The Samsung Galaxy Fold doesn't look like it's coming back any time soon

Posted:
in General Discussion edited May 2019
Potential owners of Samsung's Galaxy Fold may have a longer wait than anticipated to receive the flexible smartphone, if at all, as the South Korean electronics giant has started to warn customers who preordered the device their orders may end up being cancelled, and with no anticipated future shipping date set by the manufacturer.

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


Samsung revealed the $1,980 smartphone at a press event in February, with the key feature being its 7.3-inch display that could be folded in half. Initially Samsung set a release date for the mobile device of April 26, but following a series of events, it had to push back the release as it performs damage control on the hardware.

On Monday, customers who preordered the Galaxy Fold started to receive emails from Samsung advising of a potential cancellation of the order, messages that were confirmed by a Samsung spokeswoman to Reuters. The message states "If we do not hear from you and we have not shipped by May 31st, your order will be cancelled automatically."

Samsung claims it was required to notify customers preorders would be cancelled if it failed to ship by May 31.

The change in stance to not confirm a release date differs from information provided by representatives of AT&T, who advised in late April it would ship on June 13. Samsung told AppleInsider there was no such set date.

Early reviews from major technology reporters suggested the Galaxy Fold's flexible display technology was not quite ready for primetime. Numerous reports surfaced showing the display breaking at the hinge, while some reviewers damaged the device by believing a transparent layer was a removable screen protector, when it was in fact part of the display.

Samsung was quick to ask reviewers to send back the flawed devices, as well as moving to cancel launch events in China and to delay the smartphone's release.

A teardown of the Galaxy Fold revealed some concerning elements with the design, including a 7-millimeter gap in the bezel where the two halves met that could be an inlet for damaging debris. When closed, the spine was "flanked by massive gaps" that, while not damaging directly, could allow more material to collect inside.

The non-launch of the Galaxy Fold is the first major smartphone failure for Samsung since the Note 7 battery fire debacle, which involved a global recall of the model over safety concerns, costing Samsung billions of dollars in the process. Keen to avoid another costly exercise, Samsung is seemingly being proactive in preventing the launch until the embarrassing issue is fixed.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 71
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Bahahahahaha! Strike TWO!

    Sucks that Samsung will get away with this in the end...If this were Apple, OMG! It would literally be the end of life as we know it. 
    entropysn2itivguyanantksundaramalbegarcracerhomie3olscornchipgenovellechaickaStrangeDays
  • Reply 2 of 71
    EsquireCatsEsquireCats Posts: 1,268member
    This is what Samsung devices look like when they don't have Apple to copy.

    It's amusing to think back how the iPhone was described as merely a collection of obvious design choices. Yet neither Samsung or similar had anything like it prior, and that the seemingly obvious collection of technologies wasn't achieved prior.
    n2itivguyanantksundaramtyler82albegarcracerhomie3SpamSandwicholscornchipchaickachia
  • Reply 3 of 71
    YamYam Posts: 6member
    So funny.
    albegarcSpamSandwicholsjbdragonAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 71
    I hope they do well.  Nothing sparks innovation like competition and someone looking to take your lunch.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 5 of 71
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    As some posted a few weeks ago (and bears repeating): they’ve Fold-ed. 
    SpamSandwichAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 71
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    I hope they do well.  Nothing sparks innovation like competition and someone looking to take your lunch.
    In Samsung‘s case: Nothing sparks their innovation like when they have Apple to copy. 
    racerhomie3mwhiteSpamSandwicholsalbegarcchaickachiajbdragondysamoriaAppleExposed
  • Reply 7 of 71
    bulk001bulk001 Posts: 764member
    People are always critical that Android makers are copying Apple. What innovation has Apple brought to iPhones recently? Thinner - yes, a newer camera - yes, increased speed in opening Safari - yes. Higher pricing to make it look cooler and more exclusive to the editorial writer here who says higher prices are better - yes. Beyond that? Not much between my current iPhone and the 6 I have as a backup. 
    llamaAppleExposed
  • Reply 8 of 71
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    It was a deeply unattractive product even if working as advertised. I'm not an advocate of a "thin at any cost" approach, but anyone looking at the edge-on photos of the Fold could see that it was ridiculously thick and clunky. In what kind of pocket would anyone be comfortable to carry that? Then couple it with the gaping holes in the case. And all for a bargain $1800!

