Samsung's Galaxy Fold is already experiencing severe problems just days after the company issued out review units to major US tech journalists. Those that experienced device-breaking display failures includes Steve Kovach of CNBC, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Dieter Bohn of the Verge and popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee.
The first person to encounter an issue with the Galaxy Fold was Verge reporter, Dieter Bohn. He received the Galaxy device on Monday as every other journalist did. But on Tuesday evening, the Samsung device already had already developed a tiny bulge along the crease in the middle.
By Wednesday morning, the tiny bulge brought about a vertical and horizontal line of dead pixels along the OLED panel. It is unclear what brought the bulge which could be attributed to a number of things - maybe it was due to a defective hinge or debris that must have found its way beneath the screen.
Steve Kovach of CNBC also had his own story. In his own case, a thick strip of vertical line appear in the middle separating the left and the right side after day one of use. The left side of the Galaxy Fold flickers constantly, thus making the whole display unusable.After one day of use... pic.twitter.com/VjDlJI45C9— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) April 17, 2019
For Mark Gurman of Bloomberg and YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), the two in their case peeled off the Galaxy Fold's polymer layer which at first glance looks like the regular screen protector.
Brownlee in his case began to peel off the screen layer before the entire display turned black and stopped. However, for Gurman it was sort of ..different for him.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.— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 17, 2019
I got this far peeling it off before the display spazzed and blacked out. Started over with a replacement. pic.twitter.com/ZhEG2Bqulr
Gurman peeled off the screen layer successfully without a hitch, but later, the Galaxy Fold display began gradually to turn black. The next day, more than half of the display was unstable with just a small portion of the screen which continued to work.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. pic.twitter.com/G0OHj3DQHw— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
In response to the widespread complaints, the South Korea tech giant has released a statement in regards to the Galaxy Fold's display issues.
"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 inspects 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."