Samsung CEO Laments Embarrassing Galaxy Fold Launch, Device Simply Wasn't Ready

Galaxy Fold
The Galaxy Fold launch didn't exactly go the way that Samsung had hoped for after multiple reviewers complained of faulty review units ahead of the device’s highly anticipated launch. The company was forced to call off the launch of the Galaxy Fold, and has been faced with problems concerning the intricate hinge mechanism that has hindered its ability to bring the device to market

Now, Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh is admitting to what everyone else in the tech industry already knew — the company royally screwed up. “I pushed it through before it was ready,” Koh explained. “It was embarrassing.”

The $1,980 Galaxy Fold was supposed to be Samsung’s big triumph in a smartphone market that has become increasingly stagnant with yearly, iterative design, feature, and performance updates. The Galaxy Fold bucked that trend with its folding display that opens up to a capacious 7.3 inches. 

Galaxy Fold

It’s probable that Samsung was looking to take some wind out of the sails of the Huawei Mate X, which as arguably a more impressive folding smartphone with an even more outrageous $2,600 price tag. However, following Samsung’s missteps, Huawei in turn delayed the launch of the Mate X. 

According to Koh, the company is hard at work at resolving any additional issues before the device launches. “I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone, but we are in the process of recovery,” said Koh. “At the moment, more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects.”

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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