To say that the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold has been subpar, is likely an understatement. With the device breaking for many of those who received review units, the company is expected to delay the public release of the device by at least a month.

According to the WSJ, Samsung is postponing the launch of the Galaxy Fold to address issues with the reliability of the hardware. The devices are breaking frequently, sometimes because of the user removing what looked like a screen protector but it was actually part of the display, and other times because the hinge was failing.

The delay of the release is the correct move by Samsung who experienced an even bigger problem with the Note 7 where the batteries were exploding. It’s clear that the company doesn’t want to take any chances with the Fold and considering that the frequency of the failures of this device appears to be far outside the norm for a new device, they really don’t have a choice.

Worse for Samsung is that the brand image of the device is likely forever harmed. What was supposed to be a new flagship product for the company is now backfiring and the company is scrambling to figure out how to manage the situation.

If the device is only being delayed a month, Samsung must believe that they know of a fix and it is relatively simple. But if the company has to further delay its release, this could point to a bigger fundamental flaw in the design of the device.

Tagged with Galaxy Fold, Samsung