Samsung US cancels original Galaxy Fold pre-orders, offers $250 credit

Galaxy Fold enthusiasts in the United States seem to be getting the short end of the stick. Not only will the foldable phone launch later in the USA compared to Europe, but it seems that Samsung has now canceled all of the original Galaxy Fold pre-orders registered stateside.

Samsung’s statement sent out to customers who have pre-ordered the phone explains that the company has decided to ‘rethink the entire customer experience’ and, as a result, will cancel existing pre-orders.

Samsung offers $250 credit as a token of appreciation

On the bright side, customers who have had their Galaxy Fold pre-orders canceled have received $250 credit from Samsung. It can be used towards purchasing products from Samsung.com or to even lower the Galaxy Fold’s $2,000 price tag. Quite generous indeed!

On the other hand, those who have pre-ordered the foldable device early on will no longer be in front of the queue. They’re effectively in the same pool of customers as everyone else, which may cause some frustration. For whatever reason, Samsung decided not to give these customers priority and push them to the front of the line.

The reason behind the pre-order cancelation is rather vague

We already knew that Samsung is going to treat the Galaxy Fold as a luxury device and owners would take advantage of ‘concierge-like service.’ And although the company did recently announce the Galaxy Fold Premier Service, this might have nothing to do with ‘rethinking the entire customer experience’ and canceling early pre-orders.

The real reasons could very well be related to the fact that T-Mobile is no longer interested in offering the Galaxy Fold on its network, and also because two of the original color options – Martian Green and Astro Blue – have been scrapped globally. Therefore, many SKUs (stock keeping units) may have had to be purged. Whatever the case may be, the old pre-orders have officially been canceled.

The Galaxy Fold will be available in Space Silver and Cosmos Black, and will reportedly hit the US market on September 27, although Samsung has yet to confirm this. Do you count yourself among the early adopters who have had their pre-orders canceled? How do you feel about this whole thing and the $250 credit? Feel free to drop us a line below.

Galaxy Fold

• Model: SM-F900F
• Dimensions: Unfolded: 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9 mm Folded: 160.9 x 62.9 x 15.5 mm
• Display: 7,3" (185.4mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
• Camera: 16 MP, CMOS F2.2 & 12MP, CMOS F1.5/F2.4Wide & 12MP, CMOS F2.4 Telephoto

More specifications

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Samsung will not sell the Galaxy Fold 5G in the United States

Samsung is one of the very few manufacturers offering 5G-capable smartphones in the United States. Major carriers in the country have already launched their 5G networks in select areas. Even as the company strives to get a bigger piece of the 5G pie, Samsung has decided not to sell the Galaxy Fold 5G in the United States.

That’s a shame for customers in the United States who would have been willing to get the 5G variant. They’ll now have to make do with the LTE variant even though Samsung is selling the 5G variant in other markets.

Galaxy Fold 5G won’t be sold in the US

The Galaxy Fold is going to be available for purchase in South Korea from tomorrow. Customers in Samsung’s home country will get the 5G variant by default. It’s not selling the LTE-only variant in South Korea.

Samsung will then be releasing the Galaxy Fold in Europe. It will be out in France, Germany and the United Kingdom on September 18. These markets will get the LTE Galaxy Fold by default but Samsung will offer the 5G variant in the United Kingdom and Germany in the coming weeks. A spokesperson for Samsung confirmed at IFA 2019 in Berlin today that the company will not be selling the Galaxy Fold 5G in the United States. No specific reason was given for this decision.

Perhaps the company decided to make this decision because of the lack of carrier support. AT&T is the only mobile carrier in the United States to carry the Galaxy Fold. While T-Mobile was initially going to carry it, it decided after the delay that it wasn’t going to sell the Galaxy Fold anymore.

Are you disappointed that the Galaxy Fold 5G won’t be coming to the United States? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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September 18 confirmed as the Galaxy Fold release date in Europe

The Galaxy Fold will be hitting select European markets on September 18, a little under two weeks after its South Korean debut. Samsung confirmed the release date at its IFA 2019 presentation; Germany, France, and the UK will be the first European countries where consumers will be able to pick up Samsung’s foldable smartphone. Samsung will also launch the Galaxy Fold in Singapore on the same day, but when the device will come to other markets is a mystery for now.

Samsung is yet to reveal the release date for even the US, but reports say the Fold could reach stores stateside by September 27. As we had revealed earlier this year, Samsung may not release the fixed Galaxy Fold in some markets that were slated to get the device when it was first made official, at least not initially. These are mostly markets where the company doesn’t traditionally see a lot of sales, and it does make sense for it to test the sales performance of the device in bigger markets before going ahead with wider availability.

