Four reviewers of Samsung's forthcoming foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, have reported that the displays on their units broke after just two days of use.
The company said the Galaxy Fold's display is durable enough for 200,000 folds and unfolds, but some units are barely lasting a couple days.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman tweeted that the display on his Galaxy Fold broke after two days of use.
—Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
Gurman later tweeted that he removed a plastic-film display cover from the Galaxy Fold, which Samsung said not to remove. Gurman apparently didn't know that the film wasn't meant to be removed. The tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee also said he removed the plastic film without knowing it was meant to stay on, and his Galaxy Fold review unit also "spazzed," Brownlee tweeted to Gurman.
—Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 17, 2019
—Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 17, 2019
It seems that Samsung's warnings about removing the plastic film may have not been clear enough. Brownlee suggested on Twitter that the company be more clear when people who preordered the Galaxy Fold receive their devices.
It appeared at first that the issue was related to removing the plastic film that Samsung instructed people not to remove. However, CNBC's Steve Kovach tweeted a video on Wednesday of the outlet's review unit's display flickering on the left half of the display, and he said the plastic film wasn't removed.
—Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) April 17, 2019
The Verge reported that a bulge developed under the Galaxy Fold's display and eventually broke it. The problem doesn't appear to be related to the display or plastic-film issues the other reviewers tweeted about.
Business Insider's Galaxy Fold review unit hasn't experienced any issues so far. We haven't removed the plastic film from the Galaxy Fold's display.
Samsung doesn't have a repair program in place for the Galaxy Fold yet, which is something we were concerned about when the device was originally announced. Samsung has a Galaxy Repair Service, but it doesn't include the Galaxy Fold.
Business Insider has contacted Samsung for comment on the issue and asked about repair programs for the Galaxy Fold. In a statement, Samsung said:
"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.
Separately, a few reviewers reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen. The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers."
The company did not comment on repair programs, whether for display issues or any other issues with the Galaxy Fold.
The device is set to go on sale on April 26. Registrations for a chance to buy the Galaxy Fold opened on Monday.
