Η Samsung invested over a decade in research and development folding smartphones, which were unanimously welcomed by all companies and analysts around the world, as the next major achievement of the mobile industry.
ΕIt is certainly disappointing that so many of its first units Galaxy fold were literally destroyed after a few days of use.
This obviously should not be the case with devices that cost as little as $ 20, let alone devices that are pre-priced close to $ 2.000.
So, as is well known, Samsung was forced to postpone the official release of the device indefinitely (not that there were many options), although its vague statements about the cause of the catastrophic damage to the screens of the device, make us to wonder if mid-June is indeed a realistic new release date, as Samsung has announced.
Repair specialists at iFixit can give us some more realistic explanations for this apparent fiasco.
A hard joint does not make a durable phone
One of the strongest Samsung marketing claims that led to the release of the Galaxy Fold was that the innovative device could survive 200.000 folds (opening and closing), which for the company was equivalent to about five years of use if we fold the device 100 times a day. ”
Samsung came to this conclusion after testing in its laboratories, but unfortunately as it turned out in practice, controlled environments do not always copy the abuse that a device experiences in real life.
This state-of-the-art hinge mechanism almost justifies the $ 2.000 price tag.
Interestingly, the iFixit is impressed by the Galaxy Fold hinge system, which seems to be very well designed, extremely robust and sophisticated, and contains four spring-loaded buttons designed to lock the screen in the open position, while it also has hinges, with a center hinge to ensure that the two halves of the phone open in the correct position at the same time.
Basically, the hinge mechanism seems to work technically perfectly at first glance, but the biggest problem is that this hinge is virtually unprotected from dust and tiny particles that can easily penetrate under the screen.
In short, the screen is not protected at all in the 7mm gap, which is located at the point of contact between the two halves of the large 7,3-inch screen, as clearly shown in the image below.
So from a technical point of view, there is a gap at the top, and one at the bottom of the unfolded device, each of which can collect dirt on a long-term basis.
This is exactly what has already happened to some of the devices, which remained functional but seemed awful at this point. Worse, iFixit claims that these foreign objects stuck between the sturdy hinge and the fragile screen could become a "deadly pressure point when the phone unfolds", which can damage at least one of the devices. destroyed in this way.
You probably already know that Samsung sent the first of the Galaxy Fold units to a team of Reviewers and bloggers, having a plastic sticker stuck on the screen. Although this film looked incredibly similar to the simple pre-installed screensavers we see on devices like the Galaxy S10, its removal resulted in two more catastrophic incidents.
According to iFixit, this is not due to the fact that the screen can not work in the absence of this special film, but the reason why it should not be removed is that it is very well glued, and the screen is so fragile that the removal this membrane will put so much pressure on the sensitive screen that it will break.
Clearly, Samsung needs to do a better job of properly informing future Galaxy Fold owners about this limitation.
Samsung has pledged to "enhance screen protection" before the re-release of the Galaxy Fold, although it is not entirely clear how it intends to do so in just a few weeks. And as we all know, folding screens at least for now are impossible to protect with Gorilla Corning as is the case with other devices, as there is no corresponding flexible glass.
What is certain so far is that Samsung will have to work hard to correct all these "flaws" before announcing a new date for the official release of the device, because if there is a second fiasco, it will be catastrophic for the device but also for its name.
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