'I Pushed It Through Before It Was Ready'
Koh Dong-jin, president of the IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics Co., recently said that the company needed more time to release the Galaxy Fold.
“We are in the process of recovery,” Koh was quoted as saying at a meeting with local media outlets in Seoul and the U.K.'s The Independent. But he did not say specifically when the foldable phone would be released.
The Galaxy Fold was supposed to come out in the United States in April and in South Korea in May. However, the phone has been delayed since then as some reviewers started testing the phone and noticed the screen could be easily destroyed.
Referring to the Galaxy Fold screen defects, Koh said, “It was embarrassing. I pushed it through before it was ready.” He added, "I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone.” This is the first time that Koh had a press conference and talked about the Galaxy Fold in person after the controversy.
“Samsung has defined all the issues and all the problems with the Fold and has more than 2,000 devices being tested. We are in the process of recovery,” Koh said. However, when he was asked the exact release date, he just said, “Give us a bit more time.”
Some analysts expect that the Galaxy Fold will be launched at the end of July but others say it could come out with the Galaxy Note 10, which will be unveiled in New York on Aug. 7 (local time). If the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Note 10 are released around the same time, interest in the foldable phone could be reduced.
In regard to the future of foldable phones, Koh said, “They will last for about two years. If 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) are available together, we need to consider smart devices rather than smartphones. The number of smartphones will decrease but new devices will emerge.”