Would you spend $2,000 on an updated Samsung Galaxy Fold?
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Samsung CEO DJ Koh admitted last month that the hugely anticipated $1,980 Galaxy Fold was rushed to market before the device was ready.
"It was embarrassing. I pushed it through before it was ready," Koh told journalists including The Independent. "I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone, but we are in the process of recovery."
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However, Koh went on to say that "more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects," and that "we defined all the issues. Some issues we didn't even think about it, but thanks to our reviewers, mass volume testing is ongoing."
It seems like the Galaxy Fold could make a comeback as Koh said an update would be provided "in due course" and that those potential customers should "give us a bit more time."
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Probably one of the worst things that can happen to a product is for it to get terrible early reviews. It sets a tone that's hard to shake off and undermines all the buzz and hype generated at the unveiling.
This is what happened to the Galaxy Fold. Yes, it looked amazing during the keynote event, but when the initial reviews started to land showing screen corruption and broken displays, things predictably took a rapid turn to the negative.
Samsung subsequently went on to pull the plug on the worldwide launch as the company looked into "further improvements."
So, with the resurrection of the Galaxy Fold sounding likely, the obvious question to ask is -- would you buy one?
While I'm not interested in dropping that kind of money on something that at best feels niche, and at worse feels like a prototype, if I were, here are some questions I would be asking myself.
- If Samsung admits it rushed a product to market, how do we know it isn't now pushing a flawed product to market to recoup costs? This is a key question.
- What fixes did Samsung make to the Galaxy Fold? The company needs to be transparent about that.
- Can Samsung generate enough buzz around the Galaxy Fold a second time? Without buzz -- and sales -- this could die on the vine.
- Will there be a price cut? That price tag seems incredibly steep for a product that suffered such a massive public humiliation.
I think that even if I were salivating for a Galaxy Fold, I'd be holding out to see what the reviews had to say, and probably to see how things pan out in the weeks and months following the release. I'd also be on the lookout for a price cut if sales weren't as strong as Samsung were anticipating.
Are you interested in a Galaxy Fold? Let me know below!