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[Afro Republican]

Some peop-----person on this board have expressed outwardly that the folding phone revolution is here and it will replace your box-tops and your game consoles, maybe even your TV and laptop.

Except Samsung Folds are breaking, and this is all happening right before launch, which they won't delay:

https://wqad.com/2019/04/19/samsungs-galaxy-fold-is-breaking-for-some-early-users/

First there was Bendgate. Now there is ... Foldgate?
Several reporters with early access to Samsung's Galaxy Fold — a luxury foldable smartphone that turns into a tablet — say their new devices broke after just a few days of use.
Reviewer Mark Gurman from Bloomberg said his "review unit is completely broken and unusable after just two days in." In a series of tweets, he documented how his screen broke after he removed the protective film on the screen. Meanwhile, The Verge's Dieter Bohn called out a "small bulge" on what he said was a defective hinge.
Other reviewers have indicated a constant flickering screen. The reports unnerved investors, and Samsung shares finished 3% lower in Seoul on Thursday.
The company announced Wednesday that the Galaxy Fold had sold out on its website, though it declined to say how many phones had actually been sold. The smartphone will be available on AT&T and T-Mobile starting April 26. It's unclear as of now if the issues with the reviewers' devices could hurt ongoing pre-sales.
A Samsung spokesperson said in a statement that the company has received a few reports regarding Galaxy Fold devices provided to media outlets for review, and that it will "thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter."
The spokesperson also said some of the device reviewers "reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen."
"Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage," the spokesperson said. "We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers."
The Galaxy Fold is a 4.6 inch-smartphone that opens up into a 7.3-inch tablet. The device, which will cost $1,980, will run on Android 9.0 and be available in four colors (black, silver, green and blue).
Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold in February at its annual smartphone press event. Analysts and gadget lovers applauded the company for taking a risk in a smartphone market that seems to have plateaued in terms of both sales and innovative new features.
But any problems with the phone could pose a real problem for Samsung, which is still recovering from the debacle that was the Galaxy Note 7, millions of which had to be recalled due to reports of exploding batteries.

So basically the protective film that most people remove when they first open the box, in fact, you're EXPECTED to remove that film, is causing screens to break with minimal use actually shutting the screen down or causing flickering and other issues. They also say that adding adhesives to the screen can screw this up.

This is very very very bad. Almost every consumer that gets a fold will remove the film like every phone they have brought for the last 15 years. You also won't be able to put most screen protectors on the phone either.

But they WON'T Delay the launch???? I see why Samsung had such an issue with the Note 7 before, they don't give two shits about the consumer they want that money. Ford Pinto it up it seems.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Seems like they need some more time in the oven. I was never super keen on the concept but I know some people on here are excited for them. I am sure they will iron out the issues sooner than later

 

[Ulysses 31]

The Huawei Mate X seems like the true 1st gen folding phone >.>

 

[Afro Republican]

Seems like they need some more time in the oven. I was never super keen on the concept but I know some people on here are excited for them. I am sure they will iron out the issues sooner than later

They already had near 6 years, I'm pretty sure the problem isn't with the food, but the Oven itself. Also there is no "ironing out" these are launching in days. No Delays, as is. If you read the OP you'll find that most will break theur screens doing what they instinctively due with every new phone:

1. Open the Box.

2. Take out the phone.

3. Remove back plastic.

4. Remove front plastic.

Except now there's a 5th step after they remove the front plastic:

5. Phone is broken in 1-2 days.

 

[Afro Republican]

The Huawei Mate X seems like the true 1st gen folding phone >.>

For all we know it has the same problem since they use the same materials for screen other than the back-end type from OLED and LCD.

