Samsung will cancel ALL orders of £1,800 Galaxy Fold by end of the month in wake of calamitous screen issues

SAMSUNG is canning orders of its pricey folding smartphone following reports the gadget breaks after just a day of use.

All pre-orders of the £1,800 Galaxy Fold, which was originally due for release in the UK on May 3, will be cancelled this month unless customers say otherwise.

The tech company has delayed the launch of the gadget after several testers reported issues with the folding screen.

Some journalists who were given early access to the phone noticed that half of the screen stopped working while others damaged the device by mistakenly removing a protective layer.

Following online backlash, Samsung pushed the release back indefinitely and has now admitted it cannot confirm the shipping date for the foldable gizmo.

“If we do not hear from you and we have not shipped by May 31st, your order will be cancelled automatically,” the South Korean firm told Galaxy Fold pre-order customers in an email.

As per US regulations, Samsung was required to notify customers that the pre-orders would be cancelled in the event the product had not been shipped by May 31, it said in a statement.

It’s not clear how many people have ordered the phone, but it sold out in the United States.

Customers can still choose to proceed with their order despite the screen capitulations seen in review handsets.

Samsung unveiled the Fold – a tablet sized device that bends in half like a book – in February at a glitzy launch event in San Francisco.

But just days before the official release day, the phone-maker pulled the Fold following complaints from reviewers about the delicate gadget’s plastic display.

They said some of the damage was caused by “impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge.”

The company also noted that a “substance” was found inside one of the test devices which could have affected its performance.

Though the issue does not hurt Samsung’s balance sheet, the postponement damages the firm’s efforts to portray itself as an innovative first-mover, analysts have said.

Samsung has said it plans to make at least 1million Fold handsets in the first year, versus the total 300million phones it produces annually on average.

It remains unclear when the new launch date will be but it’s expected to be in the coming months.

It was due to be released in the US on April 26 and then in the UK on May 3.

Samsung said: “We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer.”

In other news, Samsung is going to extend its Galaxy Fold range with two new double-bend tablets despite huge durability doubts.

You can read about all the best deals for Samsung’s Galaxy S10 smartphone here.

Or if you’re feeling nostalgic for your old flip phone, take a look at these leaked images of the new £1,500 Motorola Razr.

Would you want a folding smartphone? Let us know in the comments…

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