When Samsung became the first mainstream brand to launch its folding smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, back in February, the world was suitably impressed by the tech.
That was until journalists started getting their hands on review copies of the device and the company quickly ran into problems: defective hinges, distortion of the screen, consistent screen flickering, and some accidental removals of the top layer of the screen on the device. Though the phone was supposed to be available to buy in May, the launch date was pushed back in order to repair the issues.
Now it looks like the Galaxy Fold is back. At the Berlin tech conference, IFA, this week, the company’s European chief marketing officer, Benjamin Braun, confirmed that the device will go on sale this month.
“I am convinced that folding screens will be the start of a new exciting era for the industry,” said Braun.
So what’s changed? In a statement, the company says: “During the past several months, Samsung has been refining the Galaxy Fold to ensure it delivers the best possible experience. Not only have we improved the Galaxy Fold’s design and construction, but also took the time to rethink the entire consumer journey.”
The phone still has that 7.3-inch Infinity Flex display when opened up. It’s 5G ready, has six cameras, 12GB of RAM with 512GB of storage, and a 4,200mAh+ battery.
It will come in two colours: cosmos black and space silver.
Samsung Galaxy Fold release date
The new Galaxy Fold will be available to buy in Samsung’s native Korea first on September 6, and will be coming to the UK on September 18.
Thanks to the inclusion of 5G tech, the phone is a little more expensive than the April version. Now, it will cost £1,900 outright, with EE offering exclusive contracts in the UK.
What about the other folding phones?
Huawei is one of the only other tech companies bringing out a folding phone, the Huawei Mate X. However, following the issues Samsung very publicly faced around its device, Huawei has kept things rather quiet.
The latest statement from the company says its folding phone is scheduled to launch between September and November 2019. In fairness, the Chinese tech company has had its fair share of fires to put out recently.
