Samsung announced on Thursday morning in Asia that it has fixed issues that plagued the Galaxy Fold's initial launch. The phone will launch in September, Samsung said, without providing an exact launch date.
The Galaxy Fold was initially set to be released on April 26, but tech reviewers, including at CNBC, found the phone broke easily. CNBC's unit broke for unknown reasons after just a couple days, when the screen began flickering and then stopped working entirely. Samsung canceled all pre-orders for the device, as did its U.S. partners including AT&T and Best Buy.
Samsung said it made the following changes:
- The top protective layer of the Infinity Flex Display has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed.
- Galaxy Fold features additional reinforcements to better protect the device from external particles while maintaining its signature foldable experience.
- The top and bottom of the hinge area have been strengthened with newly added protection caps. Additional metal layers underneath the Infinity Flex Display have been included to reinforce the protection of the display. The space between the hinge and body of Galaxy Fold has been reduced.
The $2,000 Android phone is one of the first to offer a foldable screen. When closed, a user can interact with a traditional touchscreen on the outside of the phone. However, it opens up to reveal a much larger folding screen that can be used more like a tablet.
Early tests by Samsung found exposed edges of the screen around the hinge could be damaged and that debris could enter the hinge and also cause the display to stop functioning properly. As a result, Samsung decided not to launch the phone as planned, and instead brought it back in house to fix issues before it was sold to consumers.
