Samsung Says It’s Fixed the Galaxy Fold, Plans September Launch

It’s baaaaack! Well, actually, it was never officially here. So, in reality, it’s finally heeeere!

In a relatively brief statement published to its newsroom on Wednesday evening, Samsung announced that it has corrected all of the known issues with the yet-to-be-launched Galaxy Fold device and will bring the device to select markets starting in September. Specific launch details will be shared closer to launch.

At its Unpacked event back in February, Samsung unveiled their first-ever foldable device with a great deal of fanfare, only to see the early review units fall flat on their fold. Though the company talked down how widespread the issues were, a number of media outlets reported having to get replacement review units for a number of reasons. Some of the known issues included malfunctioning screens, dust and dirt getting underneath the display, and unintentional destruction of the display by peeling off what appeared to be a screen protector.

The issues forced Samsung to act before a planned late-April launch date. They ultimately postponed that target date indefinitely, and some retailers including Best Buy and AT&T began canceling customers’ preorders of the Galaxy Fold.

Now, though, it seems those issues have been corrected and the device is ready to go.

“At Samsung, we’ve always focused on pioneering the next generation of mobile innovation: new products and technologies that push the entire industry forward and help users do what they can’t,” Samsung said in the statement. “Earlier this year, we announced Galaxy Fold—Samsung’s first foldable device, and the beginning of an entirely new mobile category. Since then, we’ve made improvements to Galaxy Fold to ensure consumers have the best possible experience.”

In addressing those known issues, Samsung called out the specific improvements they made to the device during the extended delay. They included:

• Extending the Infinity Flex Display beyond the bezel of the phone in order to make it apparent that it is an “integral part of the display structure” and not a screen protector that’s meant to be removed
• The addition of “reinforcements” to better protect the device from external particles making their way under the scree, while also maintaining its “signature foldable experience”
• The top and bottom hinge areas have been strengthened with newly added protection caps
• Additional metal layers were added under the display to reinforce protection
• And the space between the hinge and body of the Galaxy Fold has been reduced

How well these improvements hold up in real world testing and usage will have to be seen. Either way, the decision by Samsung to forgo the launch in order to correct these problems was a brilliant one. As a company with a known history of botched product launches, the last thing they could afford was more embarrassment with a phone they’re positioning as a “category redefining” device.

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