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Samsung delays Galaxy Fold release after reviewers break it

by Teddy Leting
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Samsung has delayed the release of its new Galaxy Fold smartphone after reviewers experienced breakages within days of receiving the device.

As the first fold-able handset from a major manufacturer, anticipation was high for the innovative gadget despite it having a price tag of around £1,500.

But journalists have posted scathing reviews of the product, which is designed to be similar in size to a normal mobile when closed but also capable of opening up to reveal a tablet-style screen.

DJ Koh, the CEO of Samsung's mobile division, holds the Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone
 DJ Koh, the CEO of Samsung’s mobile division, holds the Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone

With some tech reporters having labelled the Fold as “unusable” just 48 hours after being sent them by Samsung, the company has admitted it has problems and pushed back its release date.

The South Korean firm said an inspection had found the breakages could stem from impact on “exposed areas of the hinge” that allows the device to fold. It said it had also uncovered an internal issue that could affect “performance” of the display, but will carry out more tests before deciding on a new release date.

Launch events planned for Shanghai and Hong Kong this week have also been postponed. Samsung had been confident the Fold would be a success, hailing it as “unlike any device that has come before it” ahead of its original US release date of 26 April. Its price there will be just under $2,000.

It features a whopping six cameras and other high-end features like an AMOLED display, a fast processor, plenty of memory and an AI assistant.

Samsung had also claimed it could be opened and closed 200,000 times – or 100 times a day for five years. were said removing the plastic film from the interior screen made the phone unusable – although keeping it on did not seem to prevent other devices from breaking, either. Mark Gurman, of Bloomberg, tweeted that the “screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in”.

Problems were also encountered by Dieter Bohn of The Verge and Steve Kovach from CNBC. It is not the first time Samsung has experienced a difficult product launch.

Its Galaxy Note 7 device was recalled because the batteries were spontaneously combusting, prompting a widespread ban on the devices by airlines. Sales were later suspended and Samsung issued a recall.

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