on his handset suffered visible damage after just one day of use.
Heater says he pulled the Galaxy Fold out of his pocket to find a small “brightly coloured, amorphous blob” positioned between the butterfly wings depicted in the wallpaper. You can see that image below:
While this pales in comparison to many of the issues suffered by the displays first time around – ironically Heater says his first model was fine – it’s still a worrying sign for the company.
Heater guesses the issue may have been caused by pressing too firmly on the display while closing it, but that hasn’t been confirmed by Samsung, which has now taken the device back to diagnose the flaw.
In our own experience with the supposedly remedied Galaxy Fold, we’ve had no issues with the display, so this could just be a one off incident, but it’s concerning nonetheless.
- Read our Samsung Galaxy S10 review
Just last week Samsung released an ominous video explaining how to care for the Galaxy Fold. The remarkable video tells users they should use “just use a light touch,” when operating the touchscreen, and warns them “not apply excessive pressure to it.”
“A smartphone as incredible as this deserves care like no other,” Samsung says, which roughly translated into real talk means “this thing will break if you treat it like a normal phone.”
Earlier this week the situation was clarified further by the sheer number of warnings users will receive when they purchase the device. Buyers in the US have a one-on-one consultation with a member of Samsung’s staff which “involved quite a lot of discussion about the proper care and maintenance of the Fold” (via The Verge).
The phone itself comes wrapped in a piece of plastic outlining a series of warnings, which read as follows.
Do not press the screen with a hard or sharp object, such as a pen or fingernail.
Do not place any objects, such as cards, coins, or keys, on the screen.
This device is not water or dust resistant. Do not expose to liquids or small particles.
Do not attach any adhesives such as films or stickers to the main screen or remove the top protective layer.
Keep a safe distance between your device and objects that may be affected by magnets such as credit cards and implantable medical devices. If you have an implantable medical device, consult your physician before use.
All in all, you may want to wait a little longer before you splash out nearly £2,000 on the Galaxy Fold.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.