Screen scandal: the Samsung Galaxy Fold is breaking all over the place
While the intitial media impressions of the Galaxy Fold seemed very enthusiastic, things are getting a little more complicated for Samsung. Several reviewers have experienced serious screen problems, just after several days of use with the new Galaxy Fold. A worrying concern, especially since it recalls the bad memories of the Galaxy Note 7.
Galaxy Fold that become unusable
As Samsung's folding smartphone arrives on May 3, several American journalists have reported serious screen defects after a few days with the smartphone. Several problems were reported: broken screens, flickering, death of the device... among the "victims" are several big names in technology, such as Dieter Bohn of The Verge, YouTuber Marques Brownlee (alias MKBHD), or Marc Gurman, journalist for Bloomberg.
"After only two days, the Galaxy Fold screen I received to evaluate it is completely broken and unusable," says Mark Gunman. It is often said that an image is worth a thousand words, so I let you discover below the extent of the problem.
The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not. pic.twitter.com/G0OHj3DQHw
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
SUPER YIKES: something happened to my Galaxy Fold screen and caused a bulge. I don’t know how it happened, and I’m waiting to hear back from Samsung. It’s broken. https://t.co/p1014uB01D pic.twitter.com/3FZJkWtSKr
— Dieter Bohn (@backlon) April 17, 2019
After one day of use... pic.twitter.com/VjDlJI45C9
— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) April 17, 2019
What's going on with the screen?
While for some copies, the origin of the problem remains uncertain, for others it seems that the problem arises because of the screen protection used by Samsung on the Galaxy Fold. Indeed, some testers believed that the protection was optional, and by removing it broke their display.
PSA: There's a layer that appears to be a screen protector on the Galaxy Fold's display. It's NOT a screen protector. Do NOT remove it.
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 17, 2019
I got this far peeling it off before the display spazzed and blacked out. Started over with a replacement. pic.twitter.com/ZhEG2Bqulr
According to a manager of the operator T-Mobile, Samsung nevertheless specifies in an warning message in the box that this should not be done but it would seem that the latter was not present in the boxes given to journalists. An unfortunate mistake...
Dear future #GalaxyFold owners, I know I always say "No one ever read the instructions"... PLEASE READ THIS ONE!!!
— Des (@askdes) April 17, 2019
(This is the wrap over the screen of the Galaxy Fold) pic.twitter.com/LuQPRfDZIE
Samsung responds, will stick to the launch date
Samsung quickly took the floor to respond to these cases of broken screens. The brand wanted to be reassuring on the subject and confirms its willingness to carry out checks. However, the world's leading manufacturer has ruled out any possibility of not marketing its Galaxy Fold for the time being.
"A small number of the first production copies of the Galaxy Fold were provided to the media for testing. We have received some reports regarding the main screen on the copies provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the problem.
Separately, a few testers reported removing the top layer of the screen, which damaged the screen. The Galaxy Fold's main display has an upper protective layer, which is part of the display structure and is designed to protect the display from unintentional scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main screen may cause damage. We will ensure that this information is clearly communicated to our customers."
Statement from Samsung: pic.twitter.com/Me0XkoPMAE
— Todd Haselton (@robotodd) April 18, 2019
Samsung has spent nearly eight years developing its smartphone, and it fits perfectly into the brand's strategy to boost its growth.
Towards a new fiasco?
So, are we witnessing a new Samsung scandal? It is still too early to say, but the experience of the Galaxy Note 7 has taught us that these reliability issues should never be underestimated, especially when they occur before the product is even commercialized.
The release of the Galaxy Fold, which costs more than 2000 dollars, will therefore be under high scrunity and Samsung will have to be particularly fast to deal with any problems. Meanwhile, the Seoul Stock Exchange already seems worried as the group's share price fell Thursday afternoon by 2.6%.
How do you feel about the Galaxy Fold's screen problems?
Now I expect even more "spying" claims hysteria towards Huawei.
This is on par with buying a mug to drink coffee, or tea, out of .... only to read the bottom of it "do not use in microwave, hand wash only" (is that even a screen protector included on a device? or is it an actual layer of the screen that should not be tampered with - either way that's a snafu for Samsung!) 🤷🏼♂️