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Samsung Galaxy Fold release date remains a mystery amid rumours it has been cancelled

'Nothing has progressed since the April delay,' says an official for the smartphone firm

Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 17 June 2019 11:32 BST
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Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold smartphone on 20 February, 2019 in San Francisco, California
Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold smartphone on 20 February, 2019 in San Francisco, California

Samsung has denied that it plans to begin shipping the Galaxy Fold next month, adding to speculation the technology giant may cancel its beleaguered folding phone.

The next-generation device was officially unveiled in February with a stated release date of early May, however issues with the phone's folding mechanism forced the South Korean firm to postpone the launch.

A company official told The Korea Herald that no progress had been made with regards to the Galaxy Fold's release date.

"If we are running such a media event this month, we should be doing something by now," the official said.

"Nothing has progressed since the April delay."

The Galaxy Fold, which costs nearly $2,000 (£1,540), was originally hailed by Samsung as the future of smartphones, who claimed it would "overturn expectations and set this industry on a new path".

But within days of review samples being sent out to journalists, reports began to emerge of problems with the folding screen.

Despite Samsung claiming the Galaxy Fold could withstand 200,000 folds without breaking, several reviewers said the foldable phone had become "unusable" after just two days of use.

Samsung CEO DJ Koh told the publication in May that the company was on the verge of revealing a rescheduled release date for the phone, while a different Korea media outlet reported that he had said the Galaxy Fold would arrive before July.

"[Samsung] has reviewed the defect caused from substances [that entered the device] and we will reach a conclusion in a couple of days," Mr Koh said. "We will not be too late."

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request from The Independent for comment on the release date of the Galaxy Fold.

Other smartphone manufacturers have also experienced issues with their plans to launch a folding phone, with Huawei reportedly delaying its Mate X until September.

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