We were able to go hands-on with the Galaxy Fold at Samsung’s IFA 2019 booth earlier today and will be publishing our experience with the device in a short while. In the meantime, check out what changes Samsung has made to the Galaxy Fold’s design to make sure it doesn’t run into the durability issues that forced the Korean giant to push the device’s retail launch from April to September.

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T-Mobile USA testing Android 10 for Galaxy Note 10 and S10

T-Mobile was painfully slow in bringing Android Pie to the Galaxy Note 9, having pushed the software into testing months after Google’s original release and after Samsung released the official update for unlocked units in other markets. Fortunately, it seems that history will not repeat in regards to Android 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 series. In fact, the US mobile carrier is already testing Android 10 for both the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10 series mere days after Google launched the update for the Pixel smartphones.

Android 10 is out and about only for a handful of devices including Google’s own hardware. A couple of days ago we’ve learned that Samsung is already working on bringing the latest OS version to the Galaxy Note 10 series, which is quite commendable. Likewise, T-Mobile has been surprisingly fast, and if this pace will be maintained throughout the testing period then the carrier shouldn’t lag too far behind Samsung’s own release, whenever it may take place.

As you may already know, Google finally abandoned its OS naming scheme, and the latest mobile OS version is known simply as Android 10. In Samsung’s case, Android 10 will also mark the introduction of One UI 2.0, which has already been spotted running on the Galaxy S10 in a recent leak. Based on this preliminary information, One UI 2.0 doesn’t seem to bring any drastic changes to the user interface, so the OEM is seemingly following the old ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ idiom. Of course, not much has been officially confirmed so far, so only time will tell exactly how Samsung’s UI will change with the release of Android 10. The good news is that, based on these recent developments, we might not have to wait for too long.

Galaxy Note 10

• Model: SM-N970F
• Dimensions: 151.0 x71.8x7.9mm
• Display: 6.3"(160.02mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F2.2 Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: 162.3 x 77,2 x 7.9mm
• Display: 6.8"(172.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°) & Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°) & Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°) & DepthVision Camera: VGA

More specifications

Galaxy S10e

• Model: SM-G970U
• Dimensions: 69.9 x 142.2 x 7.9mm
• Display: 5.8” (146.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F1.5/F2.4 (77°) & 16MP, CMOS F2.2 (123°)Ultra Wide

More specifications

Galaxy S10

• Model: SM-G973U
• Dimensions: 70.4 x 149.9 x 7.8mm
• Display: 6.1"(157.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9820 Octa
• Camera: 12 MP.CMOS F2.4 45° Telephoto & 12MP F1.5 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy S10 Plus

• Model: SM-G975U
• Dimensions: 74.1 x 157.6 x 7.8mm
• Display: 6.4"(162.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
• Camera: 12 MP.CMOS F2.4 45° Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

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Report: Galaxy Note 10 cryptocurrency edition to launch in South Korea

Samsung is reportedly planning to release a Galaxy Note 10 cryptocurrency edition in collaboration with Kakao Corp. According to Cointelegraph citing a WSJ report, the Galaxy Note 10 variant will be marketed as the “KlaytnPhone.” The name stems from Kakao’s blockchain network called Klaytn which was introduced last October.

The smartphone will offer various Klaytn features that promise to make blockchain technology easier to understand. In addition, the phone will reportedly ship with an unspecified amount of KLAY crypto tokens packed inside the cryptocurrency wallet. The so-called Galaxy Note 10 KlaytnPhone will only be sold in South Korea but the launch price is presently unknown. Nevertheless, if the report is accurate then the phone should launch on “Thursday.” It’s unclear if this means today or next week.

Whether or not the Galaxy Note 10 KlaytnPhone is a real thing remains to be seen, but there’s no mystery that Samsung is invested in making cryptocurrency more accessible to its customers. Last month, Samsung added support for Bitcoin tokens to its Blockchain Keystore wallet, with the Blockchain Keystore SDK also supporting Ethereum and Klaytn tokens. We’ll keep you posted if we find out more about the KlaytnPhone. In the meantime, would you be interested in buying a Galaxy Note 10 edition geared towards cryptocurrency outside of South Korea? Let us know in the comment section.

Galaxy Note 10

• Model: SM-N970F
• Dimensions: 151.0 x71.8x7.9mm
• Display: 6.3"(160.02mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F2.2 Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: 162.3 x 77,2 x 7.9mm
• Display: 6.8"(172.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°) & Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°) & Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°) & DepthVision Camera: VGA

More specifications

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PSA: You don’t have to point the S Pen at the Note 10 for Air Actions

This year, Samsung enriched the S Pen with a new feature called Air Actions. It gives Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ users the ability to remotely control certain applications, to an extent, using S Pen gestures. What you may or may not know, however, is that performing Air Actions doesn’t require users to point the S Pen at the smartphone.

