Early reviews of Samsung's $2K Galaxy Fold marred by many broken screens [u]

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2019
Some of the first reviews of Samsung's $1,980 Galaxy Fold are beginning to hit the internet, but multiple reviewers say they've already managed to break its main 7.3-inch display.

Image Credit: Steve Kovach on Twitter
Image Credit: Steve Kovach on Twitter


A few impacted people include Marques Brownlee, Dieter Bohn of The Verge, Steve Kovach of CNBC, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. With the exception of Brownlee and Gurman, all of the breaks appear to involve the screen section over the hinge.

After one day of use... pic.twitter.com/VjDlJI45C9

-- Steve Kovach (@stevekovach)


Affected phones will typically display corrupt graphics along the hinge line or one half of the display. In some cases, at least, problems have been a result of human error -- a transparent layer on the phone can be mistaken for a screen protector, and trying to peel it off breaks the display completely.

PSA: There's a layer that appears to be a screen protector on the Galaxy Fold's display. It's NOT a screen protector. Do NOT remove it.

I got this far peeling it off before the display spazzed and blacked out. Started over with a replacement. pic.twitter.com/ZhEG2Bqulr

-- Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD)


Another trend though is that broken Folds have generally only been in use for a day or two, suggesting inherent design flaws. The device is not yet in the hands of customers, but presumably, the first batch scheduled to be shipped to early pre-orderers before the end of the month are already packaged and ready to go.

The Galaxy Fold isn't the world's first foldable smartphone, but it is the first from a major vendor, designed to attract rich shoppers who want to be on the cutting edge.

If Samsung is forced to do a recall, the results will likely be less disastrous than the one for the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7, which cost the company some $5 billion. While the Fold is priced at nearly $2,000, there are likely far fewer in circulation.

Update: Samsung responded to the issue in a statement to The Verge, saying, "A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review. We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter."

The company did not explain what was causing the problem, but noted the top protective layer is designed to be a permanent part of the display and could cause damage if removed.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 69
    I'm very surprised that a foldable phone's screen would break. /s

    Kidding aside, I'm not really surprised, though I am surprised it took so little time. Foldable phones may be a thing at some point but with the current selection I don't see (m)any upsides and the thickness would be a struggle for me.
    edited April 2019 MplsPtmayracerhomie3qwerty52doozydozengilly33dysamoriaolsmagman1979chasm
  • Reply 2 of 69
    conitorconitor Posts: 10member
    Wow!  Those predicting Apple's demise based the Galaxy Fold might be a bit premature!  :D
    davennetmagetyler82racerhomie3qwerty52gilly33magman1979chasmbb-15macseeker
  • Reply 3 of 69
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Samsung is first to market with a foldable phone. It’s a work in progress so expect some bumps in the road. Samsung gets a pass on this. You know it’s true. But if this were Apple it would be “DON’T THEY TEST THIS STUFF BEFORE THEY RELEASE IT?"
    edited April 2019 mike1leavingthebiggDanManTXracerhomie3elijahgDAalsethGG1gilly33chasmmagman1979
  • Reply 4 of 69
    lkrupp said:
    Samsung is first to market with a foldable phone. It’s a work in progress so expect some bumps in the road. Samsung gets a pass on this. You know it’s true.
    What? Why? Apple brings something to market and there are any bumps and all hell breaks loose. If they've brought an item to market prematurely just to be first and it's a POS, they should suffer the consequences. 

    - Nice edit Lkrupp to save yourself. 
    edited April 2019 elijahgfastasleepcrossladronnchemengin
  • Reply 5 of 69
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,717member
    Just imagine Apple would have released AirPower and then have all these users show videos of the product‘s weakness...

    Once more being first may amount to... nothing. 
    coolfactorracerhomie3conitorgilly33chasmmagman1979StrangeDaysronnredgeminipawatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 69

    I guess they are not holding the mobile right..

    edited April 2019 gutengelmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 69
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    But but but...innovation! 

    Fold- gate ?
    netmagegutengelchasmmagman1979suddenly newtonredgeminipawatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 69
    FatmanFatman Posts: 513member
    The risk of being first to market!

