Disassembly of iFixit's Galaxy Fold reveals its biggest design flaw

Even if it is not technically the first time we see the bowels of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which has now fallen behind, iFixit The disassembly of the folding device is undoubtedly the most documented and detailed that we have seen. Follow-up of his post speculating on the possible causes of the different screen breaks observed on the review units, iFixit The disassembly analysis seems to reveal a fundamental compromise in design that Samsung had to make – a compromise that could have sentenced the phone.

It seems that Samsung has focused heavily on ensuring that the hinge mechanism is a solid and reliable mechanism for folding and unfolding a screen. However, for some reason, the Galaxy Fold is not sufficiently protected against the penetration of debris. And because this screen is incredibly delicate (like any OLED if not protected by something like Gorilla Glass), it was a significant risk.

This is a risk that has not borne fruit since no less than three different examination units have developed bulges under their hinged screens. Our unit showed the problem, as did the unit that was entrusted to Blick, as did the unit given to Michael Fisher. One of these bulges – that of our examination unit – eventually damaged the screen.

We still do not know all the reasoning behind Samsung's decision to delay launching the phone, but this debris / bulge problem seems much more fundamental than the fact that the protective layer on the top looks like a screen protector which should be removed (but, again, should not be like that breaks the screen too). Most of the rest of the reviewers who had broken screens tried to remove that layer – a natural inclination since there was no warning in the review unit package.

I fix it

In any case, iFixit disassembly reveals that the hinge mechanism for folding and unfolding the phone is incredibly robust and – from a certain point of view – well designed. It certainly seems plausible that the hinge itself can easily withstand the 200,000 deployments of robots often touted by Samsung. As I fix it In writing, there are two distinct types of hinges: a central hinge that "distributes the opening force evenly, ensuring that the two halves of the phone open synchronously" and two lateral hinges that "allow horizontal clearance to absorb any torsional force. "

Although the hinge itself is strong enough and rigid enough to not damage the screen directly by twisting or bending, it seems that Samsung is not able to design a model to prevent dust or debris from entering inside. When you look at the front of the phone, there is a gap of 7 mm between the screen and the edge of the phone, all the way up and down the fold. For some reason, Samsung has not tried to install a flexible rail on this part of the screen to prevent dust from entering.

This small gap is probably not the biggest problem. No, the biggest problem seems to be the shortcomings on the return hinge. iFixit notes that "the spine is flanked by huge gaps in which our choice is imperative. These deficiencies are less likely to cause immediate damage to the screen, but will certainly attract dirt. "

I can not say for sure that these gaps in the back are the means by which debris has entered my examination unit, but that is my current work theory. I also can not help thinking about the protective silicone layer that Apple has finally added to MacBook keyboards and the question of whether Samsung should have considered adding such a thing to Fold.

At the time of writing, Samsung has not yet indicated the nature of the debris that broke our assessment unit – but at this point, it does not matter if it's sand, lint, casting clay that we briefly used (and thoroughly cleaned) to hold the phone, or something else entirely. The bottom line is that it seems that the basic design of the Galaxy Fold makes the debris too easy to recover under the screen. And even though the device does not have an IP rating for dust, it looks like the next iteration should get one.

For the rest of the dismantling, it is definitely worth reading. Much of it comes as a standard smartphone disassembly, with all the usual chips, the battery rating and an adhesive hostile to repairs. But because it's a whole new form factor, you have to look at new design elements, which we have not had on the phone for a very long time. Many of Samsung's design decisions are surprising, but one thing is not: iFixit The repairability score is dark and predictable – two out of ten.