“Bumpy” doesn’t even begin to describe the journey that the Samsung Galaxy Fold has had making its way into consumer hands. The folding smartphone should have been available to buy three months ago, only for Samsung to justifiably get cold feet after at least four review units broke within days of arriving.
Since then we’ve heard how Samsung plans to fix the handset, and even that the new design was done, but nothing from an official source. Now we’ve got confirmation direct from Samsung that the revised hardware will launch “from September in select markets.”
The post only tacitly acknowledges both the missed release date and broken handsets, mentioning “design and construction improvements” and thanking fans for “support and patience.”
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“Earlier this year, we announced Galaxy Fold—Samsung’s first foldable device, and the beginning of an entirely new mobile category,” the post reads. “Since then, we’ve made improvements to Galaxy Fold to ensure consumers have the best possible experience.”
The company highlights five main areas of change, which it calls “necessary improvements”:
- The protective layer that some reviewers removed has been made larger, going beyond the bezel “making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed.”
- The device has been given “additional reinforcements” to prevent external particles from getting inside.
- The phone has a strengthened area around the top and bottom of the hinges with “newly added protection caps”.
- “Additional metal layers” have been added underneath the Flex Display to make it tougher
- The gap between hinge and body of the device has been cut back.
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Samsung says these improvements have had “rigorous tests to validate the changes we made,” and that’s exactly what you’d expect after the tough time the company had with the initial roll out. But then you’d imagine the original Galaxy Fold had been rigorously tested before arriving with reviewers too. Time will tell if the fixes are sufficient to make the Galaxy Fold a product that’s ready for public consumption, or whether this is a last roll of the dice for a handset that’s too far ahead of its time.
Would you consider a Samsung Galaxy Fold, or have the teething problems put you off? Let us know what you think 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.
