Samsung has indefinitely delayed the launch of its innovative foldable Galaxy Fold smartphone because of issues with the device's OLED screen.
The phone was due to launch in some territories on Friday, and in the UK a week later. Last week, however, reviewers complained of the screen glitching, freezing and generally not performing as expected from a phone costing £1800.
Samsung will run more tests on the device in an attempt to fix the issue, and has said a new launch date will be announced "in the coming weeks."
According to Samsung, the problem could be a malfunction when pressure is put on the exposed areas of the hinges that open and close the phone. There was also an issue where "substances found inside the device affected the display performance," it said.
Samsung also hopes to protect the screen better, and explain more clearly that the protective layer should stay on the display – some reviewers mistakenly peeled it off, thinking it was part of the packaging.
The delay is a blow for Samsung, which prides itself on being first to launch innovative new devices. It now risks being beaten by Chinese rival Huawei, whose Mate X smartphone is due to launch in June. The Mate X also has bigger screens than the Galaxy Fold, a more elegant folding mechanism and is slimmer when closed.
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