Samsung may have given the wrong impression – or an incomplete picture – when it demonstrated Air Actions at Unpacked in New York City, so for those of you who might still be wondering how Air Actions work on a fundamental level, this brief overview/PSA should clear things up.

We’ve noticed that the first instinct one has when trying out Air Actions for the first time is to point the S Pen at the smartphone’s screen before pressing the stylus button and performing a gesture. In reality, you can perform Air Actions while pointing the S Pen wherever you want, as long as the stylus is pointing on the horizontal axis.

The magic happens on the S Pen itself

It’s important to keep in mind that Air Actions doesn’t rely on the smartphone’s front-facing camera or the display underpinnings that make stylus input possible. The gestures work thanks to the S Pen’s internal components. The new stylus has its own 6-axis gyroscope, and this is where all the magic happens. The internal gyroscope detects motion and translates gestures into commands for applications running on the smartphone, as long as the apps support the feature.

Gestures include moving up, down, left, and right, as well as clockwise and counterclockwise rotation. Not all applications are compatible with Air Actions and the gestures don’t always do the same thing in the apps supporting it, so there is a bit of a learning curve. But if you’ve tried Air Actions and found it cumbersome or inaccurate, your results might improve if you keep this important detail in mind: it doesn’t matter where you point the S Pen when performing Air Actions, as long as it’s pointing on the horizontal axis. Likewise, smooth gestures seem to be considerably more accurate than quick flick gestures.

Have you tried Air Actions on the Galaxy Note 10 series? What has your experience been so far, and in what ways would you like Samsung to improve this new feature? Let us know in the comment section below.

Galaxy Note 10

• Model: SM-N970F
• Dimensions: 151.0 x71.8x7.9mm
• Display: 6.3"(160.02mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F2.2 Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: 162.3 x 77,2 x 7.9mm
• Display: 6.8"(172.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°) & Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°) & Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°) & DepthVision Camera: VGA

More specifications

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Samsung starting express mobile repair bus service in Germany

Starting October, you will be able to get your Galaxy phone or smartwatch repaired wherever you desire by simply calling up Samsung and asking for one of their express repair vans, at least if you’re in Germany. Samsung has revealed the Express Repair service at IFA 2019 in Berlin – the service will have a fleet of 21 Express Repair buses that will be on call to reach customers at their preferred location to fix their device. Basically, Samsung’s repair shops will now come to you instead of asking you to visit them.

According to Samsung, most repairs won’t take more than an hour, and the buses will offer refreshments to customers while they wait and allow them to get comfortable inside. Customers won’t be required to wait around – they can go shopping for groceries or run other errands and come back to get their device once they’re done. It’s unclear if there will be some conditions on where these repair vans/buses can be called, but being able to get your Galaxy device repaired right outside your favorite restaurant or your local grocery store will no doubt be pretty neat.

The Express Repair service will go live in 15 German cities starting next month. It remains to be seen if the service will expand to other European markets later down the line. We’re on the ground at IFA 2019 and will be asking Samsung for details and passing them along to you as and when we hear more.

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Daily Deal: 40% off Samsung HMD Odyssey+ VR headset

Virtual reality has been around for a few years already and we’ve seen massive improvements in the possibilities and the quality of VR content. Virtual reality makes for an immersive experience in gaming, watching videos, and more, and Samsung’s HMD Odyssey+ is one of the best standalone VR headsets out there. It gives you access to a plethora of content via the Microsoft Store and the Steam VR library that you can enjoy on a beautiful dual-AMOLED display and integrated AKG-tuned headphones.

Standalone VR headsets can be quite costly, but you can currently grab an HMD Odyssey+ and get started on your virtual reality adventure at a 40% discount. You get two wireless controllers with the headset, and the product ships internationally in case you’re outside the US.

Use the Buy Now button below to grab one before stock runs out or the price goes up again!

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Samsung makes the rugged Galaxy Tab Active Pro official

For the last few weeks, we have seen bits and pieces of evidence of Samsung working on a new tablet. Most recently, it was spotted at the FCC, securing necessary regulatory approvals before hitting the market. Samsung has now made this tablet official in Germany, and as predicted, it is the Galaxy Tab Active Pro.

Samsung’s Active lineup of smartphones and tablets prioritize durability over everything else. They are aimed at industry workers who operate in harsh working environments and need devices that can be used in such difficult conditions. The Galaxy Tab Active Pro is no different. It is a rugged tablet with IP68 water and dust resistance and built to MIL-STD 810G US military standard to survive falls from up to 1.2 meters in height, thanks to its protective cover.

