Samsung Electronics will begin selling its Galaxy Fold in September, resurrecting a device it pulled months ago after early reviewers reported defects in the gadget’s much-touted flexible screen.
The world’s biggest smartphone maker is conducting final testing after making a series of modifications to the device, and said in an online post it will sell the phone in select markets without elaborating.
Samsung cancelled the 26 April launch of the US$1 980 device after the folding displays on review models exhibited problems. It was to have been the company’s crowning achievement, the world’s first mass-produced foldable smartphone and a symbol of technological prowess. But some models developed issues after mere days of use.
The postponement — after years of development — marked a painful setback for a company that had bet on its latest innovation to extend its dominance and help revive a stagnating global smartphone market. The Suwon, South Korea-based firm was keen, however, to avoid the kind of fiasco it suffered in 2016 when it recalled the Note7, a premium phone that showed a tendency to burst into flames.
Samsung has since redesigned the Galaxy Fold, adjusting the protective film so it wraps around the entire screen and flows into the outer bezels, rendering it impossible to peel off by hand. It also re-engineered the hinge, pushing it slightly upward from the screen to help stretch the film further when the phone opens. On Thursday, Samsung confirmed the display modifications in its post.
Sliver of shipments
Samsung is trying to steal a march on Chinese rivals Xiaomi and Huawei, which are trying to put out their own devices to stake a claim on a potentially massive market. Foldable phones let users double their screen real estate while also keeping devices compact enough to fit into a pocket. But analysts say it’s unclear whether companies can develop apps to fully take advantage of the innovative screen. Samsung projected before the April postponement that it would produce at least a million units of its foldable phone this year, a sliver of overall annual shipments.
The race between Samsung and Huawei comes at a time both companies are grappling with intensifying trade tensions that are disrupting global supply chains. Samsung is scrambling to secure key materials for chips and displays that have been targeted by Japanese export restrictions, while Huawei is bracing for a steep drop in overseas phone sales after the US slapped curbs on the sale of American technology to the Chinese company. In June, CNBC reported Huawei was also delaying the launch of its foldable Mate X to September to conduct more testing. — Reported by Sohee Kim and Sam Kim, (c) 2019 Bloomberg LP