Samsung Galaxy Fold release date rescheduled after bending defect review

'We will not be too late,' says Samsung CEO DJ Koh

The Samsung Galaxy Fold has been beset by problems since being fully unveiled earlier this year (Getty Images)

Samsung will reveal a new release date for its beleaguered Galaxy Fold smartphone, according to reports in Korea.

The foldable phone was originally meant to be shipped to customers on 3 May but an issue with the screen forced the South Korean firm to postpone the launch.

Customers who had placed pre-orders were told last week that if a new shipping date had not been announced by the end of May then their order would be cancelled.

Samsung CEO DJ Koh told The Korea Herald that a rescheduled launch plan would be announced imminently, after improvements were made to the Fold's durability.

"[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 originally hailed the Galaxy Fold as the future of smartphones, claiming it would "overturn expectations and set this industry on a new path".

The device, which costs nearly $2,000 (£1,540), is part of a new wave of bendy smartphones from various manufacturers that are set to come to market this year.

Within days of Galaxy Fold review samples being sent to journalists, however, problems with the folding screen began to surface. Several reported that the screen flickered and froze after being folded and unfolded a number of times.

In March Samsung claimed to have overcome any issues with the folding screen, releasing a video showing an elaborate testing process to prove the durability of the new smartphone.

According to the tech giant, a Galaxy Fold device could withstand 200,000 folds and unfolds - the equivalent of 100 folds per day for five years - without breaking.

"Samsung subjected the device to several rounds of extensive tests in its state-of-the-art reliability labs to make sure that the Galaxy Fold is ready to come to market," Samsung wrote in a blog post.

"While the extent of the test may seem like overkill to some, Samsung viewed it as vital to ensuring the durability of the device's hinged design and Infinity Flex Display."

Samsung is yet to provide an exact release date for the problematic phone, though DJ Koh's comments to The Korea Herald suggest it will be before the end of May deadline that the firm originally laid out to customers.