Samsung’s long-delayed Galaxy Fold folding smartphone will finally go on sale on September 6. This comes five months after it was originally made available for preorder.

The troubled handset, which has undergone a major redesign, will launch in South Korea this week. it will be followed by select countries including France, Germany, Singapore, U.K., U.S. in the near future.

The Galaxy Fold available in Cosmos Black and Space Silver options. In some markets, Samsung notes that it will offer a “5G-ready option.”

The folding handset works in both folded and unfolded modes. When it’s unfolded to its full size it boasts an impressive 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display. The idea is to find innovative ways of integrating the open and closed modes. For example, users might shoot a quick video when the Fold is folded. They could then open or unfold it to watch it on the larger screen. The phone software has a Continuity feature which transitions displays as you switch between modes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ydQoi2VbA

A major redesign

The Galaxy Fold was supposed to go on sale on April 26. But many of the Galaxy Fold units initially loaned to the press failed almost immediately. In the aftermath, Samsung chose to postpone the launch for a redesign.

Changes included extending the screen’s protective layer after some reviewers removed it without realising it was part of the permanent design. The device’s top and bottom hinge area have also been strengthened with newly added protection caps. In addition, extra metal layers have been added to the display to reinforce it.

Samsung addresses this in its press release, writing that:

“During the past several months, Samsung has been refining the Galaxy Fold to ensure it delivers the best possible experience. Not only we [sic] improved the Galaxy Fold’s design and construction, but also took the time to rethink the entire consumer journey.”

It will be interesting to see what the response to the Galaxy Fold is. Many of the initial write-ups said that they liked the concept. But the handset has now earned a troublesome reputation. This is reminiscent (although not as severe) as the exploding Note 7 from a few years back.

Perhaps Samsung’s biggest challenge is that the Galaxy Fold is now launching opposite the new iPhone 11 handsets. While this means it does get to cash in on the lucrative holiday season, it’s not a good look to be coming out at the same time as Apple’s latest handset. At least not if you’re hoping to dominate the news cycle.