There have already been multiple reports of screens failing with Samsung Galaxy Fold review units

It could be a long road ahead for Samsung and its Galaxy Fold. The foldable smartphone is probably one of the most hotly anticipated devices following its launch at the Galaxy UNPACKED event in February. However, no sooner have reviewers got their hands on their test devices have there been issues. Currently, at least four major technology journalists including Dieter Bohn from the Verge and Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD, have reported experiencing fatal screen issues with the Galaxy Fold review units.

MKBHD has highlighted that Samsung has covered the Galaxy Fold's inner screen with a plastic coating, rather than a screen protector as he initially thought before he started peeling it off until the display "spazzed and blacked out". Meanwhile, Mark Gurman who writes for Bloomberg, also removed the plastic film only for his review unit to break shortly afterwards too. By contrast, Steve Kovach, the technology editor at CNBC, has posted photos on Twitter showing his review unit looking intact. The left portion of the inner foldable screen has started flickering and become unusable after reportedly just one day of use though.

At this stage, it is unclear whether this is just one problem or several. Additionally, the issues could stem from the hinge or the plastic film that Samsung is using.

Regardless, Twitter is currently flooded with comments, posts and linked articles about that render the Galaxy Fold practically dead on arrival (DOA). This could well be an early batch that Samsung sent out to reviewers though that has a few issues, which the company will iron out, no pun intended, before it ships retail units. Moreover, some people appear to have forgotten that this is a first-generation product, so there are bound to unexpected issues that did not present themselves during internal testing. While this does not excuse poor quality control, we are reserving judgment until more reviewers, and the general public, have gotten their hands on Samsung's US$2,000 flagship.