    The Fold was a really bad answer to a product question nobody had been asking.
    edited May 2019 olsagilealtitudechiaanantksundaramlordjohnwhorfindysamoriawatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 9 of 71
    add water is wet
    AppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 71
    darkpawdarkpaw Posts: 212member
    bulk001 said:
    People are always critical that Android makers are copying Apple. What innovation has Apple brought to iPhones recently? Thinner - yes, a newer camera - yes, increased speed in opening Safari - yes. Higher pricing to make it look cooler and more exclusive to the editorial writer here who says higher prices are better - yes. Beyond that? Not much between my current iPhone and the 6 I have as a backup. 
    The "not much" part is the innovation bit:

    • Face ID (and faster Face ID in the iPhone XS & XS Max)
    • Bionic CPU
    • The industry's first 7nm CPU in a mobile phone
    • Faster CPU
    • Faster GPU
    • Better battery life
    • Better screen technology
    • True Tone
    • P3 Wide Colour
    • Dolby Vision
    • HDR10
    • 3D Touch
    • Tap to Wake
    • 120MHz touch sensing (on the iPhone XS & XS Max)
    • Portrait mode photos
    • Smart HDR
    • Dynamic depth of field

    Etc.
    ArloTimetravelermatrix077olscornchipalbegarcchaickachiaanantksundaramdsdleavingthebigg
  • Reply 11 of 71
    bulk001 said:
    People are always critical that Android makers are copying Apple. What innovation has Apple brought to iPhones recently? Thinner - yes, a newer camera - yes, increased speed in opening Safari - yes. Higher pricing to make it look cooler and more exclusive to the editorial writer here who says higher prices are better - yes. Beyond that? Not much between my current iPhone and the 6 I have as a backup. 
    So, the bar for innovation is now a phone that breaks within 48 hours of first use?
    edited May 2019 ArloTimetravelercornchipalbegarcchiajbdragonSolidysamorialeavingthebiggDanManTXfastasleep
  • Reply 12 of 71
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    bulk001 said:
    People are always critical that Android makers are copying Apple. What innovation has Apple brought to iPhones recently? Thinner - yes, a newer camera - yes, increased speed in opening Safari - yes. Higher pricing to make it look cooler and more exclusive to the editorial writer here who says higher prices are better - yes. Beyond that? Not much between my current iPhone and the 6 I have as a backup. 

    My XS max is far and away better than the X I had.  The X was far and away better than the 7 Plus.  Innovation?  Apple has never been about bleeding edge specs.  With rare exception, what they release actually works.  How about Face ID?  It's the best facial recognition in a smartphone, bar none.  Does that count as innovation?  
    cornchipchaickaStrangeDaysfastasleepAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 71
    usersinceos1usersinceos1 Posts: 145member
    The Fold seems to be the definition of an epic product failure.  Compared to that, Apple's withdrawal of its wireless charger is quite tame.
    olscornchipchiaanantksundaramdysamoriaAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 71
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Laughing out loud.
    olsmacseekerAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 71
    The Fold seems to be the definition of an epic product failure.  Compared to that, Apple's withdrawal of its wireless charger is quite tame.

    What I like about Apple is that they will not release a product untiled it meets their quality standards. That is why I always buy Apple products.




    edited May 2019 cornchipAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 71
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    But…but…but… "First to market…!"

    cornchipjbdragondysamoriaAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 71
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    macxpress said:
    Bahahahahaha! Strike TWO!

    Sucks that Samsung will get away with this in the end...If this were Apple, OMG! It would literally be the end of life as we know it. 
    This is what Samsung devices look like when they don't have Apple to copy.

    It's amusing to think back how the iPhone was described as merely a collection of obvious design choices. Yet neither Samsung or similar had anything like it prior, and that the seemingly obvious collection of technologies wasn't achieved prior.

    Yeah, design engineering is a bitch, ain’t it?

    Very often Apple isn’t about pushing the engineering & technology envelope as much as putting together high-quality components in a way that works. The original iPhone did not have any revolutionary components. What it had was a set of components that were put together well with a revolutionary operating system to make them more functional and usable than anything that had been made before. Often, the best designs are the ones that seem obvious in retrospect.
    edited May 2019 jbdragondsdAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 71
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    The Fold seems to be the definition of an epic product failure.  Compared to that, Apple's withdrawal of its wireless charger is quite tame.

    What I like about Apple is that they will not release a product untiled it meets their quality standards. That is why I always buy Apple products.




    iPod Socks was not a shining achievement, but it was something they actually decided to make and sell... They can’t all be winners, but their decisions typically yield more winners than losers.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 71
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    Pure incompetence.  Seriously.  Now ponder how huge Samsung is.  These folks must be a band of idiots.  Who in their right mind releases a product like this without a little testing?  And it certainly would only take a little testing, because that's all those Tech YouTubers did to find the problems with it.

    Not that I care.  I'm an iPhone guy.
    AppleExposedradarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 71
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member
    bulk001 said:
    People are always critical that Android makers are copying Apple. What innovation has Apple brought to iPhones recently? Thinner - yes, a newer camera - yes, increased speed in opening Safari - yes. Higher pricing to make it look cooler and more exclusive to the editorial writer here who says higher prices are better - yes. Beyond that? Not much between my current iPhone and the 6 I have as a backup. 
    Um... let’s see... FaceID that’s actually fast and secure and not a cheap party trick. Processors that are faster than my laptop. True edge to edge screen, yes with a notch but that actually works.

    Foldable display? Why? That’s just technology for technology sake.
    SpamSandwichanantksundaramStrangeDaysAppleExposedwatto_cobra
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