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Samsung’s Galaxy Fold
CNBC’s Elizabeth Schulze
Samsung announced Thursday that its foldable phone called the Galaxy Fold will go on sale in South Korea starting Sept. 6, saying it had made key changes to the device to prevent glitches that were exposed earlier this year.
At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Samsung gave CNBC a close-up look at the changes it had made to the smartphone.
First, the South Korean electronics giant said it had extended a protective screen layer underneath the side bezels of the phone. This is to prevent the screen from looking like a film that could be removed, a problem that some bloggers encountered with review units earlier this year.
Second, the company installed what it called a protective cap on the hinges of the phone where it folds. Samsung said this would prevent debris like dirt from getting underneath the screen.
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold
CNBC’s Elizabeth Schulze
Third, the updated Galaxy Fold includes a smaller gap between the phone body and the hinge when it’s closed. The company said this is also to prevent debris from getting between the screens.
It’s unclear at this point whether Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone maker, has resolved some of the other issues encountered by reviewers earlier this year. CNBC, for example, noted in April that the left side of the display on its unit flickered constantly.
In a statement Thursday, Samsung said it had been “refining the Galaxy Fold to ensure it delivers the best possible experience. Not only have we improved the Galaxy Fold’s design and construction, but also took the time to rethink the entire consumer journey.”
Perhaps the most notable thing that hasn’t changed: the phone’s $2,000-plus price tag. The Galaxy Fold will cost around $2,200 in Europe but a U.S. release date is yet to be announced.