The next move of Galaxy Fold will make or break foldable phones

When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold, it not only announced another phone, it launched a revolution in the way we interact with mobile devices. But the Fold quickly suffered from screen breakage and other defects, and the revolution stalled.

It's been almost four weeks since Samsung heard of any detail on the Fold. An AT & T e-mail to customers suggested that the phone come next month. Samsung mobile CEO, D.J. Koh said that it "will not be too late." And a spokeswoman for Samsung told CNET that the company was planning to announce the release date "in the coming weeks". Consumers, industry players and critics are eagerly awaiting.

My suggestion: let them wait.

If Samsung wants to make sure that the Fold does not have any problems, it must devote the appropriate time and resources to repair everything, regardless of internal delays or the pressure of operator partners, consumers or the press.

Samsung needs to get the Galaxy Fold right because everyone on the phone relies on the company to make sure that foldable phones make the right first impression (well, second first impression). In the end, it's not just this product, but the prospects for the category as a whole. Although the industry has described folding phones as an exciting innovation in mobility, the sustainability and even the usefulness of such devices has always been a persistent concern.

Exceeding a product set in a hurry will only add fuel to the fire.

"If Samsung has problems with the second version, it will hurt Samsung and all suppliers of folding products," said Maribel Lopez, an analyst at Lopez Research. "The category will not be abandoned, but it could be delayed for at least a year."

Samsung needs to do it right because there are very few collapsible software and the experiences are mixed. The Flexpai Royale was technically the first folding phone on the market to go on sale in November, but was bothered by many bugs despite impressive hardware. The Huawei Mate X has impressed the MWC 2019 with its foldable exterior design, but the durability of its plastic screens remains unknown. Its launch is scheduled for July.

Assuming that Samsung smoothes all wrinkles, the company needs to be transparent about solutions to boost consumer confidence. As my colleague Jessica Dolcourt says, Samsung must appeal to consumers with better communication, benefits and generous guarantees that allay their worries.

The good news is that Samsung has already gone through this drama, but in a much more extreme variant. The company was able to come back from the debacle of the Galaxy Note 7, even repairing the image of the franchise Rating, which, in my opinion, had to be abandoned.

The Galaxy Fold is not the 7 note, which tended to ignite, but Samsung could learn from this incident when relaunching its foldable phone. The company has shown that it is capable of returning from a very disastrous launch.

Considering that The Fold has never been put in the hands of consumers and, finally, has not exploded, the situation is far from moderate.

The high price of these devices – the Galaxy Fold costs $ 1,980 and the Huawei Mate X, $ 2,600 – means that they will be strictly limited to 1 percent and fans of intrepid gadgets right from the start.

"Folding phones will start as a curiosity at the price of luxury," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techsponential.

These prices will drop over time. But if the initial reaction to these phones is negative, it can slow down and hinder the enthusiasm of the general public even before it has a chance to spread.

And without the people, there will be no revolution.