 

[infinitys_7th]

The Huawei Mate X seems like the true 1st gen folding phone >.>

Having the fold on the outside versus the inside makes a huge difference, from a material perspective. The "inside fold" on the Galaxy is constantly getting scrunched up and pinched (things plastics DO NOT LIKE), while the Huawei just puts the screen under light tension when in the folded state. It will inevitably get loose in the center as the material is stretched and relaxed, but it will last a lot longer than getting pinch and creased like the Galaxy.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Having the fold on the outside versus the inside makes a huge difference, from a material perspective. The "inside fold" on the Galaxy is constantly getting scrunched up and pinched (things plastics DO NOT LIKE), while the Huawei just puts the screen under light tension when in the folded state. It will inevitably get loose in the center as the material is stretched and relaxed, but it will last a lot longer than getting pinch and creased like the Galaxy.

And the screen being exposed all the time would compel me to get a case more than usual.

 

[Fbh]

Having the fold on the outside versus the inside makes a huge difference, from a material perspective. The "inside fold" on the Galaxy is constantly getting scrunched up and pinched (things plastics DO NOT LIKE), while the Huawei just puts the screen under light tension when in the folded state. It will inevitably get loose in the center as the material is stretched and relaxed, but it will last a lot longer than getting pinch and creased like the Galaxy.

It also turns the entire phone into an exposed screen and I'm not sure there's cases or screen protectors that will work on that thing

 

[infinitys_7th]

And the screen being exposed all the time would compel me to get a case more than usual.

It also turns the entire phone into an exposed screen and I'm not sure there's cases or screen protectors that will work on that thing

I was just saying that, from a materials engineering perspective, the Huawei way is a better way to go for a foldable screen.

TBH, I don't know why they wouldn't try an optical "trick" to give the impression of a seamless screen with a hinged phone - you could probably design a display screen to refract light in such a way to almost eliminate any seam in the screen. I guess there would still be a crack there, and it could "misalign" over time as the hinge wore, but I think most people would be fine with it.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I'm not an expert on the topic, but it looks like the technology is nowhere near to being ready and flawless. It's still being pushed because it's the coolest phone feature in ages and the manufacturers will be able to charge a lot more for the folded phones.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

It also turns the entire phone into an exposed screen and I'm not sure there's cases or screen protectors that will work on that thing

Especially considering the screens are plastic ffs

 

[Ulysses 31]

Especially considering the screens are plastic ffs

Does foldable glass exist?

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Does foldable glass exist?

After 6 months when people look at the condition of these screens they sure as shit will wish there was foldable glass available

 

[Aurelian]

Does foldable glass exist?

I believe there is work on folding glass, but it won't be ready for a while. It needs to hold up for hundreds of thousands of folds, and it has to maintain a relatively tight fold in the process.

 

[Aurelian]

Have to admit, while I sympathize with Samsung and hope this isn't evidence of a systemic flaw, I am enjoying some schadenfreude. There were numerous people who were convinced the Galaxy Fold and other folding devices were proof Apple was bereft of innovation, but these incidents suggest Apple had good reason to hold off -- the tech just isn't ready for prime time yet.

We too often regard tech as a contest to see who can shout "first," but there's an important balance to be struck between getting it done quickly and getting it done well. Another example is NFC mobile payments. Yeah, Google technically beat Apple to the punch by a good 3-4 years with Wallet, but... well, it sucked. It wasn't until Apple Pay that NFC payments took off, because Apple realized that implementation was everything (it has to be near-instant, simple, and widely accepted). It's likely the same for folding phones -- they have to be durable, reliable, consistent and affordable, and right now there's no evidence Samsung or Huawei has nailed those aspects. Certainly not the "affordable" part.

 

[EverydayBeast]

3 apps open at once makes me a believer but the majority of time you'd only have one app open, but at least now you can space out information and apps, Samsung has the right idea and this could cause problems in Apple's wallet. Now everyone will be tinkering with the idea of foldable screens. Mark my words.

 

[Grinchy]

The early reviewers are breaking the phones themselves. They thought there was a screen protector applied to the phone and were trying to peel it off. They were actually peeling off a layer that needs to be on the phone. Then the screen broke and they started tweeting about how the phone broke already.

