Samsung will finally ship its delayed Galaxy Fold smartphone in September, around the same time as Apple’s next-gen iPhones.
No exact release date has been announced. However, this comes around 5-6 months after the handset was supposed to debut.
Samsung published the updated schedule in a note on its website.
Preorders for the Galaxy Fold originally opened on April 12. The device was supposed to go on sale on April 26. But many of the Galaxy Fold units initially loaned to the press failed almost immediately. In the aftermath, Samsung chose to postpone the launch.
“I pushed it through before it was ready,” said DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung Electronics. “I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone, but we are in the process of recovery.”
Making improvements
Samsung says that it has, “taken the time to fully evaluate the product design, make necessary improvements and run rigorous tests to validate the changes we made.”
Design and construction improvements include extended the screen’s protective layer. This was after some reviewers accidentally removed it, thinking it was not supposed to be permanent. Samsung says the new design makes it more “apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed.”
The device’s top and bottom hinge area has been strengthened with newly added protection caps. In addition, extra metal layers have been added to the display to reinforce it. The space between the hinge and body of Galaxy Fold has also been reduced.
Samsung says that it has used the extra time to optimize more of its apps and services to the “unique foldable UX.”
Whether this is enough to rescue the Galaxy Fold remains to be seen. When review copies were originally given to reviewers, many of the initial write-ups did say they liked the concept. Now we’ve just got a couple of months to wait and see if it can live up to the promise.
