Samsung announced Wednesday that it’s fixed the Galaxy Fold you’ll be able to buy it through carriers and retailers in September, giving the company’s first foldable phone a second chance to show off how it’s the inevitable future of smartphones.
Samsung was set to launch the Fold on April 25, but after several journalists found physical issues with the hardware and ended up with defective units, the company was forced to recall the models and postpone the launch of its flagship product. Samsung’s own President and CEO DJ Koh called it an “embarrassing” affair.
Now, the company says that the device will be ready for a second launch in September, after, it says, it made several improvements to the design of the device. Notably, the company has extended the protective layer for the display beyond the bezel to make it more apparent that the layer isn’t meant to be removed, and it has added “additional reinforcements to better protect the device from external particles.” The hinge has also been strengthened.
“Samsung has taken the time to fully evaluate the product design, make necessary improvements and run rigorous tests to validate the changes we made,” said the company in a blog post.
Some reviewers removed what they thought was a screen protector, but it was a component integral to maintain the Galaxy Fold’s display. There also was a 7mm gap in the phone’s bezel, which could potentially allow for dirt or other small particles to enter and damage the device. Some reviewers said their phones were completely unusable, with blacked-out screens due to the issues. Digital Trends never had any issues with our review edition of the phone.
“It was embarrassing,” said Koh earlier in July about the entire Galaxy Fold affair. “I pushed it through before it was ready.”
Fans of the Fold can rest assured: it should be ready now. All of the hardware problems have been fixed with the revised version of the Galaxy Fold, Samsung said.
Screen snags aside, the Galaxy Fold is an strong first step for foldable phones, but at a close to $2,000 price point, it’s too expensive for what it is. That said, if you want to be on the cutting edge of smartphone design — and have the cash to spend on this first step toward a foldable future — it will be yours to buy soon.
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