Samsung Delays Launch of $2,000 Folding Phone After Tests Yield Breaks

The foldable phone will have to wait a bit longer for its debut

Samsung Galaxy Fold
Launch of the $2,000 Samsung Galaxy Fold is delayed. (Simon Nagel/ Getty)

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Samsung has announced that it is delaying the release of its highly-anticipating foldable phone beyond the original April 26 launch date.

The Galaxy Fold “needs further improvements” before it can be sold to the public, the company told CNBC. In the meantime, Samsung will continue to evaluate feedback it received from reviewers and conduct further tests. A new launch date will be announced “in the coming weeks.”

“No customer who pre-ordered the device is charged until the device actually ships,” a spokesperson told the site. “[Customers] are able to cancel at any time.”

The Galaxy Fold was supposed to be the first foldable cellphone to launch in the U.S. but early review samples of the phone were breaking — including one provided to CNBC. The site said that after just two days, the screen “began flickering and then stopped working completely.”

Samsung said it looked at the units that broke and determined some had “substances” inside them that affected display performance and that some of the devices were damaged by impacts around the hinge.

“We will take measures to strengthen the display protection,” Samsung said in a statement. We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold.”

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