The new Galaxy Fold arrived at IFA 2019 sporting a new pair of hinge protectors as well as tucking the screen under the bezel so silly tech reviewers with little sense didn’t peel the screen up. The early review units in the first round of the Galaxy Fold release were plagued with issues. Because of this Samsung went back to the drawing board but now the second round of Galaxy Fold review units has seen its first casualty.
Before Samsung released this second iteration of the Fold, it spent a lot of time telling people how to care for it. Users shouldn’t apply excessive pressure, place objects on the screen, expose to dust or water, and don’t apply a screen protector. The basic takeaway from the lessons was, this thing is delicate so you will need to baby it.
TechCrunch’s Brian Heater is the first to damage his Galaxy Fold, not intentionally but through average use. The comical thing about Brian is that his first found review unit worked just fine and he had no issues. Not, so this time.
This time out, however, I wasn’t so lucky. I pulled the Fold from my pocket while standing in line at CVS after work the other day. I opened it up and spotted something new nestled between the lock screen’s flapping butterfly wings. There was a brightly colored, amorphous blob. You can see it there in the photo at the top of the story (as well as a zoomed-in version below). It’s not huge. It’s maybe just under a centimeter across — and it’s a bit tricky to photograph.
In the grand scheme of first-gen foldable display problems, this isn’t a huge one, judging by photos from those who’ve had issues with the first model. In that case, devices were sent back with an entire side blacked out (in many cases the result of peeling back a laminate that resembled the protective layer devices ship with). Still, it’s not a great look after about 27 hours with the device, considering that it wasn’t dropped on concrete, dunked in water or stepped on. And the placement smack dab in the center dampens the effect of a 7.3-inch screen.
Brian Heater – TechCrunch
Samsung did provide a comment to TechCrunch concerning the matter:
We have seen an enthusiastic response to the launch of the Galaxy Fold in several markets over the past few weeks, with thousands of consumers enjoying the unique experience it offers.
The Galaxy Fold is a first-of-its-kind device, made with new materials and technologies that allow it to open and close just like a book.
We encourage Galaxy Fold owners to read the care instructions included in the box and in the product manual available online. Products used within these guidelines are covered under warranty. If they have any questions, Galaxy Fold owners can consult with Samsung product specialists through the Galaxy Fold Premier Service any time, any day.
Samsung
We had some hands-on time with Galaxy Fold at IFA 2019. But we were closely watched by Samsung at that event and we handled the device very carefully for obvious reasons.
Our initial impressions of the device were positive and we still think the technology is going to eventually become a consumer option. But now that this second round of review units has a casualty, there may still be some time before all the kinks are ironed out.
What do you think of the Galaxy Fold? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, or Facebook. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.
[button link=”https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/26/my-galaxy-fold-display-is-damaged-after-a-day/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: TechCrunch[/button]Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
