Samsung Galaxy Fold Display Breaks for Multiple Reviewers After Just Days of Use

Samsung provided press with sample units of its Galaxy Fold smartphone this week and already multiple reviewers are reporting broken displays.

Dieter Bohn, reporting for The Verge says the foldable screen on his unit broke after just a day.

There’s something pressing up against the screen at the hinge, right there in the crease. My best guess is that it’s a piece of debris, something harder than lint for sure. It’s possible that it’s something else, though, like the hinge itself on a defective unit pressing up on the screen. It’s a distressing thing to discover just two days after receiving my review unit. More distressing is that the bulge eventually pressed sharply enough into the screen to break it.




CBNC also reports a broken display after just two days of use.

When opened, the left side of the flexible display, which makes up a large 7.3-inch screen, flickers consistently.

Todd Haselton tweeted, "For the curious: this is the plastic wrap that covered the Galaxy Fold review unit, without any warning on it. This is not the protective film which was removed on some units due to lack of warning. (We never removed protective film and it still broke.)"




Other reviewers who did remove the protective film ended up with broken displays as well, including Mark Gurman and MKBHD.

Gurman tweeted, "The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not. ... The phone comes with this protective layer/film. Samsung says you are not supposed to remove it. I removed it, not knowing you’re not supposed to (consumers won’t know either). It appeared removable in the left corner, so I took it off. I believe this contributed to the problem."



Brownlee tweeted, "PSA: There's a layer that appears to be a screen protector on the Galaxy Fold's display. It's NOT a screen protector. Do NOT remove it. I got this far peeling it off before the display spazzed and blacked out. Started over with a replacement."



Samsung has now issued an official statement addressing the reports.

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A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review. We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter.

Separately, a few reviewers reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen. The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers.
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Samsung tells the WSJ that its plans for launch are not changing.

“There are no changes to the plans – we are launching in the U.S. on April 26.”

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