Foldable phones seem to be heralded as the next trending thing because of their ability to double the device’s display size with a large, bendable screen. The Korean-based tech giant has been working for the last two months tweaking the design of its folding smartphone after early review units succumbed to widespread screen failures.
The unanticipated hardware problems forced Samsung to call off a launch that was initially scheduled for April. It seems Samsung is looking to counter its own error by designing Fold’s top screen layer as an integral part of the device. Sources say the “film” is stretched around the entire screen that continues into the outer bezels, making it impossible to remove by hand. Further, the hinge has been reconfigured to sit flush with the display, stretching the film when the device is opened.
The design was an eye-catching statement from the world’s biggest smartphone maker, and after months of hype and rumor, the first devices landed in the pockets of tech reviewers and journalists in April. But then disaster struck. “The screen of my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in,” one reviewer tweeted. “The display spazzed and blacked out,” wrote another blogger.
Samsung isn’t the only brand allegedly wrapped up in foldable phone delays. Huawei is said to have delayed its own foldable Mate X to “improve” the screen, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, there’s some question over whether Huawei slated the Mate X for “June” or for “summer,” which officially ends September 21, in the northern hemisphere.
