Last week, we talked about the ugly situations of the Galaxy Fold test units of some journalists getting ruined because they accidentally removed a protective layer on the screen after mistaken it for a screen guide.

But more bad news might be inevitable for the so-called “Future of Smartphones” as Samsung is said to be investigating the cause of the problem which had rendered the device completely useless. This had reportedly prompted a delay in the launch event in Hong Kong and Shanghai according to a tweet by Engadget’s Richard Lai. The original Launch event date for the Galaxy Fold were April 23 and 24 respectively.

The issues with the screen have raised awareness among lovers of the device making everyone doubt the durability of the device and how far it can be used as a regular smartphone despite it’s whooping $1,980 price tag slapped on the device already.

Although we have not received our own review units at BRUMPOST, we keep our finger crossed over the next week to get our hands on one and spend time with it to see how far the device can really go.

Although the reasons for the said launch event delay were blamed on problems with the venue according to SamMobile which cites”someone claiming to be familiar with the matter.”

Frequent mobile tipster Ice Universe also corroborated the postponement of “two events” — presumably the launch events — and also suggested that shipments of the phone itself could be pushed back.

So we cannot officially say what the problem was but the reason for the postponement isn’t yet clear to anyone as the delay could have an effect on the shipping of the device. According to a Samsung spokesperson last week, he said the US April 26 launch won’t be shaken by any means.

While that affirmation is reassuring, we hope there won’t be a revise on the statement considering the state of the devices’ screen been a big issue in the public now casting doubts in the hearts of so many lovers of the Galaxy Fold smartphone already.

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold woes began last Wednesday, two days after it distributed a small number of review devices to reviewers, including CNET. It was revealed that peeling the plastic film off the Galaxy Fold’s 7.3-inch interior screen, which is made of a thin sheet of bendable plastic rather than glass, instantly made the phone unusable. 

The concept of folding smartphones is still very new and we do not expect it to be exceptionally perfect with the first version but considering the big price tag, durability and other issues with the device, this might cast doubt in the minds of people who might have been interested in purchasing the device.

Also, the failure of the Galaxy Fold might be a further encouragement to the Huawei Mate X which is sleeker in terms of design although we are yet to see anything from the Huawei Mate X or Motorola foldable Razr which are other competitors already entering the folding smartphone league.

The incidents with the Galaxy Fold are also putting Samsung under intense scrutiny as consumers and industry pundits draw parallels with Samsung’s double recall of 2016’s Galaxy Note 7, after numerous reports that its battery overheated and sometimes caught fire. Screen issues tied to the Galaxy Fold have “broken” the phones, but have not been reported to catch fire or otherwise cause danger to people and property.

Samsung although said it is conducting investigations to learn about the root causes of the screen problems. According the a statement obtain from the company,”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 inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter.”

The company also told CNET in a statement, “We are taking all necessary measures to ensure that information about protective layer is clearly delivered to our customers. Materials in the Galaxy Fold box, including the quick start guide, will include information about the protective layer. Samsung.com will have a dedicated Galaxy Fold FAQ for consumers to learn more about caring for the Galaxy Fold, including information about the protective layer. Retail representatives and customer care are trained with information about the top protective layer.”

We hope to keep you aware about any issue that might arise concerning the Samsung Galaxy Fold and folding smartphones in general to see how far this can really get in the tech world.