What should have been a gateway towards a new form factor of mobile computing devices turned into a mini-disaster when review units of the Galaxy Fold started to display problems shortly after they were unboxed. Samsung made a prudent move by taking back those review units to give them a proper inspection, even though the company earlier demonstrated in a video that its first iteration of foldable smartphones has been tested for durability a considerable number of times.
Fast forward to July, it has been reported that Samsung has eliminated the problems. The changes the company apparently made includes stretching the protective film to wrap around the entire screen, so it will become difficult for users to peel it off and inflict irreparable damage to the screen. Also, the hinge has been re-engineered by pushing it slightly upward from the screen. All of these changes translate to a slightly more durable Galaxy Fold, but would you a trust a company selling you a device priced at $1,980 knowing that there’s a small sliver of a chance that the same problem might reappear?
Not the First Time Where Samsung Made the Mistake of Rushing a Product Launch
What is even more surprising about the aforementioned report is that although Samsung has allegedly fixed the problems, it hasn’t provided a re-launch date for its Galaxy Fold. It was later revealed in an interview that Samsung’s mobile chief, DJ Koh stated that he rushed the Galaxy Fold launch, most likely because he wanted the Korean giant to obtain bragging rights of being the first company to unveil a foldable smartphone. This isn’t the first time that it rushed a premium handset launch. There were earlier reports suggesting that Samsung may have rushed the Note 7 launch in order to gain an edge over Apple’s iPhone 7 unveiled back in September 2016.
What followed was a series of disasters related to battery explosions, unit recalls and a whole lot of financial loss for Samsung. The Galaxy Fold issues may not have resulted in a tumultuous setback for Samsung the way the Note 7 did, but it certainly has placed an enormous brick wall on Samsung’s vision of the smartphone future. While the Korean tech behemoth still believes that the 5G revolution will ramp up shipments, there are a few more roadblocks to be experienced when it comes to foldable devices.
One of them is the price and that’s to be expected for the long term. A previous report detailed that such handsets will remain expensive due to a shortage of key components, but going forth, Samsung’s biggest rival in Android smartphone space, Huawei, believes that such devices will become more affordable. While we too can see a future where such phones will become a part of our lives, the current times will dictate the outcome. Which means that now, the only question is the durability and how long the Galaxy Fold will last in the hands of users, even with the problems addressed?
With a customer, there are so many elements at play here and innumerable reasons why the Galaxy Fold might fail once more. Samsung cannot just rely on its controlled environment to monitor if the redesigned Galaxy Fold will not exhibit the same problems.
Can Samsung Also Gain the Trust of Its Carrier Partners?
Companies like Best Buy and AT&T had to cancel Galaxy Fold pre-orders due to the ongoing problems with the units. With AT&T giving its loyal customer base a free $100 gift card, a recent report states that the act cost the carrier giant $77 million. There aren’t other reports concerning the rest of the carriers and if whether they had to bear similar costs, but with the Galaxy Fold having been delayed indefinitely, it must have soured the business relationship with Samsung.
One could argue that AT&T made this move of its own accord and had to so it could retain its subscriber base, but if not for the Galaxy Fold pre-order cancellations, this move would not need to be carried out in the first place. With the Galaxy Note 10 launch expected to take place on August 7, Samsung will have a lot riding on its crown jewel of the year, and we don’t believe the Galaxy Fold relaunch would take place anywhere near the aforementioned date.
Whenever that date maybe and if Samsung offers an apology as well as an explanation on how it’s managed to eliminate the existing problems with the Galaxy Fold, would you believe the company? Participate in our poll and let us know.
The post Would You Trust Samsung’s Word if the Company Says It Has Completely Addressed the Problems With the Galaxy Fold? by Omar Sohail appeared first on Wccftech.
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