Samsung further delays Galaxy Fold's release, pre-orders to be refunded
Days after delaying the release of Galaxy Fold, Samsung has now started accepting cancellation of pre-orders for its foldable phone. In an e-mail to customers, the company has said that it can't provide an exact date for the shipping of the device as of now. To recall, the release was delayed after several reviewers reported display issues on the $2,000-worth foldable phone. Here's more.
All pre-orders will be automatically canceled by May 31
Now, Samsung has given its customers the choice to either cancel their Galaxy Fold's pre-orders and get a full refund or continue to retain their place in the queue. However, if a customer fails to reach out to Samsung by May 31, and the company is unable to ship the phone by then, it will automatically issue a full refund to the user.
The many issues of Samsung's Galaxy Fold
Recently, several reviewers reported major durability issues on their Galaxy Fold review units such as flashing displays, bulges under the screen and huge dead spots. In some cases, removing a plastic film did the damage while in others, the display randomly broke and went blank. Samsung's initial findings showed that these issues could be associated with impact on the exposed areas of the hinge.
Here's what Samsung said in its official statement in April
"Initial findings from the inspection of reported issues on the display showed that they could be associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge. There was also an instance where substances found inside the device affected the display performance," Samsung said in an official statement. The company noted that it "will take measures to strengthen the display protection."
Galaxy Fold may not arrive anytime soon
While Samsung is yet to provide a revised release date, AT&T recently suggested that the Galaxy Fold would release in the US in June. However, going by the company's latest announcement, the premium foldable phone may not arrive anytime soon.
Meanwhile, here's recalling the Samsung Galaxy Fold
The Galaxy Fold comes with two displays: a 4.58-inch HD+ (1960x840 pixels) external screen and a foldable 7.3-inch QHD+ (2152x1536 pixels) internal display which offers a tablet-like experience. The device features a new hinge system that uses "multiple interlocking gears" to create a fold that is largely concealed. Moreover, the Fold gets a plastic outer casing and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Samsung Galaxy Fold also offers App Continuity, three-app multitasking
To leverage both the screens, Samsung has introduced App Continuity feature which automatically opens the app in the main internal display when you switch to the tablet mode. Further, in the tablet mode, you can run three apps simultaneously for an impressive multitasking experience. Notably, Google is also working to optimize Android OS to support the foldable form factor.
Galaxy Fold packs a total of six cameras
In the folded state, the Galaxy Fold offers a 10MP camera which is housed above the external camera. In the unfolded position, the notch above the internal display houses a 10MP+8MP dual camera setup. Lastly, on the back, the device gets a triple camera setup comprising a 16MP ultra-wide sensor, a 12MP wide-angle sensor, and a 12MP telephoto sensor.
Under the hood
The Galaxy Fold is powered by the Snapdragon 855 chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of Universal Flash Storage 3.0 storage. It packs two batteries, one on each side of the hinge, for a combined capacity of 4,380mAh and supports reverse wireless charging as well. The device runs Android Pie, packs AKG-tuned stereo speakers, and supports LTE as well as 5G networks.