    I've had my issues with a few Samsung products (bad LCD TV panels/motherboards/capacitor/power supply, appliance failures, and laser printer engine failures), so I'm not surprised. Imagine the problems the Chinese products will have ... probably ten fold - they are known for cutting corners. It will take Apple to figure out the right way to do it, and the others will then copy the design.
    magman1979bb-15watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 69
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    conitor said:
    Wow!  Those predicting Apple's demise based the Galaxy Fold might be a bit premature!  :D

    Anyone predicting that is not using their phones for productivity. The true magic is in the software, not just the hardware.
    albegarccornchipracerhomie3qwerty52gilly33magman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 69
    davendaven Posts: 696member
    lkrupp said:
    Samsung is first to market with a foldable phone. It’s a work in progress so expect some bumps in the road. Samsung gets a pass on this. You know it’s true. But if this were Apple it would be “DON’T THEY TEST THIS STUFF BEFORE THEY RELEASE IT?"
    I learned years ago that you can't do anything about the hypocrisy in the world. I just move on and do the right thing. Life is too short to waste time on trying to convince stubborn people who choose to be incorrect that they are incorrect.
    Soliradarthekatdoozydozenchasmmagman1979guscaticoco3redgeminipawatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 69
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    lkrupp said:
    Samsung is first to market with a foldable phone. It’s a work in progress so expect some bumps in the road. Samsung gets a pass on this. You know it’s true. But if this were Apple it would be “DON’T THEY TEST THIS STUFF BEFORE THEY RELEASE IT?"
    I’m not at all surprised that they’re having issues, just that it happened so fast. If I had shelled out $2k for a preorder I’d be cancelling it 5 minutes ago. 

    Not sure why you think Samsung should get a pass on this, though. Having failures within 48 hours is pretty bad. My exact thought was “DON’T THEY TEST THIS STUFF BEFORE THEY RELEASE IT?“
    edited April 2019 albegarcracerhomie3qwerty52doozydozenmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 69
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    That's hilarious, to have a $2000 phone break on the first day or two after getting it. :#

    Those foldable phones are fat when folded and ugly too, I don't see the point at all.

    That's one of the differences between Apple and most other companies imo.

    Apple will usually not release something until it's ready for primetime and the experience is great. I think that Apple made the right move in cancelling their wireless charger. Other companies would have released it, even if it weren't good enough.

    Companies like Samsung will just fling a whole bunch of random crap at the wall, release things before the tech is ready and good, and whatever happens, happens.

    If Apple had the same mentality, Apple could just release 50 or so devices this year alone.


    netmageqwerty52gilly33digital_guywatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 69
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    MplsP said:
    lkrupp said:
    Samsung is first to market with a foldable phone. It’s a work in progress so expect some bumps in the road. Samsung gets a pass on this. You know it’s true. But if this were Apple it would be “DON’T THEY TEST THIS STUFF BEFORE THEY RELEASE IT?"
    I’m not at all surprised that they’re having issues, just that it happened so fast. If I had shelled out $2k for a preorder I’d be cancelling it 5 minutes ago. 

    Not sure why you think Samsung should get a pass on this, though. Having failures within 48 hours is pretty bad. My exact thought was “DON’T THEY TEST THIS STUFF BEFORE THEY RELEASE IT?“
    He's not saying they should, merely that they are given a lot more leeway than Apple.
    mike1williamhgilly33StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 69
    gutengelgutengel Posts: 363member
    BUT, DOES IT EXPLODE?! For 2K it better!!!
    radarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 69
    netmagenetmage Posts: 314member
    I don't think lkrupp wants Samsung to get a pass, just expects the media to give them one because they aren't Apple.
    mike1entropysgilly33watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 69
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    My first thought when I read the headline was "Are people really buying this POS?!"..

    Then I realized it was just reviewers, who didn't have to pay for them... thank god!  Seriously... who is the sheep if anyone buys this crap, especially at $2K?

    Samsung already is a cesspool occupant as far as I'm concerned, yet even I am surprised that they put out such garbage - and expensive garbage - expecting it to be anywhere near ready for the masses.

    I cracked up when Marques Brownlee mistaken part of the screen as a screen protector and ruined the display after attempting to peel it off!  LOL!

    Pure shit.  Watch Samsung quietly remove it from market in a few weeks.  But hey, they were first!!! /s
    qwerty52tyler82tmaymacplusplusradarthekatgilly33dysamoriamagman1979cornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 69
    GabyGaby Posts: 190member
    This has to be a record for Samsung....
    Congratulations guys!!! Lol

    retrogustoguscatcornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 69
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    did not see this coming /s
    burnsidewatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 69
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    Great Galaxies! TOTAL RECALL! It'll be back. At least the company won't FOLD.
    radarthekatgilly33cornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 69
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    Samsung Customer Service Rep: "Just don't fold it and you will be fine"

    guscatwatto_cobra
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