Samsung Electronics to launch Galaxy Fold in September after screen problems

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, will go on sale from September in selected markets after the launch was delayed by screen problems earlier this year, the company said on Thursday.

Samsung is hoping its highly anticipated foldable phone will revive flagging smartphone sales but its rollout has been hampered by defects in samples reported in April.

The South Korean tech giant said in a statement it had made improvements to the nearly $2,000 phone and was conducting final tests.

Changes included strengthening hinges which early reviewers had found to be problematic:

The top and bottom of the hinge area have been strengthened with newly added protection caps. Additional metal layers underneath the Infinity Flex Display have been included to reinforce the protection of the display. The space between the hinge and body of Galaxy Fold has been reduced.

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The world’s top smartphone maker has hailed the folding design as the future in a segment that has seen few surprises since Apple Inc’s groundbreaking iPhone was released in 2007.

Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has also announced a folding handset, the Mate X, which is expected to go on sale in September.

Samsung is still in talks with mobile carriers around the world to decide on details of the Fold’s sale, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

Samsung#GalaxyFold ready for launch starting from September. Find out more: https://t.co/9eIVHLeyHy pic.twitter.com/kDW8DnpE42

— Samsung US Newsroom (@SamsungNewsUS) July 25, 2019

Additional reporting by AsiaOne