The highly anticipated release of Samsung’s foldable phone has been delayed. The folding phone has breaking issues. This public launch push back is a setback for Samsung and the smartphone market generally. Many hoped the folding phone would spark innovation in the smartphone industry, which has experienced a recent lull. (See Is Smartphone Past Its Prime?)
The launch date is delayed until further inspection and testing is done.
Samsung has big plans for The Galaxy Fold—as presented in WORLDteen’s “Foldable Phone Arrives.” The $1,980 price tag didn’t suggest it would be a mass market hit. But developers hoped that it would hint at a new era in smartphone advances. Samsung pledges that the phone will withstand being unfolded about 200,000 times in its life. That promise might be hard to keep.
Initial reviewers of the device ran into trouble almost immediately. Several journalists reported screens flickering, freezing, and dying within the first couple of days. Two reviewers mistakenly removed a protective plastic film from the screen. Their phones were soon scratched. That showed the necessity of the plastic film, as well as the need for better consumer education about leaving it in place.
The Galaxy Fold is the size of an average smartphone. But its problems are above average. An inspection revealed weak hinges. They might not support the pressure of opening and closing the phone. For a phone that boasts foldability, this is bad news. Samsung also confirmed an issue in which “substances found inside the device affected the display performance.”
Some of the test phones are still working well. Will they hold up to the ultimate phone flipping test of 200,000 times?
Postponing the launch date does not mean the latest smartphone development has failed. Samsung may just need more time to better develop its product.
(A model holds a Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone during a media preview week in London. This week, the phone’s public launch was delayed. A new launch date will be announced following more product testing. AP Photo)
