Samsung's $2,000 worth Galaxy Fold has a serious display issue
What's the story
Amid a lot of fanfare, Samsung launched its Galaxy Fold in February this year. However, the foldable phone was showcased inside a glass box and no one got a closer look at it. But now, a hands-on video of an alleged Galaxy Fold has appeared, highlighting that the $1,980 phone could have a serious display crease issue. Here's everything you need to know.
The Flaw
Galaxy Fold looks prone to permanent display creasing
The hands-on video shows a working unit of Galaxy Fold. What is concerning is a crease that is visible in the middle of the display. This is the area where the phone folds inward to change into a compact form factor. Recently, Bloomberg reported this was "one reason why Samsung kept the phone inside a glass case" at Mobile World Congress 2019.
Tech limitation
The fold and the flaw: Understanding the problem
The flexible OLED panel is covered by a plastic polymer which is prone to permanent creasing with regular use. Bloomberg claims that Samsung is "trying to eliminate" this crease flaw that "appears on the panel after it's been folded about 10,000 times." This means if you unfold the device for 50 times a day, in 6-7 months, your $2,000 phone won't look/work the same.
Solution?
Here's how Samsung plans to solve the problem
Naturally, Samsung is trying to improve the durability of the Galaxy Fold's display. But given Galaxy Fold goes on sale next month, we don't know how the Korean tech giant will solve this technological limitation on the premium device. Perhaps, as Bloomberg reports, Samsung might consider "offering free screen replacements" after the device hits the shelves on April 26.
At a glance
Meanwhile, here's recalling the Galaxy Fold
Samsung's first-ever foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold features a 4.58-inch HD+ external screen, a 7.3-inch QHD+ Infinity Flex display, and a total of six cameras. It is powered by a Snapdragon 855 chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage. Under the hood, the phone has a battery capacity of 4,380mAh and runs Android Pie-based One UI.