Galaxy Fold consumers in holding pattern
Launch date postponed, customers face decision
With no release date in sight, Samsung has notified customers who preordered their Galaxy Fold smartphone they must confirm their interest in the product if it doesn’t ship by May 31 or face cancellation.
In a statement obtained by USA TODAY, Samsung said because of U.S. regulations, the company was required to inform consumers their preorders would be canceled if the folding phone didn’t ship by the end of this month.
Consumers can choose to cancel their orders or keep them beyond May 31 as the electronics giant continues “to make progress in enhancing the Galaxy Fold.”
“Samsung values the trust our customers place in us and want to thank them for their patience and understanding,” said the company in its statement.
Last month, Samsung announced it was delaying the launch of the Galaxy Fold indefinitely after some reviewers reported the device’s signature folding screen was breaking. Samsung still has not revealed when the device will launch.
In one example, a tech reviewer at CNBC reported the screen flickered uncontrollably, causing it to malfunction.
Samsung’s first foldable smartphone, the Fold was expected to be the first foldable phone launched in the U.S. to a mass-market reception. The technical difficulties with the Samsung device could hurt interest in smartphones with folding displays.
Samsung’s latest smartphone headache follows a public relations disaster in 2016 when it had to discontinue its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone because of issues with the device’s batteries.