T-Mobile decided to drop the world’s first foldable phone after its disastrous debut. The Galaxy Fold, which after being tested by media reviewers had several issues, was delayed from its April 26 release date and will soon hit store shelves in September. Except T-Mobile has decided it won’t carry the phone.
While Samsung suffered from the Galaxy Fold’s issues, many are wondering who will buy it and who will still sell the device.
T-Mobile confirmed that the company will not carry the new redesign of the Galaxy Fold, as reported by The Verge. Although T-Mobile won’t carry the phone, The Verge said it expects that an unlock version of the rereleased Galaxy Fold will work on all four major U.S. carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint.
A spokesperson told The Verge that, “T-Mobile will not carry the Galaxy Fold because we already offer customers a wide range of the latest smartphones. Please reach out to Samsung for any further inquiries.”
Samsung recently announced the redesign of the Galaxy Fold, fixing the errors noted by beta testers and media reviewers. After some of the reviewers tried to remove what looked like a thin, plastic protective screen covering that usually comes on new phones, users experienced screen glitches and malfunctions. Samsung stated it has wrapped the covering of the bezel to the outer edge of the screen to meld to the phone, so it could not be peeled off.
Dieter Bohn, editor of The Verge, tweeted, “I don’t know if anybody will buy the Galaxy Fold when it’s re-released, but I do know who won’t be selling it: T-Mobile, one of the two US carrier partners for the original one. (AT&T doesn’t have official comment yet.) T-Mo knows when to walk away.”
Twitter user thetekhomie tweeted, “This is a safe move, and a smart plan.”
Other users want T-Mobile to reconsider.
User pmwagner tweeted, “Come on TMobile! Give the Fold a second chance! @JohnLegere.
Samsung said in a release July 25 the redesign also included reinforcements to “better protect the device” by strengthening the top and bottom hinge with protective caps. Additionally, metal layers have been added underneath the screen for protection. The company also wrote that the space between the hinge and body of the Galaxy Fold were reduced.
“Along with these improvements, Samsung has also been continuously working to improve the overall Galaxy Fold user experience, including optimizing more apps and services for its unique foldable UX,” Samsung wrote. “Samsung is conducting final product tests to make Galaxy Fold available to consumers starting from September in select markets. Availability details will be shared as we get closer to the launch.”
