Samsung Galaxy Fold: Breaking screens plague the $2,000 phones - CBS News

Samsung introduces foldable smartphone

Sporting a screen that unfolds to nearly tablet size, Samsung's Galaxy Fold will cost $2,000.
But some journalists reviewing pre-release versions are reporting problems with breaking phones.
The foldable screen has become "completely unusable," says one reviewer.
Samsung says the device can withstand being opened and closed 200,000 times, or 100 times a day for five years.

Some of Samsung's new, almost $2,000 folding phones appear to be breaking after just a couple of days. Journalists who received the phones to review before the public launch said the Galaxy Fold screen started flickering and turning black before completely fizzling out. Two journalists said they removed a thin, protective layer from the screens that they thought was supposed to come off but was meant to stay.

However, reporters from The Verge and CNBC said they left that layer on, and their screens still broke. A CNBC video shows the left side of the inside screen intermittently flashing and the right side as unresponsive. The phone was "completely unusable" after two days, CNBC reporter Todd Haselton wrote.

The long-anticipated folding phone is about the size of a standard smartphone when folded, but it can open up to the size of a small tablet. The phone is designed to work whether closed or open. When open, the single-screen display is bisected by a crease.

Trending News

Samsung promises the screen can withstand being opened and closed 200,000 times, or 100 times a day for five years. The Galaxy Fold goes on sale April 26 in the U.S. for $1,980, making it one of the most expensive phones anywhere -- particularly if it isn't as durable as promised.

Samsung acknowledged it had heard reports of the screens breaking and said it would "thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter." A company spokesman also said it would make it clear that the top protective layer is necessary to prevent scratches.

The company is no stranger to problems with new products. It had a disastrous rollout of a smartphone in 2016 with the Galaxy Note 7, which Samsung eventually recalled because its batteries were catching on fire.

Let's block ads! (Why?)