The Samsung Galaxy Fold has experienced a few teething problems ahead of its launch this month, after a number of reviewers found their handsets broke after just a few days use. While some of these seem to be due to removing a key component by mistake, others are still unexplained.
Despite this, Samsung has stated it has no plans to pull the launch and said in a statement that it will be releasing the product in the United States in just four days’ time.
Also from Samsung PR: “There are no changes to the plans – we are launching in the U.S. on April 26.”
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) April 18, 2019
That may be true of the United States, but what about the rest of the world? Well apparently Samsung has pulled its Chinese launch, but it’s important to remember that correlation is not the same as causation. Indeed, SamMobile quotes one source as saying this is down to a last-minute issue with a venue, rather than any wobbles about the fidelity of the product.
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But before you go and take that at face value, here’s another interesting data point. Samsung has also gone and pulled the launch in Hong Kong. That could be for parity, of course, but it could also reflect something more serious.
Samsung Galaxy Fold launch events in Hong Kong and Shanghai have been postponed. They were originally scheduled for this Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
— Richard Lai (@richardlai) April 21, 2019
If it’s not an issue with the venue, then two possibilities spring to mind. The first is the one suggested by SamMobile: that Samsung is just spending a bit more time making it absolutely clear that the protective layer on the screen is not to be tampered with. More labels, software warnings, what have you.
Another possibility is that Samsung has decided to bring all of its Galaxy Fold units to other territories to ensure the best chance of a fault-free launch. With more inventory, faulty units should have less chance of getting into consumer hands and making this PR problem worse than it already is.
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For now, the Galaxy Fold launches this week in the US. It’ll be interesting to see if early impressions meet Samsung’s hype or give the company its worst consumer nightmare since the Note 7 launch.
Do the Galaxy Fold issues worry you? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.
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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.
