EEVblog #1204 - Samsung Galaxy Fold Failure - Analysis

[VK3DRB]

If the breaking screen is a problem, the cause will be simple: POOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

[PA0PBZ]

IFixit got one: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+Fold+Teardown/122600

[bitwelder]

Sooo... the guy first doesn't show his own footage of the issue for fear that Samsung may not like it, but then does show all the defects founds by other youtubers?

[Brumby]

He uses a RED studio camera and his setup is about as advanced as you can get.

That's a serious someone!

I'm not buying it.

I'm no YouTuber, but I can't see it being 'accidental' either.

[Lord of nothing]

Who here have the other Products in Mind who never come up again? 
Well some Products out there are to futuristic to many People and maybe frighten them.
RIP Nokia...

EDIT: Even its a Ad its nice:

[MBY]

Nice to see Samsung working on important features instead of unnecessary things like ergonomics, battery life that actually is a improvement over what mobiles once routinely had, keyboard, standardization so apps work the same on all phones, direct programmability (so it can outshine my 1985 Sharp pocket computer), modularity and service- and mod-friendliness and other things that is unimportant to a vanity device toy game console wiretap "mobile" telephone.

Foldable sun panels and screens are a good idea for something that need to be folded ...once. Why even spend a cent into this development is beyond me. Unfold a phone just to see another screen half where the keyboard should be? Idiotic. Just when you thought that "smartphones" could not possibly be any dumber...

[Cnoob]

Foldable sun panels and screens are a good idea for something that need to be folded ...once. Why even spend a cent into this development is beyond me. Unfold a phone just to see another screen half where the keyboard should be? Idiotic. Just when you thought that "smartphones" could not possibly be any dumber...

possibly the same reason manufactures thought paper clothing was a good idea in the 60's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_clothing

[Lord of nothing]

aka Primart Clothes. 

[Fungus]

Nice to see Samsung working on important features instead of unnecessary things like ergonomics, battery life that actually is a improvement over what mobiles once routinely had, keyboard, standardization so apps work the same on all phones, direct programmability (so it can outshine my 1985 Sharp pocket computer), modularity and service- and mod-friendliness and other things that is unimportant to a vanity device toy game console wiretap "mobile" telephone.

Foldable sun panels and screens are a good idea for something that need to be folded ...once. Why even spend a cent into this development is beyond me. Unfold a phone just to see another screen half where the keyboard should be? Idiotic. Just when you thought that "smartphones" could not possibly be any dumber...

Samsung is a business that wants to make money.

Big screens sell and if watch the video you'll see that guy unfolding his phone and snapping it shut again like it's a fidget spinner or something. If that's how people treat them then testing to 100,000 cycles doesn't seem much to me in something that's meant to last a few years.

This seems like a very sellable product if they can make it work, even at $2000.

(nb. I wouldn't buy one but I bet we all know somebody who would...)

[bitseeker]

"Record over" probably wasn't the best choice of words. He erased the footage out of embarrassment and reused the memory card. Net effect: recorded over.
Engineer: Woah, I just captured a major issue! Glad I was recording.
Not an engineer: Oops! I guess I shouldn't have have done that. I'll look like an idiot. *erase* Restart recording.

Nope, and if you were a content producer you'd understand why you wouldn't do that.

Having produced still image, video, and audio content (not on YouTube), it's pretty obvious to me why one would not do that. But I've also met people with expensive gear that have little to no common sense. So, to me, the jury is still out on whether it's a conspiracy or simple stupidity.

His inconsistency in how he explains what happened certainly makes one lean toward the conspiracy side, though.

[wilfred]

His inconsistency in how he explains what happened certainly makes one lean toward the conspiracy side, though.

I missed where he explained it. I thought people were just making stuff up. What did he say to explain what happened to the video?

[bitseeker]

He worded it differently in his video (Dave pointed it out), where he said that he didn't get to keep the footage of peeling off the protective layer and the screen going partially black, versus in his Tweet explaining what he meant by that.

