Samsung launches Galaxy Fold with new materials, tweaked design

Posted:
in General Discussion edited September 2019
Samsung's Galaxy Fold will finally make its market debut in Korea on Friday. The launch date arrives some five months later than originally promised by the Korean tech giant, which has been working to solve a spate of reliability issues uncovered in early review units.




Come Friday, customers in South Korea will be able to get their hands on the redesigned Galaxy Fold for about $2,000. Samsung says it plans to start sales in other regions, including France, Germany, Singapore, the UK and U.S., at a later date.

The Apple rival first announced plans to roll out a new and improved Fold in July after the device missed its launch window three months prior.

Initially slated to debut in late April, early preview units succumbed to screen failures, graphics problems and other reliability issues. A number of news outlets and social media influencers reported concerns with Fold's namesake feature, saying a noticeable crease would form along the hinge line of the device's 7.3-inch OLED display after just days of use. The crease would in certain circumstances result in computer graphics failures that rendered one half or the entire panel non-functional.

In a clear case of user error, some reviewers attempted to remove a protective screen layer thinking it was a screen protector, causing the sensitive flexible panel below to malfunction.

Samsung decided to push back launch instead of releasing an obviously faulty handset. In a statement in July, Samsung Electronics CEO D.J. Koh called the fiasco "embarrassing," adding that he "pushed [Fold] through before it was ready."

Over the intervening months, the company beefed up Fold's hinges with protective caps and other materials designed to thwart the ingress of particulates. Additional metal layers have been added to the Infinity Flex Display to assist in rigidity, while the space between the hinge and the chassis has been reduced.

As for the top layer that looked like a screen protector, Samsung has extended the film to make it "apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed."

The Galaxy Fold is offered in two colors, Cosmos Black and Space Silver, and will be available as a 5G-ready configuration in select countries.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 97
    Round two. Fight!! We shall see Samsung. 
    jbdragonStrangeDayswatto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 2 of 97
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Let the self-destruction begin!

    I bet Huawei is not going to announce anything and play the wait and see approach in the even Samsung's phone starts falling apart again.
    jbdragonmagman1979watto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 3 of 97

    The crease would in certain circumstances result in computer graphics failures that rendered one half or the entire panel non-functional.

    What an odd way to describe it. Who calls it "computer graphics" these days? Seems like a term from the 80s and 90s.  :D

    Best of luck to Samsung.

    AppleExposed
  • Reply 4 of 97
    Massive failure.
    lolliverargonautmagman1979watto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 5 of 97
    Samsung wants us to believe the FUNDAMENTAL flaws are fix’s with a few more bits here and a bit more material here? 

    Wow. 

    Fool me once, shame on YOU. Fool me twice...

    samsung using the consumer for R&D once again. 


    magman1979watto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 6 of 97
    Samsung is so afraid of Apple and what the iPhone 11 may (or may not) bring to the table, that they made sure that the device hit the streets before the newest iPhone. Only time will tell if that was another mistake.
    watto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 7 of 97
    metrixmetrix Posts: 256member
    It's like Samsung put in $100,000 into a slot machine and the largest payout is $10,000
    lollivermuaddibjbdragonmagman1979watto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 8 of 97
    I may not be a fan of Samsung, but i wish them luck. It’s not a device i could need, but it is some innovation that can be really remarkable. Time will tell if it is success or fail.
    wattoukmuthuk_vanalingamuraharakestralGeorgeBMacchemengin1watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 97
    I applaud Samsung for trying new things, but often these expensive “R&D projects” the consumer ends up paying for, fail.
    Apple is rarely the first mover, and that usually helps them (hardware design), and sometimes bites them in the butt (look at how Google is vastly superior in their services).

    With this device I just wonder: who is the end user? There are large phones with large screens, iPads, and small phones. Is there really a need to turn a small device in a large screen like this? 
    I would rather connect my iPhone to a monitor when I want to work, which then expands into a full iPadOS screen with native monitor resolution support, proper mouse support (not iPadOS 13 style) and overlapping windows (macOS is vastly superior to get work done because of overlapping windows). Now THAT would be amazing - also on Android. 

