Samsung has forced iFixit, a site that posts repair guides and teardowns, to remove its review of the beleaguered Galaxy Fold.
The Korean tech giant has been hit with a wave of controversy since it emerged that review units of its $2,000 folding phone quit working after one or two days of minimal use.
iFixit’s review, originally published on Wednesday, helped illuminate many of the device’s fatal design flaws.
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Samsung has forced iFixit, a site that posts repair guides and teardowns, to remove its review of the Galaxy Fold after the post illuminated many of the design flaws with the device
iFixit penned a blog post explaining that its ‘trusted partner’ was contacted by Samsung with the takedown request.
‘After two days of intense public interest, iFixit has removed our teardown of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold,’ iFixit explained.
‘We were provided our Galaxy Fold unit by a trusted partner. Samsung has requested, through that partner, that iFixit remove its teardown.
‘We are under no obligation to remove our analysis, legal or otherwise. But out of respect for this partner, whom we consider an ally in making devices more repairable, we are choosing to withdraw our story until we can purchase a Galaxy Fold at retail,’ the site added.
In its review, iFixit described the Fold as an ‘alarmingly fragile’ device.
A teardown by iFixit revealed what may have led to the $2,000 device’s downfall. After tearing apart the phone, the site discovered that design flaws made it ‘alarmingly fragile’
Dailymail.com has reached out to Samsung for comment about the takedown request.
Samsung’s decision to request a takedown of iFixit’s report doesn’t exactly help its case with the Galaxy Fold.
Many have made the comparison between the Galaxy Fold debacle and its notorious Note 7 scandal, in which the company was forced to recall the device after its battery became overheated and, in some cases, exploded during use.
However, it’s unclear whether the flaws with the Galaxy Fold would have been quite as widespread as those encountered with the Note 7, had the Fold been purchased by the public in its current form.
During its teardown, iFixit discovered that a 7mm gap between where the two display halves meet would’ve trapped dust, dirt and other harmful particles.
‘Unlike the dull slabs of glass we’re used to, this smartphone/tablet hybrid has lots of potential entry points – and not the good kind,’ iFixit explained.
‘To achieve the fold, the thin bezel that surrounds (and protects) the screen leaves a gap where the two halves meet.
‘This 7 mm gap doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but it leaves the display exposed – so should something accidentally enter, it’s curtains for the screen,’ the site added.
Additionally, iFixit found that the Galaxy Fold’s delicate OLED display would likely not be able to handle the stress of being folded and unfolded repeatedly.
A 7mm gap between where the two halves meet could trap dirt and dust particles, iFixit said. The site was able to fit picks in between the device’s display and casing
It would ‘almost certainly’ require the user to repair the 7.3-inch interior display not long after purchase, which would be pricey, the site added.
The firm also found that removing the protective display from the interior screen caused the device to malfunction.
‘The display could technically function without the layer, but it is so tightly adhered and the display is so fragile that it’s difficult to remove without applying display-breaking pressure,’ iFixit said.
A full copy of the iFixit teardown can still be viewed via the Internet Archive.