Samsung Issues Statement On Galaxy Fold Screen Damage Issues
Earlier this week, multiple reports suggested that Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, was prone to breaking after just a few days of usage. As noted by CNBC, prominent tech journalists such as The Verge’s Dieter Bohn and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman separately complained about issues with their review units, with the former reporting a “slightly [distorted]” display caused by a defective hinge and the latter claiming that his device was “completely broken just two days in” after he removed a protective film on the screen by accident. In addition, CNBC wrote that its own review unit was “completely unusable,” also after a mere two days of use but without the film being removed from the screen.
With the above reports and others causing concern among consumers hoping to purchase the premium-priced ($1,980) Galaxy Fold when it hits stores on April 26, Samsung released a statement addressing both of the issues at hand — screens breaking or distorting without a clear cause, and screens breaking after removing the protective film. According to a report on Wednesday from The Verge, Samsung promised to personally inspect the units affected by the first issue to determine the specific reasons behind the defect, but simply acknowledged the second issue without offering any other form of assistance.
“The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches,” Samsung wrote, as quoted by The Verge. “Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers.”
.@SamsungMobile responds to #GalaxyFold malfunctions, says in process of reviewing affected units. No explanation given, but company notes top protective layer could cause damage if removed. https://t.co/qtFzAQt086 pic.twitter.com/GgZJdnctIS
— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) April 18, 2019
Commenting on Samsung’s response to the Galaxy Fold display issues, The Verge wrote that it was “troubling” how the South Korean company did not provide a “clear” answer regarding the unexplained cases of screen breakage. The publication added that it had already forwarded its review unit to Samsung after the display eventually broke, but had yet to hear back from the company at the time of the report.
Ahead of the Galaxy Fold’s announcement earlier this year, Samsung assured would-be buyers that the foldable phone’s displays had gone through a battery of tests, to the point that the screens would “outlast 200,000 folds and unfolds.” But with The Verge being one of several publications that have reported screen breakage problems with review units over the past few days, the outlet stressed that it “isn’t reassuring” that a phone priced at nearly $2,000 suffers from such “critical” issues ahead of its official release date.
Meanwhile, other reviewers have had trouble-free experiences so far with the Galaxy Fold. According to Time, Mike Murphy of Quartz and Geoffrey Fowler of The Wall Street Journal both gave the device positive reviews, with Fowler particularly noting that he was able to fold and unfold it “100 times in a single sprint” without issue.
