The Samsung Galaxy Fold which was first announced in February has a new release date window, September. This is just four months after it faced reliability setbacks of faulty displays on review units. This made the company cancel the launch worldwide with the re-launch being delayed indefinitely.
Its comeback is coincidentally set to begin in ‘select markets’ the same month we expect the iPhone 11. This timing also puts the Galaxy Fold head to head with Huawei’s Mate X which is meant to launch by then but in China first. According to Samsung’s official statement today, the exact availability details are to come closer to launch.
According to the announcement by Samsung, the Galaxy Fold will be available for purchase at an unspecified date in September. The company has confirmed that the price will remain the same as before, $1,980.
The Korean tech-giant most likely wanted to clear the air of any Fold news ahead of its August 7th “Unpacked” event, when it is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 10, Note 10 Pro, and potentially other devices like a smartwatch.
Samsung said that it has taken the time to fully evaluate the product design, make necessary improvements, and run rigorous tests to validate the changes they made.
So what exactly has been fixed on the Galaxy Fold?
- The top protective layer of the flexible display beyond the bezel has been extended to make it apparent that it is part of the structure and not meant to be removed.
Samsung said that some gadget reviewers of earlier Galaxy Fold review units were able to remove this protective layer by hand, but they will no longer be able to do this with the design change.
- Samsung also added metal layers underneath the display to further protect the display.
- The top and bottom of the hinge area have also been strengthened with newly added protection caps to better protect the device from external particles.
- The space between the hinge and the body of the phone has also been reduced, the company said.
- Samsung has also optimized more apps and services unique to the foldable UX, it said.
At the moment, after acing its durability tests, final tests are being conducted and the phone will begin sales in September in select markets.
However earlier today, Sammobile uncovered software evidence that the Galaxy Fold would be released to fewer markets this time around, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and India.
Although Samsung did not disclose where and when the smartphone would launch first, saying it would share more details at a later date.
We were all not so sure that Samsung would really follow through on its promise to fix and re-release the Fold. But now that it has, the pressure on the company to produce a reliable device is going to be too high. Let’s wait to find out if Samsung can meet these high expectations in September.