Jumat, 19 April 2019

Breaking Galaxy Fold screens reveal just how fragile foldable phones can be - CNET

When reports of breaking Galaxy Fold screens emerged this week, it underscored just how risky and fragile the concept of a folding phone really is. Initially, people fretted over the plastic screen's glare, wondered if the polymer screen would feel less premium, wrung their hands over the central crease where the two screen halves fold and generally knitted their brows about long-term wear and tear. Nobody expected a total meltdown of review units before the Galaxy Fold's April 26 sale date, least of all reviewers. 

The turmoil came after four early reviewers of Samsung's foldable phone posted photos of their bulging, "broken," "unusable," "flickering" Folds, causing a ripple of sensation across social media sites like Twitter and Reddit. Photos of the damaged devices ranged from a fully blacked-out screen to a bubbled device and one with a portion of the screen white and the other half blacked out. That leaves those curious buyers and those who preordered the phone waiting for answers: What went wrong, if issues will affect all foldable phones or just this early run and where buyers can turn if something happens to their Galaxy Fold. 

CNET's Galaxy Fold review unit is undamaged.

When you think about breaking phone parts, your mind will no doubt leap to the glass screens and backing on a premium phone. This is why cases exist, after all. But on the Galaxy Fold, glass is the bodyguard. The Fold uses a horizontal clamshell design where hard glass halves close like a book to protect a tender plastic display inside. Samsung even includes a case in the Galaxy Fold box as extra armor for the glass exterior, in case you drop the phone.

Samsung is aware of the issues and has said it's looking seriously into the matter. "A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review," the company said in a statement on Wednesday. "We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter."

There may be a specific reason that some of the phones came to harm. Two reviewers experienced a total screen failure when they removed a thin plastic film that runs along the Galaxy Fold's screen. There's a narrow gap between this film and the bezel-edge of the display, which has led to confusion about the nature of the film. 

It isn't immediately obvious if the plastic layer belongs to the phone or if it's the film you commonly see on devices to keep screens smudge- and lint-free during shipping and storage.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman found out the hard way that the latter wasn't the case. He tweeted this about his review unit on Wednesday: "The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not."

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy Fold problems explained

3:56

YouTube reviewer Marques "MKBHD" Brownlee had a similar experience after peeling the layer off his Galaxy Fold review unit. 

"PSA: There's a layer that appears to be a screen protector on the Galaxy Fold's display," he tweeted. "It's NOT a screen protector. Do NOT remove it."

But the protective film isn't the only source of Samsung's early troubles. CNBC's Todd Haselton experienced screen flickering on the left side of his review device. The Verge's Dieter Bohn also had issues, with Bohn's screen forming a bulge beneath the surface.

These reports of a faulty Galaxy Fold are a nightmare situation for Samsung, the first major brand to sell a foldable phone. The Fold, which has a 4.6-inch screen on the outside, a bendable 7.3-inch screen on the inside and a nearly $1,980 price tag, is a major risk for the tech giant.

Intense criticism at the outset could hurt future sales, and shake consumer confidence in the concept of foldable phones in general. The Galaxy Fold's chance to lead the emerging category could come under fire if buyers turn their backs on the innovative design, or opt for a rival model like Huawei's Mate X, TCL's upcoming designs or a rumored foldable phone like the Motorola Razr.

The Galaxy Fold goes on sale in the US on April 26 with AT&T, T-Mobile and select Samsung Experience stores. It's also available for preorder online. I've reached out to T-Mobile and AT&T asking for a comment on how they'll support Galaxy Fold buyers if something goes wrong. 

T-Mobile replied: "We're finalizing options for our customers, please stay tuned."

What is this film layer thingamajiggy everyone's talking about?

Let's address the film layer first. I had received my review unit on Monday morning, then shot an unboxing video, and worried that I had forgotten to take off this plastic layer -- what would the YouTube viewers say?! 

Turns out, what looks like a paper-thin sheet of plastic covering the foldable phone's 7.3-inch display is a protective layer that's crucial to helping keep the phone damage-free.

You can see the edges of that layer here, on my review unit:

galaxy-fold-screen-film

Look closely and you can see a thin line hugging the screen just beyond the bezel. This is the protective layer that Samsung wants to remain firmly in place.

 Angela Lang/CNET

OK, so now we're clear: whatever you do, don't peel back this film. It's part of the screen and bad things happen when you remove it.

But again, the protective layer isn't the whole story, because two other reviewers, Haselton and Bohn, said that they didn't remove the film, and still had problems that rendered the Fold unusable. So what's going on?

What's the deal with the Galaxy Fold's screen?

The Galaxy Fold has a completely different screen setup than any other phone. There's a 4.6-inch display on the outside that's covered with Gorilla Glass -- that's the same as other Galaxy phones like the S10 and S10 Plus ($961 at Amazon). But inside, the screen is made of a plastic (polymer) material that Samsung calls its Infinity Flex Display.

