AT&T Cancels Samsung Galaxy Fold Pre-Orders

Samsung announced the nearly $2,000 Galaxy Fold several months ago with the intention of shipping it in April, but that didn’t happen. The first handful of Fold review units the company handed out suffered from an array of devastating screen defects, causing Samsung to delay the launch. News on the redesign process has been tough to come by since then, and now AT&T is done waiting. The carrier has canceled all Galaxy Fold pre-orders and refunded customers.
The issues with the Fold all come down to the large 7.3-inch folding OLED. While Samsung says it tested the screen for hundreds of thousands of folds, something about the way humans use the device differs from the robotic stress tests. The devices developed dead zones, bulges, and flickering. Some just stopped working altogether. A teardown of the Fold showed how dust could infiltrate the layers insulating the folding OLED, but Samsung had that iFixit post removed by going after the supplier that allowed their unit to be disassembled.

Best Buy and Samsung previously canceled most Galaxy Fold pre-orders, but it did that quickly after the issues surfaced. AT&T seemed content to let things go a little longer in hopes that Samsung could get the phone out the door in short order. However, there’s still no official release date. The closest Samsung has come is confirming that it will have a more precise release timeline in the coming weeks.
Customers who pre-ordered the Fold from AT&T should all have emails by now explaining the situation. While the carrier is canceling pre-orders, it’s offering a $100 promotional card as compensation for the inconvenience. AT&T isn’t completely washing its hands of the Fold, either. As soon as Samsung announces a release date, AT&T says pre-orders will open again. So, don’t spend that $2,000 refund right away if you want to be among the first to get your hands on Samsung’s first folding phone.
Continue reading

Intel’s Raja Koduri to Present at Samsung Foundry’s Upcoming Conference
Intel's Raja Koduri will speak at a Samsung foundry event this week — and that's not something that would happen if Intel didn't have something to say.

Samsung, Stanford Built a 10,000 PPI Display That Could Revolutionize VR, AR
Ask anyone who has spent more than a few minutes inside a VR headset, and they'll mention the screen door effect. This could eliminate it for good.

Report: Samsung May Kill Galaxy Note Series, Add Stylus to Galaxy Z Fold3
Samsung may be planning a major shift in its smartphone strategy in 2021. According to a recent analyst report, Samsung may drop the popular Galaxy Note family in favor of a foldable with a stylus. The problem, it seems, is that the Note series isn't as popular as it once was.

Samsung Starts Rolling Out Galaxy S20 Android 11 Update on Verizon
Not only does this include the Googley Android 11 enhancements, but it also has numerous Samsung-specific changes as part of the One UI 3.0 revamp.