Samsung was the first manufacturer to get a foldable smartphone to market with the Galaxy Fold, but in its rush to claim the title, the Korean company botched the launch after reviewers found problems with the screen and the hinge on the device.
BY SHABANA ARIF
Samsung ended up delaying the release in a bid to fix the issues before the smartphone got into the hands of the public, and with the launch of its second foldable – the Galaxy Z Flip – precautions have been taken to ensure it doesn’t make the same mistakes again.
The Motorola Razr was also delayed, although this was apparently due to an overwhelming demand in pre-orders, rather than to shore up any design flaws, but now both companies foldable phones are under scrutiny as users are finding the same faults that plagues the Fold in both companies’ new handsets.
Both phones are expensive, costing well over £1,000, so having a phone that expensive fall to bits on you isn’t ideal. As well as being underwhelming, the Razr has got more problems to content with after a report from Input’s Raymond Wong that the screen on his $1,500 device was peeling away from the chassis at the hinge after just one week.
“We always try our best to not be alarmist, but when a giant horizontal air bubble appears literally out of nowhere and starts separating the top lamination and the display panel, we have to wonder why anyone would be optimistic about foldable phones,” he said, not unreasonably.
Wong describes receiving the handset in pristine condition, which he popped into his pocket for his commute, and when he pulled it out, discovered the offering bubble stretching the width of the screen. As well as being unsightly, it’s also affecting touch screen functionality, making the affected area “virtually unresponsive”.
Wong speculates that the change in temperate that the phone was exposed to could be the culprit, as it hadn’t been exposed to anything else that could damage it. His suspicions are further fuelled by a Twitter user who received their Galaxy Z Flip with an almost identical issue. More
