Samsung will not debut its Galaxy Fold smartphone in the U.S. on Friday, as originally planned. The decision came after tech reviewers reported screen malfunctions on their test phones.
"While many reviewers shared with us the vast potential they see, some also showed us how the device needs further improvements that could ensure the best possible user experience,” Samsung said in a statement. “To fully evaluate this feedback and run further internal tests, we have decided to delay the release of the Galaxy Fold.”
Mark Spoonauer, the editor in chief at Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, has been testing out the Galaxy Fold over the last week and admitted that Samsung botched the rollout.
“When you’re trying to launch an entire new product category, you got to make sure you get it right,” Spoonauer told Cheddar Business. “It’s possible that this is just premature.”
Nonetheless, Spoonauer praised features like the 7.3-inch tablet view. Samsung has spent eight years developing the nearly $2,000 phone.
“I think what’s happening is that there is a quality control issue with this phone,” Spoonauer said. “There’s a difference between saying that a phone is gonna fold and fold again 200,000 times in a lab and getting it into people’s hands. I think that’s what Samsung is finding out right now.”
Despite the setback, Spoonauer believes that the world’s biggest phone maker won’t run into much financial trouble because of the failed rollout.
“I think this is more of a reputation hit than a revenue hit,” Spoonauer said. “Despite the fact that it’s a $2,000 phone and the profit margins would’ve been high, they did say this was gonna be a limited production run so I don’t think the bottom line necessarily gonna hurt right away.”
Samsung is now offering refunds to people who pre-ordered the device, allowing them to cancel at any time before their Galaxy Fold ships.
“I think that you should try to get your money back... I’m not sure I’m willing to take that sort of risk,” Spoonauer advised. “I would wait to get the results of these inspections to see what’s gonna happen with the phone before you dive head first.”
Samsung did not give a clear timeline on the Galaxy Fold but The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Friday that the phone won’t be released until next month at the earliest.
“Everyone that has a foldable phone that’s coming to market, they should go back to the drawing board right now and make sure that they have the right quality checks in place,” Spoonauer added. “You can’t make a second impression.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
