Samsung’s Galaxy Fold was meant to jumpstart the folding-phone revolution, but all it has done is embarrass the smartphone giant. Reviewers noted the device can barely hold itself together, as they experienced bulging screens and other defects such as flickering with the initial units that went out last month.
Having already admitted to these failures, Samsung shared more bad news this week with prospective buyers, advising pre-order customers via e-mail Monday their orders would be “canceled automatically” unless they contacted the company. The Galaxy Fold was originally scheduled to ship on May 31, but Samsung has little idea when the device will reach customers now.
Though the issue does not hurt Samsung’s balance sheet, the postponement damages the firm’s efforts to portray itself as an innovative first-mover, analysts have said. Samsung has said it plans to make at least 1 million Fold handsets in the first year, versus the total 300 million phones it produces annually on average. It closed Galaxy Fold pre-orders earlier due to what it said was “high demand”.