Samsung has finished fixing the Galaxy Fold

Back in April, Samsung faced a dilemma. The company’s brand new Galaxy Fold handset turned out to be a bit more fragile than is ideal for a $2,000 handset, and reviewers reported the device breaking within days of moderate use.

To begin with, Samsung insisted that it would be sticking to its planned April 26 release date before realising this would be an insane thing to do. The company reluctantly announced it’d be delaying the launch until it had fixed the problems once and for all.

Now, according to Bloomberg, that process is over and the Galaxy Fold has been redesigned not to break so easily. In an ideal world, you’d hope that this would be part of the original design process, but beggars can’t be choosers.

So here’s what’s changed. Firstly, that protective layer that some reviewers peeled off assuming it was a screen protector? That has been extended to cover the entire inside, going all the way to the bezel. Sources told Bloomberg this will make it “impossible to peel off by hand”, which sounds like a challenge to us, but hopefully not one that anybody will take on.

Secondly, the hinge has been re-engineered. It’s now flush with the display, upward from the screen to stretch out the protective film further when opened. This apparently makes it feel harder and more a part of the device, and might also “help reduce the chance of a crease developing in the middle of the screen over time.” Given at least one broken device seemed to come from something poking through the crease, that feels like an important step.

Apparently, the device will now head off to assembly in the company’s Vietnamese plants, but that doesn’t mean a release is imminent. Samsung isn’t planning on announcing it alongside the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 at its August Unpacked event, and is instead aiming to have it ready “in time for the crucial holiday season”. No matter how much you may love Halloween, that means Christmas, I’m afraid.