After eliminating display- and design-related problems in it, Samsung Electronics has re-launched the Galaxy Fold in select markets. The company says that its first foldable device will be available in Korea on September 6, followed by select countries, including France, Germany, Singapore, the UK and the US, among other countries. The South Korean tech firm has launched the phone in Cosmos Black and Space Silver colours and has said that a 5G-ready option will debut in select countries.
‘The category-defining Galaxy Fold is a device that defies the barriers of traditional smartphone design. Now, we’re excited to release this pioneering mobile technology, and allow consumers to experience it for themselves. Consumers have responded positively to larger screens, and the Galaxy Fold’s revolutionary form factor offers a bigger, more immersive screen without sacrificing portability. This is what we call innovation of new mobile experience in action,’ DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the Galaxy Fold met an unfortunate fate and since then, Samsung has been working on improving the design and construction of the phone. If we were to describe the device in a nutshell, the Galaxy Fold is a foldable smartphone that sports a two displays. In the unfolded state, the phone’s display measures 7.3-inches and when folded, a 4.6-inch display can be used for interaction.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold at MWC 2019 in February and later sent devices to a few prominent reviewers in the US. Soon after this, several reviewers including The Verge’s Dieter Bohn, CNBC’s Steve Kovach and famous YouTuber Marques Brownlee confirmed that the displays on their respective units malfunctioned. The company recalled the phones and found out that the reviewers removed the top layer of the display -- which was not supposed to be peeled off -- causing damage to the screen.
Samsung said that the main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. ‘Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers,’ it said.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold features HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Flex Display. The panel which is displayed when the phone is in the folded state measures 4.6 inches, and when unfolded, a 7.3-inch ‘Dynamic AMOLED display’ is revealed. This can be used to multitask, watch videos, and play games. Samsung hasn’t confirmed what processor powers the handset, but it says that the handset runs on a “7nm processor.” It is most likely the Samsung Exynos 9820 SoC and the 5G-ready model could sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. The mobile processor will be coupled with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage. The handset will draw power from a 4380mAh battery. The Galaxy Fold carries a price of $1,980 (approx Rs 1.42 lakh).