 

[Xiaoki]

Does foldable glass exist?

Foldable glass has existed for decades. Fiber optic cable.

Also, theres Willow Glass by Corning.

 

[WhiskeyDiver]

"Up to 300,000 folds over the course of it's life time...whoops. It looks like there was a typo of too many zeros. We meant to say 30 folds.....yes 30."

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Shocking news?

I mean come on, folding a piece of plastic over and over again (100 times a day?) is not going to end well.

Either mix a phone with a portable mini projector or a wraparound solution like a pip-boy and skip this Phablet nonsense.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Folding glass phones was a great idea!

 

[demigod]

Some peop-----person on this board have expressed outwardly that the folding phone revolution is here and it will replace your box-tops and your game consoles, maybe even your TV and laptop.

Except Samsung Folds are breaking, and this is all happening right before launch, which they won't delay:

https://wqad.com/2019/04/19/samsungs-galaxy-fold-is-breaking-for-some-early-users/

So basically the protective film that most people remove when they first open the box, in fact, you're EXPECTED to remove that film, is causing screens to break with minimal use actually shutting the screen down or causing flickering and other issues. They also say that adding adhesives to the screen can screw this up.

This is very very very bad. Almost every consumer that gets a fold will remove the film like every phone they have brought for the last 15 years. You also won't be able to put most screen protectors on the phone either.

But they WON'T Delay the launch???? I see why Samsung had such an issue with the Note 7 before, they don't give two shits about the consumer they want that money. Ford Pinto it up it seems.

Lol fucking fail, gonna be a lot of angry customers.

 

[demigod]

Foldable glass has existed for decades. Fiber optic cable.

Also, theres Willow Glass by Corning.

You can’t fold fiber optic, that shit will snap.

 

[lock2k]

Pardon my ignorance. But is this really needed?

 

[juliotendo]

Lol @ all stupid rich people breaking their $2,000 USD cell phones.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Who asked for folding cell phones?

 

[Cunth]

fess up. which of you chumps forked out for one of these?

 

[WhiskeyDiver]

I mean, I don't know if I have ever said it on neogaf, but I love the idea of fold-able phones. The scream somewhat futuristic and advanced to me, but I would never ever pay out the ass for one while the tech is new in this sense, and prone to first gen defects and fragility of a very recent adoption to the phone market. By the time fold-able phones becomes a solid, durable product, transparent glass phones will be hitting the market, I will cry, crack under the pressure, and buy a bug ridden, first gen transparent glass phone....because I love transparent glass displays more than I do fold-able phones.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

I always wanted a bracelet that folded around your arm like this. Saw pics of fake ones decades ago and they always looked cool.

But it’s the same shit as Dick Tracy and his wrist communicator... nobody gives a shit.

So these will come... and then go... and nobody will care.

The tech is good, and it’s trying new things. But call me when we get actual holo displays, or totally transparent panels that you can’t touch.

Or hell no sod all that just call me when you get a phone battery that doesn’t shit itself because I’m watching YouTube...

 

[xrnzaaas]

The early reviewers are breaking the phones themselves. They thought there was a screen protector applied to the phone and were trying to peel it off. They were actually peeling off a layer that needs to be on the phone. Then the screen broke and they started tweeting about how the phone broke already.

But shouldn't there be a huge label or a warning message when you open the box? 99% of the customers will do the same, because it is the first thing you do after you buy any other phone.

 

[Grinchy]

But shouldn't there be a huge label or a warning message when you open the box? 99% of the customers will do the same, because it is the first thing you do after you buy any other phone.

There should and will be. And there actually is one on the European ones but not for the ones sent to the reviewers in the US for some reason.

Only a small batch of review units were sent out to people with big youtube or twitter followers. These aren't people who bought one and when people do buy them, it comes with a warning to let them know not to tug really hard at the top layer of the phone with the assumption that they're removing an extremely well-fastened screen protector.

