Samsung has completed a two-month redesign of the Galaxy Fold to fix the screen failures that forced the company to delay the launch of its first foldable smartphone, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Samsung is in the final stages of producing a commercial version but can’t yet set a date to begin sales, the report said.
Samsung pulled the device in April just before launch after several publications including Bloomberg News reported problems with test versions, such as screen malfunctions that emerged after a film on the display was peeled off. It has now stretched the protective film to wrap around the entire screen and flow into the outer bezels so it would be impossible to peel off by hand, according to people who have seen the latest versions. It re-engineered the hinge, pushing it slightly upward from the screen (it’s now flush with the display) to help stretch the film further when the phone opens.
That tension makes the film feel harder and more a natural part of the device rather than a detachable accessory. The consequent protrusion, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, may help reduce the chance of a crease developing in the middle of the screen over time, one person said.
Samsung will soon start shipping major components for the Galaxy Fold, including the display and battery, to a main plant in Vietnam for assembly while the company debates a launch date, the report said. The company is unlikely to unveil the new Galaxy Fold during its event called for 07 August, which should feature the latest Note smartphone. A Samsung representative declined to comment.
Rushed job
At a recent meeting with The Independent and other media outlets in Seoul, Samsung explained how the problems happened with the Galaxy Fold. "It was embarrassing. I pushed it through before it was ready," said DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung Electronics.
"I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone, but we are in the process of recovery," Koh said. “At the moment, more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects. We defined all the issues. Some issues we didn’t even think about, but thanks to our reviewers, mass volume testing is ongoing."
Koh confirmed the device will still launch, but declined to give a time. "The last couple of weeks I think we defined all of the issues and all of the problems we couldn’t find [before sending to reviewers]." The phone will launch "in due course", he added.
