Here's why Galaxy Fold screens are failing already

Just days after journalists, including us here at Android Central, got their hands on the Galaxy Fold for the first time, many reports revealed that the first review devices had screen issues. At least four different devices have significant screen issues that have necessitated the complete replacement of the device, which may seem minimal until you realize that at this point there may be only one alternative solution. a few dozen Galaxy folds in the hands of people outside of Samsung's employees.

By examining all the available information and using a Galaxy Fold myself, there are clearly two distinct issues at play: a problem that can be solved and one that should really worry Samsung when the Fold falls into the hands of consumers.

Problem 1: the plastic coating of the screen looks removable

This is the "repairable" problem of both.

The Galaxy Fold, like all other foldable phones, features a layer of plastic on the OLED display panel itself, which allows the set to flex. We do not have flexible glass yet, so that's what will happen in the foreseeable future. But the problem with this top layer on the Galaxy Fold is that it seems exactly like a preinstalled screen protector, phone after phone – including the Galaxy S10 – that you have the option to delete. On the fold, however, the layer is not designed to be removed. This is not just not recommended to do it, it's do not intended to be removable. If you remove the top layer, you will remove the protective glass from your Galaxy S10 and at this point, the display panel itself will fail very quickly.

Samsung's early reviewers' email reminded us explicitly that the top layer of the screen was do not removable and this would compromise the integrity of the display. But even so, the urge to remove this top layer has been rooted in all of us for over ten years – plastic does not look great on a phone and looks as if it were removable, because it does not reach the edges of the telescope. Even some of the most egregious authors of screen protectors preinstalled in the past would remain technically to permit remove the protector and then operate the phone properly. This is just not the same case, even if at first, it is the same.

Samsung must make it clear to consumers that plastic should not be altered.

So this part of the problem is repairable, but we do not know if Samsung plans to tackle it more seriously when launching the product. Recall that the Galaxy Fold is already available for pre-order and that it will be shipped to regular consumers (although few) with no additional information or information. They are just going to have a phone in a box, and when you associate that with the intense desire to want to remove the plastic from the new phones, you are ready for a cycle of bad news broken Galaxy Fold screens.

Fortunately, good Fold Retail units will have a small warning on the protective film covering the entire phone out of the box. Unfortunately, we were all conditioned to tear this plastic quickly and use our new bright phones. This warning will be quickly removed. Given the seriousness of the situation, it would be Samsung's responsibility to modify its packaging and software so as to make as explicit as possible the plastic should not be removed as any other phone – a single warning on the piece of plastic that people scam in a hurry. of each phone is not really enough when the consequences are so serious.

Problem 2: The screen is just fragile, end point

This is the most important problem that Samsung can in principle "solve" without years of further development of display technology that allows these phones to fall back again and again.

So, you should not remove the top layer of the Galaxy Fold screen. We know that now. But the fact that you can remove it (if you are persistent) and this is enough to make the display completely useless and quickly, the failure is a bad sign. At least two of the faulty display reports arrived while the top layer of the Galaxy Fold was held in place and undamaged, indicating a broader discussion of the fragility of display technology, even though you deal with it or if you use it as any other other phone.

If, as we have seen, everything that keeps the screen running is a thin piece of soft plastic, the prospects for long-term durability are bad. With the very powerful Gorilla Glass screen coatings, we have gotten used to being pretty brutal on phones – and the Fold will just not be able to withstand so much abuse. Although a lot of engineering has been implemented to keep the collapsible part of the screen operational with thousands of folds, it does not necessarily mean that it can handle the impacts and damage elsewhere.

None of the Galaxy Folds that Android Central has developed screen problems, although it's very easy to see How such problems could arise. All you have to do is run your finger over the folded part of the screen cover to see how, with repeated uses, holes in the screen cache could develop and possibly compromise the integrity of the unit through the introduction of foreign objects.

For its part, Samsung has provided Mark Gurman of Bloomberg the following statement:

Should this prevent you from buying a Galaxy Fold?

There are many reasons why you should be skeptical about separating yourself from $ 2,000 to buy a Galaxy Fold, long before any of these reports of screen failures occur. The durability and longevity of a flexible display would always be involved on these first-generation foldable devices aimed at the general public – we did not necessarily expect it to start. so dramatically or so early. And believe me, these discussions will not be exclusive to Galaxy Fold.

If you are excited enough about the Galaxy Fold to want to place a pre-order, or at least see it in store by the end of April before potentially buying, it would be good to call you back all these types of problems that can be associated with a device that introduces a whole new form factor and many new technologies. The Galaxy Fold is do not a normal phone, and it really pushes the envelope in a way that we have not seen for years; this will come with compromises, and you should know everything before deciding to buy.

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