Strangely, Samsung hasn’t revealed any specs for the Tab Active Pro, other than saying it comes with a 10-inch display, Samsung DeX support, and S Pen compatibility. However, an earlier benchmark pointed to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 or 712 chipset, 4GB RAM, and Android Pie onboard, suggesting a midrange tablet.

The Galaxy Tab Active Pro will be available in Germany from October 1 to businesses. It is priced at €599 for the Wi-Fi only version and €679 for the LTE variant. Samsung is promising four years of software updates from the date of launch, probably referring to the security updates. The company hasn’t provided any information regarding availability in other markets yet.

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All the Galaxy Fold changes you need to know about

The Galaxy Fold is coming out tomorrow and so ends the long wait for those who were looking forward to Samsung’s first foldable smartphone. It was supposed to be released in April this year. However, there were issues that needed to be addressed.

Samsung decided to delay the launch and focus on improving certain aspects of the device before rolling it out. It provided more detail about that just a few weeks ago. Here are all of the Galaxy Fold changes that you need to know about.

Galaxy Fold changes you need to know

There’s a special protective layer on top of the foldable Infinity Flex Display. It wasn’t tucked all the way into the frame initially. Even though reviewers had been briefed that removing this film would damage the panel, many either forgot or didn’t pay enough attention and ended up wrecking their Galaxy Fold review units the very day they got them.

They had removed the protective layer thinking that it was a screen protector. This led to the genuine concern that if this is something that can trip up reviewers, one can be certain that a lot of customers would make the same mistake. Samsung has now tucked this layer into the frame so that it’s no longer possible to peel it off by hand.

Samsung has added new protection caps to the top and bottom of the hinge area in order to prevent the ingress of external particles. The gaps were larger than they should have been on the first iteration which made it easier for dust and grime to make its way into the device and wreak havoc. The space between the hinge and the Galaxy Fold’s body has been reduced.

The company has also reinforced the foldable panel by putting in additional metal layers underneath the display. This will prevent any external particles from causing bumps in the panel even if they were to make it inside.

It’s a little thicker and weighs more than before

Samsung didn’t have to make any substantial design changes to the Galaxy Fold so it looks quite similar to the first iteration. However, a marginal, and we do mean marginal, increase in the weight and thickness of the device is a consequence of these changes. The Galaxy Fold is now 15.7mm thick when folded compared to 15.5 mm and weighs 276g as opposed to 263g. This isn’t really going to make that much of a difference when using the device on a daily basis.

The Galaxy Fold will be available for purchase in South Korea from September 6. It will be released in markets across Europe on September 18. The United States will also get it before the end of the month.

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Samsung celebrates five decades of innovation at IFA 2019 with new products

Samsung is commemorating its 50th anniversary at IFA 2019 in Berlin. It conducted a press conference today as part of the trade show to talk about the advancements in connectivity and innovation that it has made over the past five decades.

Never one to rest on its laurels, Samsung also talked about its plans for the future. Samsung is expanding its 5G device footprint with the launch of the Galaxy A90 5G and the Galaxy Fold 5G. It aims to bring QLED 8K technology to the masses with an entirely new lineup of QLED 8K TVs. Innovative new home appliances were on the agenda as well.

Samsung at IFA 2019

Samsung introduced the Galaxy A90 5G at IFA 2019. This is the company’s first non-flagship smartphone with 5G support and it’s already been launched in South Korea. The company confirmed that the Galaxy A90 5G is going to be available in Europe from October. With the Galaxy Fold being launched this week as well, Samsung confirmed that the foldable smartphone will be available in select markets across Europe from September 18. It’s also going to make a 5G variant available in some markets.

The company talked about the success that it has seen with its QLED 8K TV lineup. Ever since it was launched last year, total purchases of QLED TVs have gone up 200 percent year-over-year. More than two million units were sold globally in the first half of this year. Samsung has launched a new 55 inch QLED 8K TV to make this cutting-edge technology a bit more attainable for the masses. It will complement Samsung’s existing range of 65, 72, 82 and 85-inch QLED 8K models. The 55-inch model will be available globally starting in September.

Samsung also announced that it’s bringing the BESPOKE refrigerators to Europe. These refrigerators have been designed as modular units which allows them to seamlessly blend into various spaces with multiple sizing options ranging from single-door to four-door designs. Other home appliances include a Dual Cook Steam Oven, an air purifier with the world’s first Wind-Free purification system, and an AirDresser which resembles a wardrobe or vertical mirror.

IFA 2019 attendees can experience all of the new products at the Samsung Electronics Booth at Level 2, City Cube Berlin from September 6 to 11.

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