Samsung Galaxy Fold gets an official new release date
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, originally set to take place on April 25th before it was put on hold, is now officially rescheduled for September 6th in South Korea. The U.S. will be getting the phone in the next few weeks, according to one Samsung representative. Other countries set to receive the device include France, Germany, Singapore and the U.K. The phone will be offered in Cosmos Black and Space Silver.
After last year's launch of the Royole FlexPai foldable phone, Samsung was expected to be the first major manufacturer to embrace the new form factor. But just days before the Galaxy Fold was going to be released, Samsung halted the launch after several influencers reported issues with their review units. Some had peeled a plastic film off the internal 7.3-inch display, thinking that it was merely a protective coating that was supposed to be removed. But Samsung had included a warning with these units stating that removing the film could damage the device; sure enough, those who peeled off the plastic film soon discovered that the Galaxy Fold's 7.3-inch display was no longer functioning. Another problem was created when debris entered one of the review units through an opening in the Galaxy Fold's hinge. This created a bulge on the internal display. Others simply found that their Galaxy Fold review unit just stopped working.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold is still priced at $1,980
By early July, Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh admitted that he pushed through the Galaxy Fold before it was ready. And instead of being upset at the influencers for their role in delaying the launch, the executive thanked them for finding problems with the phone. Pre-orders for the Galaxy Fold were canceled by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Best Buy. To fix the major issue that the influencers discovered, the plastic film that was peeled off will now tuck under the phone's bezels making it impossible to be peeled off. AT&T's revised user's guide for the phone reportedly doubles down on the warnings about removing the plastic film and also notes that a crease in the middle of the screen is normal. The gap in the top and bottom of the hinges is now covered by a cap to prevent debris from getting sucked into the device, and the screen has also been reinforced with metal layers placed underneath the Infinity Flex Display. In July, the company announced a September launch for the Galaxy Fold which has now been whittled down to September 6th by the manufacturer.
"The category-defining Galaxy Fold is a device that defies the barriers of traditional smartphone design. Now, we’re excited to release this pioneering mobile technology, and allow consumers to experience it for themselves. Consumers have responded positively to larger screens, and the Galaxy Fold’s revolutionary form factor offers a bigger, more immersive screen without sacrificing portability. This is what we call innovation of new mobile experience in action."-DJ Koh, President, and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics
The Galaxy Fold features a 4.6-inch external Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 720 x 1680. When opened, it reveals a 7.3-inch display with an offset notch and a resolution of 1536 x 2152. The Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform is under the hood along with 12GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The triple camera setup on back includes a 12MP primary camera with a variable aperture between f/1.5 and f/2.4, and OIS. A 12MP telephoto camera comes with 2x optical zoom and there is a 16MP camera with an ultra-wide-angle lens. Keeping the lights on is a 4380mAh capacity battery. Samsung's OneUI interface moves all touchable elements to the bottom of the screen so that users don't have to perform finger stretches to have an input register on the display. Three apps can be opened at one time on the internal screen, and with App Continuity a video or an app can move "seamlessly" from the cover display to the internal screen. A 5G ready version will be offered in select markets.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be launched in Korea on September 6th
At one time, with the launch of the Galaxy Fold in limbo, it looked like the Huawei Mate X would beat the Galaxy Fold to the marketplace. However, Huawei has been having problems with its own foldable device and instead of a launch this month, it appears that the Mate X might not be released until November.
Influencers failed to heed this warning that came with their Galaxy Fold review unit
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