Samsung has announced the release date for its Galaxy Fold smartphone.
Having originally been set to launch in April, the folding device will go on sale in South Korea on 6 September. Other markets like Europe and the US are expected to receive the phone in the coming weeks, with the Galaxy Fold going on sale on 18 September in the UK.
The company has had several setbacks with early releases of the device, which were sent out to a handful of reviewers ahead of the intended launch earlier this year.
Many reported that the screen would malfunction after just a few days of use.
Samsung now says it has refined the design and reinforced the phone’s innovative folding screen and hinge area to prevent it from suffering the same problems.
The president of the firm’s mobile communications business DongJin Koh said he was “excited to release this pioneering mobile technology, and allow consumers to experience it for themselves”.
The company is not the only manufacturer to delay the launch of a folding phone. Chinese tech giant Huawei also announced delays to its Mate X earlier this week.
The design marked a major departure from the homogeneous design of smartphones, which had continued with a uniform slab-like design since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.
By unfolding from a thin 4.6-inch smartphone into a 7.3-inch tablet, the Galaxy Fold essentially offered a new device category.
“A decade on from our first Galaxy smartphone, we’ve pushed the boundaries of innovation to the next level by unveiling our most iconic device yet,” said Conor Pierce, corporate vice president of Samsung UK and Ireland.
“Now with future-ready 5G capabilities, we’ve changed the face of the smartphone as we know it; we can’t wait to unfold even more exciting possibilities with this innovative device”.
The new phone will be available in the UK online and in Samsung Experience Stores, retailing at £1,900. Samsung has also partnered exclusively with EE – the first UK network to launch 5G.
Samsung is already working on a successor to the Galaxy Fold, according to recent reports.
The next version is expected to be thinner, smaller and cheaper, while also making use of a clamshell design.
Rather than folding out like a book like the Galaxy Fold, it will open up vertically like a classic flip phone.
The world’s number one smartphone maker reportedly worked with American designer Thom Browne on the 6.7-inch device, which folds up into a “pocketable square”.
