Days before the highly-anticipated Galaxy Fold was to be released, Samsung has announced that it will postpone the phone’s launch due to issues with the device’s display.
In a statement Monday, Samsung said it expected the Fold, a smartphone equipped with technologies that allow the display to fold, would not be released this week as originally planned. A recent inspection revealed the device, which will sale for $1,980, had issues with the display that “could be associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge,” according to the statement.
“We will take measures to strengthen the display protection,” the statement read. “We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold.”
Samsung did not provide a specific release date, but an announcement on the date is planned over the next few weeks.
The company had been planning to release the Galaxy Fold this Friday. Instead, it says it will to run more tests and announce a new launch date in the coming weeks.
Several journalists and reviewers reported issues with the phones last week while testing review copies. Some noted that the phone's inside screens stopped working. Others found the phone’s protective plastic layer to be cumbersome. In addition to correcting the display issues, Samsung said it plans to find ways to better protect the screens.
In a review published Wednesday in The Verge, Dieter Bohn said after “normal use” he detected a bulge in the hinge area of the screen on the phone.
“Whatever happened, it certainly wasn’t because I have treated this phone badly,” Bohn wrote. “I’ve done normal phone stuff, like opening and closing the hinge and putting it in my pocket.”
He said an object might have become lodged in the device through a tiny gap. “Or maybe it was pieces from the hinge itself breaking loose and working their way up into the screen. I don’t know,” he wrote. “I just know that the screen is broken, and there was no obvious proximate cause for the bulge that broke it.”
Many on Twitter lambasted the phone’s delayed launch on Monday. Most found issue with what they consider Samsung’s failure to properly test a high-end device.
Others did applaud the company for taking a step back to ensure the device was deserving of its nearly $2,000 price tag at the time of launch.
Associated Press and New York Times contributed to this report.
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