Samsung has supposedly fixed its foldable Galaxy Fold smartphone - here's what it changed

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Samsung has supposedly fixed its foldable Galaxy Fold smartphone - here's what it changed

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

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  • Samsung relaunched its Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone at the IFA event in Berlin, Germany on Thursday.
  • The company has updated several aspects of the Galaxy Fold's design and fixed flaws that led to issues experienced by some reviewers when the phone was originally launched in April.
  • The fixes include new covers over gaps that could have allowed dust and debris into the phone's interior, an updated protective layer that's not as easy to remove as the original, and several updates to the device's hinge.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Samsung unveiled its revised Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone in Berlin on Thursday, a do-over launch for a groundbreaking device initially introduced in April but delayed after early review units suffered quality problems.

Business Insider never faced any issues with its own Galaxy Fold review unit, although some reviewers found issues ranging from small bumps appearing under the display to screens malfunctioning after removing a protective layer that wasn't designed to be removed.

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Samsung's revisions are largely direct fixes to the issues, with some other minor improvements as a bonus.

The Galaxy Fold, which was re-launched Thursday at the IFA consumer electronics conference in Germany, will go on sale in Korea starting Friday, and it's expected to hit the US on September 27.

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Check out Samsung's fixes to the Galaxy Fold:

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Samsung added covers to the gaps where the hinge and screen folded.

Samsung added covers to the gaps where the hinge and screen folded.

The new caps covering the hinge gaps at the top and bottom of the screen are designed to prevent dust from getting into the hinge mechanism, which can potentially cause damage, according to Engadget.

Dust or other debris may have caused one of the issues that The Verge experienced with its Galaxy Fold review unit, where a visible bump appeared from under the screen.

The protective layer that some reviewers mistakenly peeled off is now much harder, if not impossible, to peel off.

The protective layer that some reviewers mistakenly peeled off is now much harder, if not impossible, to peel off.

Samsung extended the Galaxy Fold screen's protective polymer layer under the phone's bezels, making the protective layer hard to notice and more difficult to remove, according to CNet.

Indeed, the protective polymer layer on the original Galaxy Fold review units looked like a regular screen protector that some phones ship with, and it was clearly visible, as it didn't quite extend to the very edges of the screen. It almost made it impossible not to pick at.

That protective layer wasn't meant to be removed, as it was an integral part to the Galaxy Fold's screen.But Samsung didn't make that clear enough. Some reviewers peeled the protective layer off the Galaxy Fold's screen, which resulted in malfunctioning screens.

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The hinge isn't as bulky as the original version.

The hinge isn't as bulky as the original version.

The Galaxy Fold's hinge doesn't protrude outwards on the revised design, according to PCMag, and it sits flush against the rest of the phone's body when unfolded. It looks like the hinge becomes completely covered by the Fold's two halves when it's unfolded.

There's an extra layer of metal under the screen to make the screen more sturdy.

There's an extra layer of metal under the screen to make the screen more sturdy.

This extra layer of metal under the display makes the screen feel more sturdy, and prevents users from feeling the internals while you tap on the screen, according to Engadget.

Some outlets say it's also meant to address the crease that ran along the Fold's screen, but some outlets say the crease is still there.

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The Galaxy Fold is easier to fold and unfold with an updated hinge mechanism.

The Galaxy Fold is easier to fold and unfold with an updated hinge mechanism.

The updated hinge mechanism distributes the weight more evenly and feels sturdier, and it makes the Fold easier to fold and unfold, according to PCMag.

The gap between the two halves of the Galaxy Fold when folded is trimmed down from the original.

The gap between the two halves of the Galaxy Fold when folded is trimmed down from the original.

There was a noticeable gap at the hinge between the two halves of the earlier Galaxy Fold when it was folded, but that gap has been reduced, according to The Verge.

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