Be careful using the phone isn't exactly what users would want to hear from the company that made it, but given the Galaxy Fold's streak of misfortunes, a forewarning seems apt.
The revised Galaxy Fold is slowly re-entering the market again after a months-long delay triggered by reports of faulty, fragile hardware. Sadly, according to reviews of the new unit, it's still fragile as the previous iteration. Even Samsung knows it. The company just released a new video basically telling owners to treat their new phones with a "special level of care."
The first version of the Galaxy Fold was plagued by several problems. The top layer of the screen, when removed, broke the whole display. To be fair, it's not supposed to be removed, but Samsung failed to make that clear the first time. Other reviewers encountered other issues such as dust entering or foreign materials entering the hinge and causing the display to err.
The New Galaxy Fold
Samsung reportedly ironed most of those issues out in this new iteration. It did so by extending the top screen layer beneath the bezels so as to make it impossible to peel off. It also shrunk down the hinge and added plastic caps to prevent dust and debris from entering.
Even with all those supposed improvements, Samsung isn't taking any risks, which explains its new video. A phone as special as the Galaxy Fold deserves special care, though it's clear Samsung is simply preventing a repeat of last time. To be fair, some of the warnings make plenty of sense. For one, the company advises against adding any screen protectors, which could work against the foldable display.
Others sound a bit more unusual. For example, Samsung says not to apply "excessive pressure" to the touchscreen when tapping it. Elsewhere, Samsung says not to dip it in water as its not water resistant, nor to let it near dust as it's not dust proof.
Galaxy Fold Stress Test
It's hard to say just how better in terms of quality this new version is. Popular teardown YouTuber JerryRigEverything recently took the phone to the test and discovered it's still laughably fragile. As he puts it through his in-depth durability test, the Galaxy Fold suffered from many of the issues that broke it the first time. Even so minor as a fingernail sliding across the display can leave permanent marks on the plastic display.
On a more positive note, the phone fared well in other aspects, such as JerryRigEverything's infamous bend test. The Galaxy Fold did not break even when folded the opposite way, a testament to Samsung's level of engineering, at least in this aspect.
But bottomline is, if you're getting the new Galaxy Fold, be very extra careful.
