Major components will soon begin shipping to Vietnam for assembly.
What you need to know
- The Samsung Galaxy Fold is expected to launch in time for the holiday season.
- Improvements have been made to the protective screen film and the hinge.
- It is not expected to be shown off at Samsung Unpacked with the new Note 10 phones.
Samsung may have missed its launch date on the Galaxy Fold by a few months, but it should be ready in time for the holiday season. That is according to Bloomberg, who spoke to people familiar with the matter.
Previously, the Galaxy Fold was set to launch back in April, but that was before review units began failing one after the other for tech journalists. In response to all of the problems with the display, Samsung delayed the launch and began an investigation on how to fix the issues.
Recently, DJ Koh the CEO of Samsung even admitted that he rushed the launch of the new foldable phone. The good news is, Samsung is in the final stages of testing the Galaxy Fold, with sales set to begin in the near future.
One of the biggest issues that plagued the review units of the Galaxy Fold was the easy-to-remove protective film over the display that was essential to the integrity of the screen. The new and improved Galaxy Fold now stretches the film under the frame of the device making it impossible to remove.
Another one of the issues with the Galaxy Fold involved debris getting stuck between the display and the body of the phone. Samsung has since redesigned the hinge to make it flush with the display and stretch the film even further when fully opened.
This should narrow the gap between the body and display to prevent debris from entering. The new hinge design also creates more tension when fully opened, making the display feel more solid and could prevent the unsightly crease from forming in the center.
While the release date remains up in the air for now, one of the people involved says components such as the display and battery will soon start shipping to Vietnam for mass production.
With Samsung having an event scheduled on August 7 to unveil the new Note 10 phones, it would be a perfect time to show off the new and improved Galaxy Fold. However, according to one of the sources we are unlikely to see it make an appearance there.
Still, the good news is that the Galaxy Fold’s issues are fixed and it is coming soon. Just not soon enough.
Samsung Galaxy Fold review: Potential and promise, not a product