    Having a foldable screen makes a large screen more compact when folded, but aesthetically horrible. The user experience doesn’t seem to be great either - it looks clunky and annoying - and I don’t see why I need this on the go!
    napoleon_phoneapartargonautjbdragon
  • Reply 10 of 97
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    Disappointed by Apple in the last few years for minor tech improvement as “upgrades” each year but at total lost “replacement” costs, I’ll take a glimpse at this new Samsung device and consider to jump over to an Android machine.
  • Reply 11 of 97
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    At best, what's going to happen is that these devices will start having problems within 30-60 days of use, and most will suffer major failures on the 13th month after the 12 month warranty expires.  By then, Samsung will have moved on with wheels screeching and tell everyone it was a "success".
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 97
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    ivanh said:
    Disappointed by Apple in the last few years for minor tech improvement as “upgrades” each year but at total lost “replacement” costs, I’ll take a glimpse at this new Samsung device and consider to jump over to an Android machine.
    You should. Android is an awesome OS, it’s highly efficient and all of the best apps and games are found on Android, with no malware to be found at all. Android is for the expert pro user and people who do very important things on their phones such as customizing icons and other tasks which are reserved for rocket scientists. I run into these sorts of Android users all of the time on public transportation. I envy their hardware and their vast intellect.

    I too am considering this $2000 foldable Samsung phone. 

    Modern Phones have become too thin and I miss the bulkiness of older phones like Nokias and others that were around a few decades ago.

    This Samsung foldable phone is likely to be a huge success and I can see many Android users getting one, especially in the third world, which is one of their main markets.
    entropysspherickestralfirelockfieryphEsquireCatsmelgrossStrangeDaysbonobobsdw2001
  • Reply 13 of 97
    metrix said:
    It's like Samsung put in $100,000 into a slot machine and the largest payout is $10,000
    It's prestige and marketing. Most other vendors don't have a similar item on the market and are thus 'behind the curve' in the eyes of most consumers.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 97
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Awesome post Apple ][
    watto_cobraAppleExposedjony0
  • Reply 15 of 97
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Interesting it is released on Friday. Apple is really living rent free in Samsung’s  head
    watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 16 of 97
    FatmanFatman Posts: 513member
    The fold is not a matter of ‘if’ it will fail over time but ‘when’ it will fail. I would not want to be part of the early generation of testers on these expensive devices. Best advice is to wait until they’ve gone through proven real world testing... that will take several model iterations by several different manufacturers over several years.
    radarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 97
    sflocal said:
    Let the self-destruction begin!

    I bet Huawei is not going to announce anything and play the wait and see approach in the even Samsung's phone starts falling apart again.
    Is this even English?
    bigtds
  • Reply 18 of 97
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,621member
    There's no getting away from it. This is cutting edge technology and it doesn't matter how it plays out - today - from a technology perspective. This is first generation. A necessary first step. If there are to be more steps in this area, it will be thanks to these phones, both in terms of technology improvements and for price.

    Lessons will be learnt and we will all benefit. 

    Right now, these phones are only for those who have $2,000 of readily disposable income and I mean truly disposable. I very much doubt that any of the first gen Fold buyers are looking at a two year upgrade. They will upgrade as soon as there is a new one.

    Many of the people in this thread are almost willing it to fail. I prefer to at least give the thing a chance. I think we all should.


    muthuk_vanalingamGeorgeBMacMplsPGG1bonobob80s_Apple_Guyheadfull0wineFileMakerFellerAppleExposed
  • Reply 19 of 97
    You've got to know when to hold 'em
    Know when to fold 'em
    Know when to walk away
    And know when to run

    Don’t think I want to fold ‘em 
    I’ll just hold’ em for now

    Maybe a folding iPad would be worthwhile, wait awhile.

    No malware in Android? Don’t bite down with that tongue in your cheek.....
    williamhwatto_cobraAppleExposed
  • Reply 20 of 97
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    alanh said:
    sflocal said:
    Let the self-destruction begin!

    I bet Huawei is not going to announce anything and play the wait and see approach in the even Samsung's phone starts falling apart again.
    Is this even English?
    Yes. One typo and a lack of punctuation completely obscures meaning, though. 

    I bet Huawei is not going to announce anything and play the wait-and-see approach, in the event Samsung's phone starts falling apart again.”
    GG1mac_dogbonobobwatto_cobraAppleExposed
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