The CEO of Samsung Electronics DJ Koh has admitted that his company rushed the Galaxy Fold into production before its time. “It was embarrassing. I pushed it through before it was ready,” Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh said about the recent misstep.
“I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone, but we are in the process of recovery. At the moment, more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects. We defined all the issues. Some issues we didn’t even think about, but thanks to our reviewers, mass volume testing is ongoing.”
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold was announced in February and given an April 26th launch date, but the device was pulled early due to design flaws and defective issues. After several reports of the screen failing surfaced, Samsung began recalling the review units to investigate and delayed the launch indefinitely. Unfortunately, there is still no release date, but Koh admits he missed something on the Galaxy Fold and devices are currently being tested.
He said: “At the moment, more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects. We defined all the issues. Some issues we didn’t even think about, but thanks to our reviewers, mass volume testing is ongoing.”
One would think after the Note 7 fiasco Samsung would spend more time testing its products thoroughly, but at least this one posed no safety risks.
One of the reasons for the rushed launch of the Galaxy Fold is most certainly the pressure Samsung is feeling from Huawei. Not only is the Chinese smartphone giant working on its own foldable phone the Huawei Mate X, but it also challenging Samsung for the number one slot in global smartphone sales.
The revelation comes from a recent meeting with media outlets in South Korea where the current status of Samsung’s first foldable phone was discussed.
While neither company has announced a release date for its foldable phone, Samsung has an event planned for its new Note phones planned on August 7, and there is a slight possibility we could see the Galaxy Fold resurface there and learn more. In the meantime, Koh says the Galaxy Fold will be released “in due course” and to “give us a bit more time.”