Samsung created this with a new process and specific adhesives to withstand the screen's bending and flexing without breaking. The screen protector layer is meant to remain in place to prevent damage to the display below -- that's the thing that actually makes your "screen" light up. Without the hardness of glass to cover the delicate display, the Fold is more vulnerable, something that's become vividly apparent.

Now playing: Watch this: Galaxy Fold is a foldable phone with a bendable screen

5:41

Is there something different about the review phones?

Yes. Reviewers received early production models. That means these aren't the final review units, and could be prone to certain issues that Samsung might have the opportunity to fix before the Fold reaches buyers' hands.

For example, I was told that my review unit is an unlocked European version that doesn't support US services like Bixby Voice, Samsung Health and Samsung Pay. Likewise, I was warned that call quality might be compromised because the phone isn't optimized to US bands.

While I'm fully testing this review unit of the Galaxy Fold, I am withholding a rating until I receive the final production model CNET ordered.

Now playing: Watch this: Watch Samsung's Galaxy Fold stress test

1:02

Did Samsung say you're not supposed to remove the film?

It isn't clear if Samsung thoroughly briefed every reviewer who received a phone about the screen protector layer. There was no instruction in my box -- no literature at all, in fact -- but also no other indication, like a pull tab, that you should remove it.

However, I almost did anyway. As a reviewer, I like to experience the phone as "clean" as possible. That means everything I can peel off is going to come off. I emailed Samsung for more information about this layer on Tuesday. A spokesperson responded, "Galaxy Fold is manufactured with a special protective layer. It is not a screen protector -- do not attempt to remove it."

The company further elaborated its position:

"A few reviewers reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen. The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers."

Desmond Smith, director of creative content and a tech evangelist at T-Mobile, tweeted that the carrier's final production models will come with a warning on the wrap that goes over the Galaxy Fold's screen:

But peeling off the Fold's screen layer isn't the only issue 

While removing the plastic film caused a problem for some, it isn't entirely clear what the protective film does or how its removal relates to the screen's behavior. Remember that two of the reviewers kept the protector on. Bohn suspects that a piece of debris may have become lodged under the screen to create the bulge he felt, and a slight distortion on the Fold's surface.

Haselton, meanwhile, observed a persistent screen flicker over the left half of the screen. We know that two batteries, one on each side, work in concert to form a single power source. I'm not an electrical or chemical engineer, but I wonder if that could indicate a battery issue. Hopefully we'll all find out one way or another.

At any rate, the Galaxy Fold's risky design has created some inconsistencies that could damage its early production phones and its reputation.

Why are bendable screens made of plastic in the first place?

Right now, glass doesn't bend so well. That's something that Corning -- the maker of Gorilla Glass, which covers most high-end phones -- is working on. Don't expect bendable glass to save second-gen foldable phones, though. It won't be ready for some time.

If I ordered the Galaxy Fold, should I cancel it?

If you're genuinely interested in owning the Galaxy Fold, I suggest the wait-and-see approach. We don't know how widespread the issue is, and if it affects a bad batch or the entire lineup. I'm not saying don't be concerned, but let's see what develops. My own review unit hasn't experienced screen abnormalities at this point, but I'm keeping a close eye on any issues.

The reported problems make the affected Galaxy Fold unusable, but so far reviewers haven't indicated any truly dangerous behavior, unlike reports after some batteries in the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 were found to overheat and sometimes catch fire.

Now playing: Watch this: The bendable glass that’s shaping up to cover foldable...

4:06

Samsung won't want another PR disaster on its hands. I'm confident it would fully refund a broken Galaxy Fold if it did happen to you. Regardless, we'll hopefully get a more concrete explanation before the Galaxy Fold officially goes on sale April 26.

What is Samsung doing to fix the problem?

Samsung is well aware of the issues, and is working with reviewers to replace broken devices to investigate what went wrong (see the statements above).

In addition, we've asked Samsung what it thinks happened, if buyers can feel assured that their Folds won't break, if Samsung will provide a refund if people cancel their order, and if it will it be clear what future Fold owners should and shouldn't do to protect their phones.

We'll update this story if we hear back. In the meantime, here's how it's going with CNET's Galaxy Fold so far.

Originally published April 17, 7:55 p.m. PT.
Updates, 8:24 p.m.: Adds Samsung's statement; April 18 at 6 a.m. PT and 8:32 a.m. PT: Adds more detail; 11:01 a.m. PT: Adds T-Mobile comment. Republished at 11:34 a.m. PT,  7:32 p.m. PT and April 19 at 7:19 a.m. PT. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://www.cnet.com/how-to/breaking-galaxy-fold-screens-reveal-just-how-fragile-foldable-phones-can-be/

2019-04-19 16:39:27Z
52780271730025
By di

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar

Langganan: Posting Komentar (Atom)