The teardown Samsung doesn’t want you to see —
In going after iFixit, Samsung is likely to get a lesson about the Streisand Effect.
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Samsung apparently doesn’t take kindly to iFixit’s disassembly of an unreleased smartphone. -
iFixit pointed out design flaws, like the exposed screen edge around the hinge. -
This thin plastic bezel is the only thing keeping the display on, but it stops around the hinge area. -
The hinge also contained a ton of ingress points. -
iFixit’s theory was that the plethora of ingress points would allow debris to get under the display, which would press through the display and damage it. -
The Verge was one of the sites that had their review unit damaged from debris under the display. -
There were two other reports of things working their way under the Galaxy Fold display. This instance is from Michael Fisher. -
iFixit also asked if this display protector shouldn’t be removed, why doesn’t it go under the display bezel, like the other display layers?
The Galaxy Fold delay has been an embarrassing mess for Samsung, and now the company is making things worse by targeting media outlets. Samsung has pressured iFixit to remove its Galaxy Fold teardown.
The Galaxy Fold teardown wasn’t just a normal teardown. After the phone was delayed due to durability problems discovered by early reviewers, iFixit used the teardown to point out several flaws in its design.
When we wrote up iFixit’s teardown, we openly wondered where the site managed to get a device that was never for sale and had all of its review units recalled. Apparently, the dubious origin of iFixit’s Galaxy Fold (and the embarrassment of having the site poke holes in your $2000 smartphone design) was enough to draw Samsung’s retaliation.
iFixit writes:
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.
Apparently, Samsung went after one of iFixit’s suppliers, and that was enough to get iFixit to protect its partner by taking down the article.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has attacked a piece of media that makes it look bad. During the Note 7’s explosive battery fiasco, the company issued a dubious DMCA claim against a YouTube video that showed a Grand Theft Auto V mod that added the Note 7 smartphone as an explosive weapon.
Samsung apparently is unaware of the “Streisand Effect,” in which attempting to censor a piece of content only draws more attention to it. The Internet never forgets, and iFixit’s Galaxy Fold Teardown can still be viewed on archive.org.
Listing image by iFixit
