Samsung CEO admits Galaxy Fold came out too early

DJ Koh, Samsung’s smartphone chief, says he pushed through the release of the phone while the device was not yet ready. The first previews came online in mid-April and it soon became apparent that there was a lot wrong with the device. A new release date is still unknown.

The Independent recently attended a Samsung meeting in Seoul, South Korea, where the company explained the issues and current status of the Galaxy Fold. There, Koh indicated that it was ’embarrassing’ and that he let the device come out too quickly. “I recognize that I missed something with the foldable phone,” said the CEO. He argues that Samsung adheres to the philosophy of ‘make what cannot be made.’ According to him, the problems with the Galaxy Fold are sometimes part of such a working attitude.

Koh indicates that a recovery process is underway and that the foldable device will therefore not be cancelled. “At the moment, more than 2000 devices are being tested on all aspects. We have described all issues. We did not even think about some problems, but thanks to our reviewers, tests are now being carried out on a large scale,” said the CEO. no exact new release date for the folding phone.

In addition, Koh discussed the chances of success of the concept of a foldable phone. According to him, the rise of iot, 5g and artificial intelligence is leading to a new era in which technologies are merging, in which there may no longer be room for the traditional smartphone. He thinks the Galaxy Fold could be the beginning of the end for mainstream smartphones. According to Koh, the foldable concept will last for a few years, after which another form factor may become the new norm. In his view, we should no longer think in terms of smartphones, but more broadly, in the form of ‘smart devices’.

The Galaxy Fold should have been released in the Benelux at the beginning of May, but that was eventually canceled due to reported screen defects. Not long after, repair site iFixit concluded that the foldable phone is “disturbingly fragile.” With that, the release of the Fold was in fact postponed until further notice based on reviewers. Incidentally, Huawei previously decided to release its foldable phone later; the company is going to put its Mate X through more tests.