Here is what the review units say when they do come with the warning:

 

[demigod]

Delayed, lol. What a massive fail, not sure how that went thru QA.

 

[CyberPanda]

Delayed, lol. What a massive fail, not sure how that went thru QA.

FIrst the exploding batteries and now this. Jfc

 

[Ulysses 31]

Hope I won't have to cancel next pre-order then. >.>

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

It's a great idea, but yeah, I was skeptical that the technology was really there yet.

 

[Ovek]

By the sounds of it some of the things they are looking in to “fixing” would require some sort of hinge hardware redesign. If that’s the case I wouldn’t expect this phone until next year now.

Or it’s all purely a PR move to hold the release for a couple of months for the negative buzz to die down give a few “fixed” phones to influencers like unbox therapy and money hat them to vomit out all the positive bullet pointed buzz words. Pretty much like what unbox therapy has already been doing for the past week.

If it does need a hardware change I wonder what’s going to happen to all the Folds they have already made, T-Mobile for example must be sat on thousands of them.

 

[nikolino840]

Some peop-----person on this board have expressed outwardly that the folding phone revolution is here and it will replace your box-tops and your game consoles, maybe even your TV and laptop.

Except Samsung Folds are breaking, and this is all happening right before launch, which they won't delay:

https://wqad.com/2019/04/19/samsungs-galaxy-fold-is-breaking-for-some-early-users/

So basically the protective film that most people remove when they first open the box, in fact, you're EXPECTED to remove that film, is causing screens to break with minimal use actually shutting the screen down or causing flickering and other issues. They also say that adding adhesives to the screen can screw this up.

This is very very very bad. Almost every consumer that gets a fold will remove the film like every phone they have brought for the last 15 years. You also won't be able to put most screen protectors on the phone either.

But they WON'T Delay the launch???? I see why Samsung had such an issue with the Note 7 before, they don't give two shits about the consumer they want that money. Ford Pinto it up it seems.

Could be fake,well not fake,but maybe they bend for break It and post the photos...

 

[CyberPanda]

Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown

Teardown Update: After Samsung tried to make our initial teardown disappear from the internet five months ago, we’re back with a teardown of the...

www.ifixit.com

• Unlike the dull slabs of glass we're used to, this smartphone/tablet hybrid has lots of potential entry points—and not the good kind.
  
  
• To achieve the fold, the thin bezel that surrounds (and protects) the screen leaves a gap where the two halves meet. You don't notice it until you notice it ... And then you can't help but "test ingress." Don't try this at home.
  
  
• This 7 mm gap doesn't seem like a huge deal, but it leaves the display exposed—so should something accidentally enter, it's curtains for the screen. (Oops.)
  
  
• When closed, the screen is protected—but the spine is flanked by massive gaps that our opening picks hop right into. These gaps are less likely to cause immediate screen damage, but will definitely attract dirt.
  
  
• It's been a while since we've seen a phone with this many gaps, with the industry trending away from moving parts and towards sealed slabs. It'll be interesting to see how future folding designs overcome these weaknesses.

Routing flex cables through hinges is a serious reliability concern over the long haul. This one looks designed to hold up—but if it doesn't, at least the cable itself is modular, unlike some others we've seen recently.

While it might fall back out again, anything that gets lodged between the fragile display and its hard metal backplate could become a fatal pressure point when the phone is unfolded.

• Like a beautiful butterfly, our Fold's life was tragically short.
  
  
• Also like a butterfly, this thing is alarmingly fragile. Hopefully it can metamorphose into something a bit more robust to avoid the windshield of fate.
  
  
• Maybe with their extra time, Samsung can add a bit more reinforcement and some ingress protection, so these glorious wings may flap another day!
  
  
• While the phone was easier to get into than some, the overwhelming fragility is a bad sign for repair.

 

[TheShadowLord]

Pardon my ignorance. But is this really needed?

These would be true phablets than what is called in the market atm.

 

[Woo-Fu]

So from here on out it'll be called the Galaxy Failed, right?