Earlier today, several reports of Galaxy Fold review units with broken displays surfaced, raising some concerns about the foldable device's durability. Now Samsung has issued a statement regarding those broken devices.
Samsung says that it plans to "thoroughly inspect" the broken Galaxy Fold units to figure out what caused the displays to malfunction. The company goes on to explain that some reviewers removed the protective layer from the screen that's meant to help protect from scratches, which can damage the screen. Samsung plans to ensure that this info is made clear to consumers.
Here's Samsung's full statement on the matter, as sent to the WSJ's Joanna Stern:
"A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to the 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."
Samsung added that it has no plans to change the Galaxy Fold's launch date, meaning it'll officially go on sale in the U.S. on April 26th.
So we still don't know exactly what caused the displays on some of those Galaxy Fold units to break, at least on those units where the protective layer wasn't peeled off. The good news is that at least Samsung has confirmed that it will clearly communicate to customers that they should not remove that protective layer. Some folks will likely see it and think its some sort of film that they should remove after purchase like on many other phones, so Samsung needs to make it very clear that the protective layer should be left alone.
