The Galaxy Fold is coming out tomorrow and so ends the long wait for those who were looking forward to Samsung's first foldable smartphone. It was supposed to be released in April this year. However, there were issues that needed to be addressed.
Samsung decided to delay the launch and focus on improving certain aspects of the device before rolling it out. It provided more detail about that just a few weeks ago. Here are all of the Galaxy Fold changes that you need to know about.
Galaxy Fold changes you need to know
There's a special protective layer on top of the foldable Infinity Flex Display. It wasn't tucked all the way into the frame initially. Even though reviewers had been briefed that removing this film would damage the panel, many either forgot or didn't pay enough attention and ended up wrecking their Galaxy Fold review units the very day they got them.
They had removed the protective layer thinking that it was a screen protector. This led to the genuine concern that if this is something that can trip up reviewers, one can be certain that a lot of customers would make the same mistake. Samsung has now tucked this layer into the frame so that it's no longer possible to peel it off by hand.
Samsung has added new protection caps to the top and bottom of the hinge area in order to prevent the ingress of external particles. The gaps were larger than they should have been on the first iteration which made it easier for dust and grime to make its way into the device and wreak havoc. The space between the hinge and the Galaxy Fold's body has been reduced.
The company has also reinforced the foldable panel by putting in additional metal layers underneath the display. This will prevent any external particles from causing bumps in the panel even if they were to make it inside.
It's a little thicker and weighs more than before
Samsung didn't have to make any substantial design changes to the Galaxy Fold so it looks quite similar to the first iteration. However, a marginal, and we do mean marginal, increase in the weight and thickness of the device is a consequence of these changes. The Galaxy Fold is now 15.7mm thick when folded compared to 15.5 mm and weighs 276g as opposed to 263g. This isn't really going to make that much of a difference when using the device on a daily basis.
The Galaxy Fold will be available for purchase in South Korea from September 6. It will be released in markets across Europe on September 18. The United States will also get it before the end of the month.
