Just days after Samsung put the Galaxy Fold into the hands of the media and celebrities, the foldable smartphone is starting to show some problems with its Infinity Flex display. Tech YouTuber, MKBHD, had damaged his unit when he tried to peel off a protective layer and now it appears that other people are having issues even with normal use.
According to CNBC, their review unit has stopped working completely. From the video, you can see half of the screen blacks out and showing signs of flickering. Todd Haselton from CNBC has also confirmed that he didn’t remove the protective film but only the normal plastic wrap that covered the device.
The folks at The Verge have also reported that their Galaxy Fold is no longer working as well. It appears that there’s a noticeable bulge on the crease which is somewhere in the middle of the display. The Verge suspects that there could be a piece of debris or something underneath the display and the hinge itself, which puts excessive pressure onto the flexible screen.
They clarified that they didn’t treat the device badly and they are merely doing the normal stuff like opening and closing the phone and putting it into a pocket. However, they did mention that they had stuck a piece of moulding clay at the back of the phone to prop it for a video recording. There’s a possibility that bits of clay could have gotten into the back of the hinge but this is just a guess for now.
Apart from CNBC and The Verge, a Bloomberg reporter had also broken his Samsung Galaxy Fold as well. At first, the display went wonky and suddenly his screen is no longer usable.
However, later on, he admitted that he had removed the protection layer on the display which he didn’t know that you’re not supposed to remove.
While the Galaxy Fold is a completely new form factor, it is surprising to see that such problems could occur just within a few days of use. Samsung emphasised that the device had gone through stringent reliability tests where the main display can withstand 200,000 repeated folds. The Korean smartphone maker has yet to make a statement and it isn’t clear if these early units are the same as the final retail unit that goes out to consumers.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold is launching in Malaysia on 3rd May 2019 and hopefully, Samsung can address the issue as soon as possible.
