There are reports that Samsung may launch another foldable phone this year. After a couple of mishaps, the Galaxy Fold was finally released a few months back. Despite the improvements in the construction, the Polyimide screen still remains one of the most delicate parts of the Galaxy Fold.

There are indications that next year’s Galaxy Fold may come with a permanent fix for the fragile display screen. According to sources cited by Korean website ETNews, the company will abandon its transparent polyimide solution in favour of flexible ultra-thin glass (UTG).

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The source hinted that the Samsung Display is already manufacturing the foldable displays for its next foldable smartphone mode and that a third-party firm named DOWOO INSYS has also begun manufacturing the first batch of UTG panels for Samsung. A recent report had revealed that DOWOO INSYS and SCHOTT AG are the two best ultra-thin glass manufacturers in the industry. Industry sources however disclosed that DOWWO INSYS has the upper edge and “the best technical skills when it comes to UTG” with technical skills 4-5 years ahead of its competitors.

Ultra-thin glass (UTG) may not totally eliminate the fragility of the flexible display but it is said to eliminate the crease that forms on the flexible panel along the hinge. UTG looks aesthetically more appealing but it is even more fragile than transparent polyimide. It is also costlier to produce while having a lower yield rate on the manufacturing line. A source even hinted at the UTG material being used on Samsung’s next clamshell foldable phone codenamed “Bloom,” but a second unnamed industry insider isn’t so positive about that.  However, with the challenges posed by the new technology, we doubt if Samsung will use it anytime soon. Next year’s Galaxy Fold model is said to bring along a cheaper price tag. We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out.

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Guess we are all familiar with the drama that engulfed the initial plans by Samsung to release the innovative Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone earlier this year. As a reminder, the Galaxy Fold was first unveiled in February this year with the release set for April. However, the release was put off by Samsung following a number of issues that were encountered by early users.

The foldable smartphone was officially relaunched last month and is presently available in several markets across the world. Samsung effected some improvements in its design and construction even though the design remained the same as the first model. Samsung says the flexible display can withstand up to 200,000 folds. This was put to test recently by the guys at CNET who deployed a Foldbot that folds and opens the device severally times at an unusual speed. The machine known as FoldBot was built by SquareTrade and it automatically opens and closes the Galaxy Fold several times per second. The test lasted for over 4 hours and even though the device didn’t last up to 200k times, it stood its ground up to 119,380 times before the screen got broken. Watch the video from below.

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Of course, there is no chance you’ll bend the screen up to 120,000 times all through its life cycle. The FoldBot also seems to move at a speed which is unusually faster than how we all will open the phone. So, the flexible display can be said to be relatively durable. Of course, this test isn’t a guarantee that if the phone falls down or gets in contact with hard objects like a bunch of keys in the pocket the display won’t get damaged.

Samsung says it has fixed the hinge and the protective layer of the flexible screen. The foldable mechanism is now hidden behind a rubbery protective layer in order to protect it from dust and other particles getting in the mechanism through the foldable part. Samsung also extended the layer on top that protects the digitizer from scratches beyond the edges, so that it can’t be peeled accidentally.

The Galaxy Fold may be a good buy after all. We await feedback from users who’ll subject it to the rigours of daily use to see how it fares.

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Samsung has finally relaunched the Galaxy Fold, its first foldable phone. The Galaxy Fold was first unveiled in February this year with the release set for April. However, the release was put off by Samsung following a number of issues that were encountered by early users. The foldable smartphone is now officially in the market again but with some improvements in its design and construction.

The overall design of the Galaxy Fold still remains the same as the ill-fated original version. That is a 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display on the inside a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED panel on the outside. However, Samsung says it has fixed the hinge and the protective layer of the flexible screen. The foldable mechanism is now hidden behind a rubbery protective layer in order to protect it from dust and other particles getting in the mechanism through the foldable part. Samsung also extended the layer on top that protects the digitizer from scratches beyond the edges, so that it can’t be peeled accidentally.

The camera configuration and those of other hardware components are unchanged. The Samsung Galaxy Fold packs a total of six cameras and is still powered by a Snapdragon 855, coupled with 12 GB RAM and 512GB of storage. Keeping the lights on is a 4,380 mAh battery but the 5G model has a slightly lesser 4,235mAh battery due to the internal architecture.

The Galaxy Fold will go on sale for the first time tomorrow in South Korea. The phone will launch subsequently in select countries, including France, Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The price has not been revealed but it is expected to retain the original price of around  €2,000.

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Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold alongside the Galaxy S10 models during the Galaxy Unpacked event held last month. The Fold has gained widespread followership due to the practicability of its design and the protection it offers the delicate flexible panel with the in-fold design it adopts. Samsung is yet to disclose when the phone will go on sale globally and the company didn’t even reveal many details about the phone. However, an hand-on video of the Galaxy Fold in action has appeared online, practically showing us how the phone responds while in use.

Samsung did send out some units to reviewers who are under strict instructions not to show pictures or videos of the phone. Seems someone hasn’t kept to that instruction going by this rather extensive video which appeared first on Weibo. The video wasn’t properly recorded as it seems to have been dome with a phone in portrait mode. Nevertheless, the clarity is good enough for us to make out the phone and its operations.

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The video seems to hint at launch in the US by AT&T, as the model is listed as the US carrier’s edition. The Galaxy Fold was confirmed to hit Europe with a Snapdragon 855 chipset onboard with performance comparable to the Galaxy S10+. The US variant might use an Exynos chipset. On the software end, it runs Samsung’s One UI 1.2 based on Android 9 Pie and from the video, the operations is smooth. You can check out the video from below. We do hope it doesn’t get pulled off the internet soon.

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