Samsung Prepares To Cancel Some Galaxy Fold Preorders As Display Failure Fallout Grows
Some customers who preordered a Galaxy Fold handset in the United States are having their orders cancelled. Amid reports of numerous display failures, including models that were sent out to reviewers, Samsung has delayed the Galaxy Fold's global roll out, and is putting some preorders in the US on hold while it investigates the issue(s).
One of the problems stemmed from a protective covering that comes pre-installed on the Galaxy Fold. Some reviewers noted that it was peeled back a little bit out of the box, and proceeded to remove the film. However, unbeknownst to them at the item, removing the film permanently damages the display. Some reviewers and users found that out the hard way.
Apparently Samsung is reaching out to US customers who preordered the Galaxy Fold to let them know of the possibility of a cancellation.
"If we do not hear from you and we have not shipped by May 31st, your order will be canceled automatically," Samsung told Galaxy Fold pre-order customers in an email.
The phone comes with this protective layer/film. Samsung says you are not supposed to remove it. I removed it, not knowing you’re not supposed to (consumers won’t know either). It appeared removable in the left corner, so I took it off. I believe this contributed to the problem. pic.twitter.com/fU646D2zpY
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
Removing the protective film is not the only issue with the Galaxy Fold. The folks at iFixIt performed a teardown analysis of the folding smartphone and found troublesome gaps in the design. Those gaps could allow dirt and debris to creep in and eventually affect the display's operation.
"When closed, the screen is protected—but the spine is flanked by massive gaps that our opening picks hop right into. These gaps are less likely to cause immediate screen damage, but will definitely attract dirt," iFixit says.
Following the teardown, Samsung put pressure on the supplier of the Galaxy Fold for iFixIt to remove its teardown analysis, which the site did, out of respect for the "trusted partner" that provided the phone.
It is just an unfortunate situation all around. While the concept of the Galaxy Fold is intriguing, and one that has drawn interest from other manufacturers as well (most notably Huawei, with its Mate X), it appears the initial design is flawed.
Samsung has not been very forthcoming with where things stand, other than delaying the phone's roll out and cancelling preorders. It's also troublesome that it sought to have a teardown analysis taken offline. The optics aren't very good on this one, though hopefully Samsung is able to get things sorted out.
