The Borneo Post

Samsung to inspect Galaxy Fold phones after reviewer complaints

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SEOUL: Samsung announced yesterday it will inspect units of its highly anticipate­d folding smartphone after some reviewers reported screen damage.

A handful of US-based reporters were given the flagship Galaxy Fold phones, priced at US$ 1,980, ahead of the model’s official release next week, and they reported screen issues within days of using the devices.

“The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gunman tweeted.

And Dieter Bohn of The Verge said: “Something happened to my Galaxy Fold screen and caused a bulge... It’s broken.”

Samsung spent nearly eight years developing the Galaxy Fold, which is part of the South Korean tech giant’s strategy to propel growth with groundbrea­king gadgets.

“We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter,” Samsung said in a statement after reports of the screen damage emerged.

The firm suggested some reviewers encountere­d screen failures because a section of the display was removed.

“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,” it said.

“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.” Some of the reviewers, including Bloomberg’s Gunman, had removed this layer.

CNBC’s Steve Kovach said he had not, but still faced major problems with the device.

Samsung is the world’s biggest smartphone maker, and earlier this month launched the 5G version of its top- end Galaxy S10 device.

But despite the recent announceme­nts about its new high- end devices, Samsung has warned of a more than 60 per cent plunge in first- quarter operating profit in the face of weakening markets.

The firm is also no stranger to device issues.

Its reputation suffered a major blow after a damaging worldwide recall of its Galaxy Note 7 devices over exploding batteries in 2016, which cost the firm billions of dollars and shattered its global brand image.

Samsung has said it will release the Galaxy Fold as scheduled on April 26.

Its share price was down 2.6 per cent Thursday afternoon. — AFP

 ??  ?? The Samsung Galaxy Fold phone is shown on a screen at Samsung Electronic­s Co Ltd’s Unpacked event in San Francisco, California.A handful of US-based reporters were given the flagship Galaxy Fold phones, priced at US$1,980, ahead of the model’s official release next week, and they reported screen issues within days of using the devices. — Reuters photo
The Samsung Galaxy Fold phone is shown on a screen at Samsung Electronic­s Co Ltd’s Unpacked event in San Francisco, California.A handful of US-based reporters were given the flagship Galaxy Fold phones, priced at US$1,980, ahead of the model’s official release next week, and they reported screen issues within days of using the devices. — Reuters photo
 ??  ?? Although dominant in the United States and some other markets, Amazon has struggled to compete in China with the likes of Alibaba and JD.com, who are hugely popular in the country. — Reuters photo
Although dominant in the United States and some other markets, Amazon has struggled to compete in China with the likes of Alibaba and JD.com, who are hugely popular in the country. — Reuters photo

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