All eyes have been on the Samsung Galaxy Fold despite the device being one month away from its official release. While several elusive hands-on reviews have surfaced in recent days, calling to question the quality of the device, Samsung insists that the handset’s foldable display will hold up over time.
The manufacturer recently shared an official video of durability tests for the Galaxy Fold, which show several handsets being opened and closed by mechanical arms. Samsung claims the Galaxy Fold is able to withstand 200,000 folds, which equates to five years of use when being opened and closed 100 times per day.
Samsung’s video comes after a video leak of the foldable smartphone showed a handset with a visible crease, which lead many to question the quality and integrity of the device. Many have noted that the crease is not visible when the display’s brightness is turned up high, including an anonymous Galaxy Fold user, who did a Twitter Q&A with XDA Developers Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman.
Overall, there seems to be a consensus that the Galaxy Fold crease may not be a major cause for concern. According to Rahman’s source, the biggest issue with the device is its software, in that there is a significant delay in the Galaxy Fold’s screens switching orientations from phone to tablet when the device is opened. The user also reported some other minor software kink but said that performance and battery life on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 run device is decent.
The Galaxy Fold supports Samsung’s One UI 1.2, which is likely the foldable optimized version of Samsung’s latest interface, in comparison to the One UI 1.1 version on the static display Galaxy S10 models. By default, apps that are not optimized for the tablet mode will present in the dimensions of a typical phone screen with a black background, unless users set the app to stretch across the full screen.
Design wise, the Galaxy Fold is reportedly built like a binder, with a small gap in between the display and its metal outer hinge. This causes the device to not lay completely flat. The user also confirmed that the device does not extend past 180 degrees in its tablet mode and does not work in a 90-degree state like a laptop.
Reports have recently confirmed that the Galaxy Fold will be available for preorder starting April 26 in the U.K. and will release to market May 3. Samsung announced an April 26 launch for the device in the U.S. but has not clarified whether that will be preorder availability or the official market release. The Galaxy Fold will sell for $1,980.
