Galaxy Fold User Complains About Crease and Poor User Experience

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An early hands-on teases some potentially big problems with Samsung's new folding phone.

Editors' Note: Updated at 2:50 p.m. ET with a report on Samsung's Galaxy Fold durability video.

One leaker who claims to have gotten their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy Fold has shared some important details on what we can expect, and they sound pretty troubling for a $1,980 phone.

Credit: Samsung

(Image credit: Samsung)

Speaking to Samsung-tracking site SamMobile today (Mar. 27), the leaker notes that the Galaxy Fold will not fold completely flat. When the device is in its folded state, according to the leaker, there's a larger gap near the hinge than at the ends. The person likened the look to that of a binder.

When the Galaxy Fold is open, there's a clearly visible crease that separates the two sides of the device, according to the SamMobile leaker. However, when both screens are on and brightness is set to higher than 70 out of 100, the person said that the crease is nearly impossible to see. That said, when the person was moving their finger over the crease, it was clearly felt, even when the screen was open as wide as it would go.

Whether coincidence or not, Samsung today posted a video of its own showing the durability testing process for the Galaxy Fold. While a statement accompanying the video stressed the amount of rigorous testing that the Galaxy Fold must go through, it didn't explicitly address reports of a visible crease.

In addition to that issue, there have been some concerns in leaked videos with how quickly Samsung's software can recognize that the phone's state has been changed from a closed, single-screen state to an open, dual-screen state. According to the leaker, there's a delay in apps recognizing the shift from one display to another that, in some cases, can last "a few seconds."

MORE: Samsung Galaxy Fold: Specs, Price, Release Date and More

Of course, the external display can be used independently of the internal display and according to the leaker, will allow for a full smartphone  experience that lets you use apps, play games, and more. You can also create two homepages on either screen and have different apps quickly accessible.

On the performance side, the person told SamMobile, you shouldn't expect much of a difference in the way the device works compared to the Galaxy S10, since they'll both be running the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. The person didn't mention performance of the handset's cameras and other features.

The Galaxy Fold is slated to hit store shelves on Apr. 26, which means the clock is ticking. With less than a month to go, Samsung will need to address these lag issues fast — and assure users that the crease won't be an issue for its nearly $2,000 phone.

Don Reisinger

Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.