Published 19:11 IST, September 25th 2019
Samsung Galaxy Fold India launch tipped for Oct 1, may cost 1.75 lakh
Samsung will launch the Galaxy Fold in India on October 1 at a price between 1.5 lakh-Rs 1.75 lakh.
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Update: It’s official. Samsung will launch the Galaxy Fold in India on October 1.
Samsung will launch the Galaxy Fold in India on October 1, according to an IANS report. That’s just one month after it made its global debut – or rather, a second coming - in South Korea. The Galaxy Fold is set to go on sale in the US from September 27, Samsung has confirmed.
The report that cites “highly-placed sources” suggests that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Fold in India on October 1 at a price between 1.5 lakh-Rs 1.75 lakh. An exact date of availability isn’t mentioned but the reports adds that Samsung will sell the Galaxy Fold in India through select retail outlets via pre-booking mode only. Samsung is yet to confirm any of these aspects, so we advise you to take this piece of information with a pinch of salt though.
Samsung Galaxy Fold coming to India
The Galaxy Fold coming to India isn’t surprising. Long before things took a drastic downturn, DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & mobile communications division, Samsung Electronics had confirmed the Galaxy Fold will launch in India. "Indian market is, I clearly said, most important market - not only investment and everything, my long-term commitment is towards the market. In this market, why will I not deliver my newest technology innovation? Yes, I will do," Koh had said. This was in March, ahead of global sales.
It was also speculated that Samsung could make the Galaxy Fold in India to keep the costs down – at a later stage of course with the initial batch being imported.
Samsung Galaxy Fold - a brief history
Until, things took a downturn that is. The Galaxy Fold was pulled off the shelves ahead of its scheduled April 26 launch after many review units of the foldable started breaking – either because of debris that made its way inside from under the exposed areas of the hinge, or when the top protective layer of the main display (which looked like it was a screen protector) was peeled off. Samsung then recalled all the review units and started an internal investigation to find out the root cause(s) of the problem.
It has seemingly fixed the Galaxy Fold since then. Samsung has confirmed that it has extended the top protective layer of the display beyond the bezel, so it’s apparent it’s an “integral” part of the display – and isn’t meant to be removed. The company has also strengthened the top and bottom of the hinge area by adding protection caps and reduced the space between the hinge and body to prevent debris from entering.
And it has started selling the Galaxy Fold in select markets – the US is set to get it from September 27. So far there have been no reports of a relapse. Samsung is also doing its bit to inform potential buyers how they should handle their Galaxy Fold with care through videos on its official forums. Still, the Galaxy Fold has been a troubled affair for Samsung – an important chapter in its history that it would want to fix (while it still can) and move on as quickly as possible.
15:15 IST, September 24th 2019