New Folding Phones Are Already Breaking

Some of Samsung's new, almost $2,000 folding phones appear to be breaking after just a couple of days. Journalists who received the phones to review before the public launch say the Galaxy Fold screen started flickering and turning black before completely fizzling out, the AP reports. Two journalists say they removed a thin, protective layer from the screens that they thought was supposed to come off, but was meant to stay. But reporters from the Verge and CNBC say they left that layer on and their screens still broke. A CNBC video shows the left side of the inside screen intermittently flashing, and the right side as unresponsive.

The phone was "completely unusable" after two days, says CNBC reporter Todd Haselton. The long-anticipated phone is about the size of a standard smartphone when folded, but can open up to the size of a small tablet. When open, the single screen display is bisected by a crease. Samsung promises the screen can withstand being opened and closed 200,000 times, or 100 times a day for five years. The Galaxy Fold goes on sale April 26 in the US for $1,980, making it one of the most expensive phones anywhere—particularly if it isn't as durable as promised. Samsung did not immediately comment. (Huawei has unveiled a folding phone of its own.)