[EEVblog]

Having produced still image, video, and audio content (not on YouTube), it's pretty obvious to me why one would not do that. But I've also met people with expensive gear that have little to no common sense. So, to me, the jury is still out on whether it's a conspiracy or simple stupidity.
His inconsistency in how he explains what happened certainly makes one lean toward the conspiracy side, though.

He's a huge Youtuber, and a technology gadget reviewer using top flight recording hardware, having produced over 1100 videos. This isn't stupidity.
This is his rig.



I recon the dog ate the footage.

[SparkyFX]

I'm not buying it.

I do, because he explained that the display failed when he removed what he thought is a protective cover, and later noticed that it should not have been peeled off. He thought he broke the thing by mishandling ... and kind of did, but he seems not the only one.

I think in his position he decided to not show how to break the device (images can be quite powerful in an opinion forming process) he was about to present or wanted to argue if it was smart to remove the layer. If Samsung would at the same time assure that they will rework these points, where would be the cause of showing it to the general public how to break it? And yeah, in a more recent video he showed how he held a flame thrower at a Nintendo Gameboy...

Maybe because he is not "don´t turn it on, take it apart"-aware :-)

[Homer J Simpson]

[bitseeker]

I recon the dog ate the footage.

Yep, gotta watch out for those covert canines!

[thmjpr]

They pressured ifixit to remove content, so yeah, MKBHD would be in the same boat:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/04/samsung-puts-the-screws-to-ifixit-makes-it-remove-the-galaxy-fold-teardown/
https://ifixit.org/blog/16189/about-our-galaxy-fold-teardown/

We were provided our Galaxy Fold unit by a trusted partner. Samsung has requested, through that partner, that iFixit remove its teardown. We are under no obligation to remove our analysis, legal or otherwise. But out of respect for this partner, whom we consider an ally in making devices more repairable, we are choosing to withdraw our story until we can purchase a Galaxy Fold at retail.

They don't blur SN's in the teardowns from what I see.

[PA0PBZ]

Whoever missed it: https://web.archive.org/web/20190425075411/https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+Fold+Teardown/122600

[MT]

Huawei also have foldable in Mate X, they claim 3 years of dev on the hinge, they use a side latch to hold the screen
in position.

[Fungus]

Huawei also have foldable in Mate X, they claim 3 years of dev on the hinge, they use a side latch to hold the screen
in position.

Looks impressive but I only give it a few weeks of "typical" use before that screen gets all scratched up along the fold.

The tiny little catch that holds it closed doesn't look/sound like it's going to last very long either.

Bottom line: It's a nice tech demo, makes the company look good. Not something you'd want to spend your own money on (unless you're an oil baron or something).

[bitseeker]

Time for the ultimate challenge: Case manufacturers, start your engines!

[cjs]

Nice to see Samsung working on important features instead of unnecessary things like...direct programmability (so it can outshine my 1985 Sharp pocket computer)....

You must have had quite the 1985 Sharp pocket computer, that it could run something significantly better than (or anywhere as good as) QPython. Was the editor as good as vim? With even grep, diff, ctags, etc?

[SparkyFX]

Bottom line: It's a nice tech demo, makes the company look good. Not something you'd want to spend your own money on (unless you're an oil baron or something).

That´s the thing with the buyers: they want to look like one.

And Samsung wanted to build one. So welcome to another episode of Expectations vs. Reality.

[wilfred]

Thanks HJS for posting that gear video. I really like some of the vids you post.

That guy comes across as a good bloke. Whatever the reason he didn't show the video I don't give a s%*t.  But it probably wasn't a stupid mistake.

[Fungus]

Bottom line: It's a nice tech demo, makes the company look good.

... welcome to another episode of Expectations vs. Reality.

This.

(nb. I'm not saying the tech won't get better, it's not here yet though)