Samsung Completes Redesign of Galaxy Fold That Fixes Screen Failures

[MacRumors]

Samsung has completed its redesign of the Galaxy Fold to resolve the multiple display failures that led to its delay, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

According to the publication, the smartphone maker is now in the "final stages" of producing a version that's ready for the consumer market, but it's still unable to give a firm launch date.

The South Korean company originally planned to roll out its $1,980 foldable phone on April 26, but was forced to delay the launch after several units sent out to reviewers broke during testing.

All of the issues were related to the device's screen, which was later shown to be vulnerable to debris ingress, thanks to an iFixit teardown that was later removed at Samsung's request.

The company has reportedly fixed these problems, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg.

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, said the 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, they added. 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 of the people said.

Samsung on Monday announced plans to hold an event on Wednesday, August 7 in New York City, where it will unveil its next-generation Galaxy Note device.

Samsung may also use the August event to provide more detail on when we can expect the delayed Galaxy Fold to launch.

Article Link: Samsung Completes Redesign of Galaxy Fold That Fixes Screen Failures

 

[farewelwilliams]

does anyone still want one of these?

 

[DNichter]

Dead. There is no compelling reason to buy one of these. It’s a crappy phone that’s too thick and a small tablet without any apps. Foldables may have a future, but this ain’t it.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

Will it survive the beach sand test?

Can't install a case to protect it from accidental drops when open or closed.

You still need a mortgage to own one.

 

[ErikGrim]

Yeah nah.

 

[RightMACatU]

Good for them. For me, this thing is outside of my tax bracket.

 

[44267547]

It’s not a good look for Samsung what happened in the first place, even after this re-release. I mean, it’s interesting tech, but this isn't ‘Price
Point’ friendly for the average consumer for a $2000 tag. Samsung was trying to push to be the first, when clearly it’s not about that and showed through lack of proper R&D, it’s about bringing a better/higher quality product to the consumer, in which they failed to execute in the first place.

 

[heov]

doesn't it ship with a case lol?

 

[Amnios]

I'm still not sold on a foldable phone, there are just too many downsides and very few upsides.

Also what's wrong with the current design? Look at TV's, other than getting flatter and bigger the basic design has hardly changed since it was first introduced. Why should smartphones be the same? Seems more like change for change sake.

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[TheSkywalker77]

It's still a huge waste of money.

 

[Michvuee]

I'd rather have a foldable laptop than foldable phone.

 

[the-msa]

as cool as this concept is, the drawbacks arent worth it i guess.

unless an entirely seamless device like this comes out, there always will be nucks and crannies that will be the potential point of failures.

 

[tridley68]

Save your money this boat anchor is dead.

 

[cableguy84]

I still have zero confidence in this product.

 

[DNichter]

This is what happens when you rush to be first. They took what, 6 years, to create this from their folding screen tech. Why not wait another year or two until you can actually release a compelling product? Public perception can definitely change over time, and price is obviously a huge factor, but I can’t imagine any consumer feeling confident buying a product without a compelling use case AND quality issues. It’s a lose lose for consumers. This was a huge misstep for Samsung.

 

[nfl46]

Eh. I’d be waiting until V3, at minimum, before I’ll purchase one.

 

[Mike MA]

I still don’t want to fold my phone.

 

[H2SO4]

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to sell it.” - Steve Jobs, 1997

Honestly, I hate that overused quote cos it's one that could just as easily apply reverse, when it suits the narrative, (or narrator).

 

[Plutonius]

It sounds similar to Apple's announcements that it fixed the butterfly keyboard .

If I was planning on getting a foldable, I would wait a long time to see if the problem is really fixed.

 

[HacKage]

At this point they should just cancel and take on board what happened. As soon as the Huawei Mate X was announced, the Samsung looked like it was from a different decade, and much like the Note 7, this is now a poisoned product that will always have negative news attached to it.

 

[flygbuss]

Not folding my breath..

 

[Zorn]

I can't be the only one that seems a bit concerned that a big aspect of these new 'fixes' relies on making the plastic protector stretch when it's opened and repeatedly put tension on it. What could possibly ever go wrong there?

 

[Juicy Box]

the smartphone maker is now in the "final stages" of producing a version that's ready for the consumer market,

This is cool.

I am really looking forward to where this technology is going. I know there were some major hiccups with Samsung's initial design, but hopefully they worked out the problems and maybe this technology might lead to other cool devices.

 

[TheSkywalker77]

This is what happens when you rush to be first. They took what, 6 years, to create this from their folding screen tech. Why not wait another year or two until you can actually release a compelling product? Public perception can definitely change over time, and price is obviously a huge factor, but I can’t imagine any consumer feeling confident buying a product without a compelling use case AND quality issues. It’s a lose lose for consumers. This was a huge misstep for Samsung.

I'm waiting for this to be forgotten in two or three years like the Galaxy Round was.

Unless we get to a point where using a folding phone brings only benefits and we don't have to compromise for first gen tech, I'll stick to my traditional iPhone.